My last stop before going to back London is Shanghai. As I was doing the Globalist challenge my go-to would be one of the Hyatt hotels. Bad news is, all three of them – Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt and Andaz – have a mediocre or even less of a reputation. My corporate rate with Park Hyatt is quite good though, and it is after all Hyatt’s top brand, so I decided to give it a try.
I did zero homework after I made the reservation, and was surprised when I found out where the hotel was on the day.
Lujiazui (Shanghai’s financial district) has a landmark of three buildings (“suit of three”), and they are all next to each other:
- Shanghai Tower (Hotel J): tallest building of China, nicknamed “whisk”
- Jinmao Tower (Grand Hyatt): nicknamed “syringe”
- World Financial Centre (Park Hyatt): former tallest building of China, nicknamed “bottle opener”
As you can see, they each have a hotel located on their higher floors. Hotel J (photo 2 below), an LHW member, opened in 2021 and is one of the most expensive hotels in the city.
There are constantly tourists in front of the Shanghai Tower and Jinmao Tower for selfies. The World Financial Centre on the other hand, is thankfully much quieter as it sits at an intersection and thus isn’t well positioned for photos.
You’ll find a lot of sculptures on the ground floor after you enter the hotel, by the Chinese artist GAO Xiaowu. I find them a bit creepy to be honest.
The lift takes you straight to level 87, where the lobby is. My ears react every time I go up or down.
The lobby was quite busy when I checked in so I didn’t manage to take many photos. The view is quite good, and I recommend come round for a coffee if visiting the city. It is a nicer experience than standing amongst other tourists on the viewing platforms in my opinion.
I stayed at three Hyatt hotels in China this time, and Park Hyatt Shanghai is the only one which sent no welcome email nor prepared my room in advance. Moreover, communication with the front desk staff was somewhat difficult.
They didn’t want to upgrade me to the room I wanted and wasn’t aware it’s a GOH booking until I reminded them, and kind of lied. In the end I got the room I wanted, although had to wait an hour as an engineer was fixing something inside.
It is on level 81, one of the lower floors. When it comes to this height however it doesn’t make much of a difference.
This is a Two Twin Beds Room with Bund View. It is fan-shaped and the layout is strange.
The bathroom is quite standard though:
This room type has two levels and I don’t think mine is the “Deluxe” telling from the size. The room is really old and in desperate need of renovation, and honestly I don’t see anything that lives up to the Park Hyatt brand.
You can see Shanghai Tower and Jinmao Tower through room windows, and the Oriental Pearl Tower is behind the latter. Photo 2 is taken at the restaurant.
Welcome gift:
Breakfast is served at level 91. If you are an early riser, come up sooner to grab a window seat.
The service is mainly buffet, complimented with a few cooked-to-order items.
Some photos of the buffet selection:
The breakfast is nothing to write home about. I wouldn’t pay for hotel breakfast in China – you can have very good food for a fraction of the cost outside.
Gym facilities are at level 85:
The sauna cabin has a view.
The gym is quite small, but the heated infinity pool is pretty nice. Laying down sunbathing on pool side is also enjoyable.
My takeaway from the two-night stay is, Park Hyatt Shanghai is quite content with how they are right now and guest satisfaction isn’t really a priority. The hotel is worn and service is mediocre. I guess most guests come here for its premium location and novelty, and other things are less important.
Given its landmark status, I still think it might be worth staying at Park Hyatt Shanghai once for the unique experience. The next time I’m in Shanghai I might try out the Grand Hyatt, which is cheaper and has a club lounge.
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