Reviews of Starwood hotels - Mainland China

[YK@HKG]

Four Points By Sheraton Shenzhen

I have stayed a total of 3 times over the past 1 month in this SPG property here. Four Points By Sheraton Shenzhen is strategically located in the Free Trade Zone, next to the Futian Border (and Huang Gang MTR Station). The Futian Border itself is linked to the Lok Ma Chau KCR Station in Hong Kong, both opened in August this year. You can either take a leisurely 10-mins walk (like I always do) to the hotel or take a cab (which will cost you RMB12.50). If you are crossing the border from Lo Wu, a cab ride will take you to the hotel in around 20 mins (around RMB30). If you are craving for food or spa, a short cab ride will take you to Shui Wei Village, which is pretty popular among the Hong Kong people.

Location wise, it's probably the best among the other SPG properties in Shenzhen. The Sheraton Shenzhen Futian is also located in the Futian area, near to exhibition center in the new CBD, however, it is still a distance away from the Lo Wu or Futian border. The other property is the Sheraton Dameisha Resort Shenzhen. Dameisha is a popular beach resort, located around 30-40 mins from Lo Wu. I have yet to try both hotels, but, I will definitely try the Dameisha one with my wife next year.

Futian Free Trade Zone:



The name plaque signed by Zhu Rongji, the ex-Premier of China:



The exterior looks:




The lobby:

[YK@HKG]

In terms of room amenities, it's a standard Four Points, so, do not expect anything luxurious. The 4-Points at Daning, Shanghai is certainly better than this one.

The Bed:



TV and work desk:



Bathroom:



Bathtub in the Old Wing:



The rate of RMB700+15% tax INCLUDES a buffet breakfast at the Taste Restaurant. The other restaurants inside the property are: China Spice, Cafe Deli, The Lounge, and Panash (Asian and Japanese food).

Overall, I feel that this hotel is a standard business hotel with good (but not spectacular) amenities. The good rate and location also mean that I will probably stay more often next year, if I need extra stays (or nights) to retain my Platinum status.

[MAN Flyer]

Completed my 3 stays in PVG and one note to KeithMEL and others who will be visiting PVG:
The Le Royal Meridien Shanghai in Nanjing Road is a great hotel! I didn't stay there this time round, but, had a chance to tour inside. It's also a landmark building that one can't miss in the busy shopping street, located just right in the middle!

I'm in this place at the moment, and while it definitely has great views from the rooms, a very nice club lounge and a good bar at the top, I don't think I'll be rushing back. They have a number of service issues they need to address, including calling guests at 0130 in the morning to ask can they deliver your laundry.

Walking down the main street nearby towards The Bund is some effort as you get absolutely pestered by touts selling allsorts. I can understand it at night but I've just walked back up this afternoon suited and booted and I still got mythered.

[KeithMEL]

Oh, oh sorry to hear about the less than stellar stay MAN Flyer. Well hopefully the service will be pick up somewhat next week...

I might be spared the touts as hopefully I have the advantage of looking kinda local. This sometimes works in places like Thailand.

[jhm]

They have a number of service issues they need to address, including calling guests at 0130 in the morning to ask can they deliver your laundry.

Whilst I didn't have any such problems for my stay there last year, I think they may be symptomatic of Chinese hotels in general. For example, staying at the S-L Pudong this August, they didn't deliver my laundry because I was out (so I had to call them at 2am to get it delivered given that I was checking out early that morning) and - worse - my wakeup call didn't happen (luckily I had set my phone as well).

On the other hand, the service in some other areas was better than I normally get in hotels in most other parts of the world, e.g. I only have basic level status with S-L and had booked a normal room but was still met on arrival and taken up to my room for check-in and presented with a letter signed by the GM and a smal gift (a silver bookmark) as a repeat guest.

Out of the RM and the S-L, I think I prefer the latter (but it really depends if the location works for you or not).

Has anyone tried the Four Seasons Shanghai ?

Walking down the main street nearby towards The Bund is some effort as you get absolutely pestered by touts selling allsorts.

