My China trip finishes in Shanghai too, and as opposed to the Wonderland hotel I need something more conventional and convenient. I’d usually go for somewhere in central Shanghai, but following some friends’ advice I decided to arrive at the Hongqiao railway station and stay nearby.
At Hongqiao the railway station and airport are very close to each other. And there are four main hotels at the hub: Crowne Plaza, Hyatt Place, Hyatt Regency and Cordis (by Langham). All of them are within walking distance from the railway station but Cordis is the closest.
Once you’ve exited the station, follow sign to NEC Shanghai and walk underground. You’ll cross a shopping mall and most of the route is indoors with minimum stairsteps. But still it takes around 15 minutes so not super near.
There’s a direct train service “Suburban Railway” connecting Hongqiao and Pudong Airport, the journey time around 40 minutes.
Here we are at the Crowne Plaza.
The hotel consists of three buildings: the Executive Tower with larger rooms, the East Tower with mostly twin rooms, and the Main Tower.
I emailed the hotel in the morning asking about an upgrade to a suite or panoramic room. They replied very promptly to upgrade me to a junior suite in the Main Tower.
The suite itself was spacious and quite well appointed. It wasn’t overly luxurious, but everything was functional and well-maintained. Opened in 2020 it’s a rather new hotel.
The living room had plenty of space to relax or work, while the bedroom felt cosy and comfortable. The bathroom had both a tub and a separate shower.
I received a fruit plate and two drink vouchers as the welcome gift.
The club lounge shares a common area with the restaurant on the second floor in the Main Tower.
It’s clever connecting the two facilities together to create wider space. I only had a very quick breakfast but the spread was decent, covering both Chinese and Western items.
When I checked in, the afternoon tea was not over yet and I had enough time to pop in for some photo shots. It was mostly fruits and vegetables.
The evening happy hour starts at 17:30.
Main hot dishes were:
- Shanghai-style Braised Pork Belly
- Homestyle Tofu
- Tofu Rolls
- Mashed Sweet Potato
- Poached Shrimp with Scallion, Ginger, and Salt
- Spicy Mixed Beef Offal
- Fried Chicken Drumstick
There’s also a chef cooking beef steaks. All in all it’s pretty high quality and more than enough to serve as a proper dinner.
In summary, it’s a very solid business hotel if you don’t need to stay in central Shanghai, offering great benefits for elite members especially those with an annual lounge pass. It’s not as convenient for Pudong connection as I had thought though, as the Suburban Railway is more than 2km away – not fun to walk when you are travelling with bags.
Recent Comments