No such problem here - day time or night time.

[YK@HKG]

I'm in this place at the moment, and while it definitely has great views from the rooms, a very nice club lounge and a good bar at the top, I don't think I'll be rushing back. They have a number of service issues they need to address, including calling guests at 0130 in the morning to ask can they deliver your laundry.

Walking down the main street nearby towards The Bund is some effort as you get absolutely pestered by touts selling allsorts. I can understand it at night but I've just walked back up this afternoon suited and booted and I still got mythered.

I understand that touts are pretty aggressive in the Nanjing Road area. I got pestered too and I simply walked fast to avoid them

The Four Points at Daning is better as it's not in the city centre and no touts (thankfully).

[MAN Flyer]

Out of the RM and the S-L, I think I prefer the latter (but it really depends if the location works for you or not).

I stayed in the Shangri-La on my previous visit and find that way better than the RM. As you say it depends where you need to be an want to go. The area around the S-L is dead at night.

Ironically enough I was working in Pudong but decided to try the RM as I'd read good reports.

[KeithMEL]

The Westin Bund Centre
88 Henan Central Rd, Shanghai


A touch of Chrimbo at the Westin

Between both the Westin and the Le Royal Meridien, the Westin was by far my preferred hotel.

For starters, I found the location of the Westin most convenient, especially to the bars and restaurants on the Bund. The hotel is a mere 5 minutes walk down Guangdong Rd to M on the Bund and Glamour Bar at 5 on the Bund, as well as Jean Georges' at 3 on the Bund (even though I fond the latter establishment to be rather overrated). Immediately surrounding the hotel is what was described to me as "Old Shanghai", with dozens of delightful local restaurants and cafes.

I was only SPG Gold for both stays yet got a one category upgrade to the "Crown Deluxe Room", which is in fact a small suite on reasonably high floors. My room was also ready when I arrived at 0830 on the first day. 4pm late checkout was also given both times, although with some bargaining during the latter stay. The lobby was pretty sophisticated with a touch of Oriental, and felt pretty warm and welcoming. They could lose the piano music though but that's just me...





The rooms were a little bit faded, with decor from the early 2000s but were nonetheless well-appointed and comfy with a brand-standard Heavenly Bed. Even though not too new, I found the decor to be rather timeless - it'd probably still work for a few more years yet before looking tacky.









Service was simply flawless. Staff spoke perfect English and couldn't do enough to assist me in various arrangements, be it restaurant reservations, translations from Chinese to English, or giving suggestions on where to go. Yet the rather gracious service was not accompanied by the servility one has to put up with in certain other cities. A handy little guide to the city was also supplied with landmark names in both English and Chinese.

For all the above, I'd not hesitate to return to the Westin Bund Centre for future visits to Shanghai. That is, until the W commences operations but even then I'm not so sure about staying in Pudong - convenient as the metro may be.

[aside]The 2nd stay was amusing as a "Chinese superstar" was at the hotel, and the hotel entrance was clogged with hundreds of screaming teenage girls. I couldn't identify the celebrity until he walked past me with all his bodyguards and the screams got louder. I felt a little guilty as I was going 'wtf?!' when those girls look like they'd kill to be where I was standing (they were cordoned off to a side).[/aside]

[KeithMEL]

Le Royal Meridien, Shanghai
789 Nanjing Rd East


Chrimbo decoration on the ground floor

I stayed at this hotel twice - once as a Gold, the 2nd time as a Platinum. (Let's just say that I overestimated the number of stays I needed to achieve Platinum.)

As a Gold I received the stock standard routine of check in, check out, with a pretty standard room smack in the middle of the corridor. I got 4pm late check out with no questions though; 'no problem Sir!'

I'd made Platinum on the day of arrival of my 2nd stay and called ahead to 'refresh' the status in my reservation. As a Platinum I was offered my choice of welcome amenity (went for the 500 points), a one category upgrade to a Grand Deluxe Room on the 27th floor, and a staff member escorted me to the room. She took pains to explain every single feature of the hotel and my room to me; I hadn't the heart to stop her. The check in clerk was apologetic that they couldn't do better than the Grand Deluxe Room (which they called a junior suite) as they'd already allocated rooms the night before. The promised welcome fruit/chocolate platter never appeared...

The decor at the Le Royal Meridien was nicer than the Westin as this hotel is newer. The Le Royal Meridien felt very hip and everything seemed brand new. However I wasn't sure about the open plan bathroom. Rooms were rather well-appointed with massive plasma TVs (the one in the Grand Deluxe Room can be twirled 360 degrees to face either the bed or the lounge area). The bathroom in the Grand Deluxe Room also had L'Occitane amenities. I did not really like the bed - the sheets felt a tad too rough and the mattress was extremely hard.

Deluxe Room:








Grand Deluxe Room











I wasn't overly impressed by the convoluted lift situation at this hotel. Think Westin BKK but worse. If you stay on a higher floor, you'd need 2 lifts to get to your room (one from ground floor to lobby, another to the room). On my 2nd stay i had a room on the 27th floor which can be accessed directly from the ground floor - but to get to the club lounge on the 44th floor I needed to go down to the lobby and up again on another lift.

As a Platinum I got to access the club lounge at this hotel on my 2nd stay. There was free-flow alcohol (even sparkling wine!) all day and a very nice full buffet breakfast was served in the morning. There were computer terminals where cabled broadband was provided for free but wifi incurred a charge.

A majority of the staff seemed rather terse and acted like they were only fulfilling requests because they have to. The concierge was helpful when I had to email them for assistance with restaurant reservations prior to arriving however the concierge staff on duty whilst I was at the hotel generally seemed vague in providing advice and suggestions.

I'd describe the location of the hotel as in the middle of both everything and nothing. It's in the middle of a very busy pedestrian mall. However apart from some above average coffee at the Jamaica Blue cafe opposite the hotel, there wasn't anything that interesting about Nanjing Rd, unless of course you're into dining at multinational fast food chains and shopping at mass market, generic-brand clothing stores. I did have fun wandering down the little laneways to check out the hole in the wall eateries and trying to work out what to order from the non-English menus, as well as browsing through the food mall looking at all sorts of exotic wares being traded. However I'd consider the real action to be at the Bund, which was a relatively lengthy 20 minutes' walk away.

So it's a sexier hotel than the Westin, but apart from the hip decor there wasn't anything that'd entice me back for future visits.

EDITED TO ADD: I've just been advised on TOF that the 2nd room I got at the Le Royal Meridien SHA was the Executive Suite, not the Grand Deluxe Room as previously thought. Apologies for the confusion.

[nickbot]

Another comprehensive review KeithMEL many thanks

[JonHeng87]

Le Royal Meridien, Shanghai
789 Nanjing Rd East


Chrimbo decoration on the ground floor

I stayed at this hotel twice - once as a Gold, the 2nd time as a Platinum. (Let's just say that I overestimated the number of stays I needed to achieve Platinum.)

As a Gold I received the stock standard routine of check in, check out, with a pretty standard room smack in the middle of the corridor. I got 4pm late check out with no questions though; 'no problem Sir!'

I'd made Platinum on the day of arrival of my 2nd stay and called ahead to 'refresh' the status in my reservation. As a Platinum I was offered my choice of welcome amenity (went for the 500 points), a one category upgrade to a Grand Deluxe Room on the 27th floor, and a staff member escorted me to the room. She took pains to explain every single feature of the hotel and my room to me; I hadn't the heart to stop her. The check in clerk was apologetic that they couldn't do better than the Grand Deluxe Room (which they called a junior suite) as they'd already allocated rooms the night before. The promised welcome fruit/chocolate platter never appeared...

The decor at the Le Royal Meridien was nicer than the Westin as this hotel is newer. The Le Royal Meridien felt very hip and everything seemed brand new. However I wasn't sure about the open plan bathroom. Rooms were rather well-appointed with massive plasma TVs (the one in the Grand Deluxe Room can be twirled 360 degrees to face either the bed or the lounge area). The bathroom in the Grand Deluxe Room also had L'Occitane amenities. I did not really like the bed - the sheets felt a tad too rough and the mattress was extremely hard.

Deluxe Room:








Grand Deluxe Room











I wasn't overly impressed by the convoluted lift situation at this hotel. Think Westin BKK but worse. If you stay on a higher floor, you'd need 2 lifts to get to your room (one from ground floor to lobby, another to the room). On my 2nd stay i had a room on the 27th floor which can be accessed directly from the ground floor - but to get to the club lounge on the 44th floor I needed to go down to the lobby and up again on another lift.

As a Platinum I got to access the club lounge at this hotel on my 2nd stay. There was free-flow alcohol (even sparkling wine!) all day and a very nice full buffet breakfast was served in the morning. There were computer terminals where cabled broadband was provided for free but wifi incurred a charge.

A majority of the staff seemed rather terse and acted like they were only fulfilling requests because they have to. The concierge was helpful when I had to email them for assistance with restaurant reservations prior to arriving however the concierge staff on duty whilst I was at the hotel generally seemed vague in providing advice and suggestions.

I'd describe the location of the hotel as in the middle of both everything and nothing. It's in the middle of a very busy pedestrian mall. However apart from some above average coffee at the Jamaica Blue cafe opposite the hotel, there wasn't anything that interesting about Nanjing Rd, unless of course you're into dining at multinational fast food chains and shopping at mass market, generic-brand clothing stores. I did have fun wandering down the little laneways to check out the hole in the wall eateries and trying to work out what to order from the non-English menus, as well as browsing through the food mall looking at all sorts of exotic wares being traded. However I'd consider the real action to be at the Bund, which was a relatively lengthy 20 minutes' walk away.

So it's a sexier hotel than the Westin, but apart from the hip decor there wasn't anything that'd entice me back for future visits.

EDITED TO ADD: I've just been advised on TOF that the 2nd room I got at the Le Royal Meridien SHA was the Executive Suite, not the Grand Deluxe Room as previously thought. Apologies for the confusion.

Hey KeithMel... great review about this hotel. Anyway i be staying at this hotel on the 28th March for 1 night and then move to St regis for 3 nights. Any great reviews abt the St Regis?? haha thanks

Regards,
Jonathan heng

[YK@HKG]

Just some updates:
Had 3 stays over the previous 2 weeks at Sheraton Dongguan (1x) and Four Points at Sheraton Shenzhen (2x). The rate at Sheraton Dongguan was similar to what I paid last year, RMB 780 Nett. However, due to my new PLT status, I was upgraded to Suite room, which was really huge I also chose the gift of 500 Starpoints and was given access to the Executive Lounge. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera as the stay at Sheraton Dongguan was not planned ahead, I simply booked the room after I finished my stay at Four Points Shenzhen.

Since I arrived around 7pm local time, I still had time to enjoy the evening cocktail at the Executive Lounge (which lasted until 8:30pm if I recalled correctly). The snacks offered were not too bad and I chose the chicken wings, while I also ordered champagne to go with the food. Still feeling hungry, I tried the Italian restaurant downstairs (Luigi) and ordered Pizza. It was certainly a large serving as I could not finish it.

The suite itself was made up of a living room with the toilet, the bedroom and a separate bath-tub & shower room. The bathroom amenities were of a higher class (forgot the name) than the usual Aqua-Shui stuffs.

The TV is not those plasma/flat-screen type, but, I can live with it. Overall, this stay was much more enjoyable than the previous stay I had, probably due to the PLT status.

[YK@HKG]

The rate I paid at the Four Points Shenzhen over the previous 2 stays (in fact, I just came back from the last stay) was RMB 660+15%, slightly cheaper than the one I paid last year. For both stays, I already pre-booked ahead by using the helpdesk to earn 500 more Starpoints

In the first stay 2 weeks ago, I was not offered a Suite room, but, an Executive Room in the West Wing (new one). Different from the Old East Wing, the room in the West Wing is equipped with brand-new flat-screen TV However, there's no bath-tub, only a separate shower compartment. So, depends on individual preference, you might still want to stay in the Old Wing. Access to the New Wing is from the 5th floor, which is also where the Business Center is located.

I was given a Suite room yesterday during check-in, however, upon checking the Suite, I was quite disappointed as the bedroom is smaller than the room in the New Wing. Plus, they had the old TV So, I decided to switch to the room in the New Wing and throughly enjoyed the stay there.

With the PLT status, I chose the 250 Starpoints as the welcome gift and was offered Executive Lounge access, located at the 28th floor of the New Wing. However, the lounge was closed this weekend and the reason given was that there was not enough business travellers as it was a long holiday weekend in both Hong Kong and Mainland China (the Dragon Boat Festival) Breakfast can be taken at the Executive Lounge (if it's open) or at the Taste Restaurant on the 3rd Floor of the Old Wing.

Overall, satisfactory stays as always at the Four Points Shenzhen and more stays to come as part of the Mattress Run to retain PLT status which I find to be very useful this year.

[KeithMEL]

The Westin Bund Centre, Shanghai
88 Henan Rd

Not much has changed at this property since my last stay so I'd be brief here. As PLT, I got upgraded to the same cozy little suite as I previously got when I was GLD. Not that I'm complaining as it's a v comfy suite. I was also escorted to the room by no less than 2 people which I felt was a bit OTT.

This time I got Executive Club benefits, which included, amongst other things, free buffet brekkies each morning in both the lounge on the 5th floor and the restaurant on the ground floor, happy hour drinks with canapes (which weresufficient to be dinner) between 1730-1930, free inroom broadband, free local calls. I reckon the Royal Meridien has the nicer lounge, but I still prefer this property on the whole.






Lounge




Evening canapes and happy hour

I'd only tried the buffet breakfast in the lounge. It was a v comprehensive spread of both hot and cold options. As with many Asian hotels, they had an egg station to make eggs to your liking. Had the poached eggs with hollandaise sauce which was quite decently done. Spotted what I thought was spinach but later turned out to be Japanese seaweed and made myself eggs florentine, albeit with seaweed and not spinach.

[zander]

St Regis Beijing

Here are some pictures and a quick review of the St Regis Beijing.

Location of the property is pretty ideal for either business or leisure as it is located along Jianguomen Avenue which is the most major road in Beijing. Furthermore it is located halfway between the business district and shopping district which means cab fares to either of the places would be relatively cheap, less than 20 yuan. The cab drivers would not know the english name of the hotel and it is best to tell them the chinese name of the hotel: Zhong Guo Ju Le Bu Fan Dian. A useful landmark would be the CITIC Building(Guo Ji Da Sha).

I booked an executive deluxe room and was upgraded to a statesman suite. From what I hear, the hotel is pretty good with upgrades. The lobby is pretty impressive and has a huge lounge area with most of the people usually dressed to the nines or in formal attire.

Service on the whole is top notch and attentive. No complains in this area.

Pictures

Foyer/Entrance





Living Room

Welcome food(some light canapes) was already in the room when I arrived


Bedroom



Walk in wardrobe



Vanity Table



Bathroom



Toilet seat(not shown) is automated like those found in Japan


View from the room after a heavy downpour which cleared up the smog. Its rare to get such good visibility in Beijing.



Other Observations
1)Complimentary tea/coffee in room service is provided every morning but it must be requested, usually done when you schedule your wakeup call.

2)There is an executive lounge on the 18th floor which is open only from 1pm-9pm. Evening cocktails and canapes are served from 5.30pm to 7pm. The spread of food is average.

3)The buffet breakfast is pricey if your room rate does not include it, about 40usd. SPG Plats get their breakfast comp.

4)Other charges like internet is about 12 usd for 24 hours, one of the lowest rate for 5 star hotels in Beijing that I have seen so far.