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When my wife first entered a Marriott in the US, she said in disbelief at the dumpy lobby, “This…is a Marriott?”
Well, this is a Holiday Inn, Shanghai style, the Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong.
Rates are typically around US$115/night or 15,000 points, including breakfast. Those with Platinum status, from say, a certain credit card, enjoy, food all day in the lounge, one hour per day use of a meeting room, six soft drinks from the minibar, twenty pages copying per day, guaranteed 2 pm late checkout.
The point of all this is to be open-minded about brands when heading to Asia. Expect 1-2 stars more than a comparable major brand hotel in the US. However prices can be inflated to match, more commonly at the higher-end brands. I find the value sweet spot to be mid-tier brands like Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Radisson.
There are excellent 4-star Best Westerns in China with prime locations like Shanghai’s Nanjing Road and Qingdao’s beach. You can find some great gems and have stories to tell of doting champagne service in a Holiday Inn.
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I really enjoyed my stay at Holiday Inn Orchard City Center in Singapore and planning to do at least one night at a Holiday Inn in Shanghai this fall. What area of the city would you suggest staying in for a first timer (other than Pudong)?
@Andrei – I am out in Pudong on business, that said even this location is a short taxi from Lujiazui and the Pudong side of the river. However for a pleasure visit the Bund area is the top, and then anything through the French Concession out to Xujiahui, one hotel I really love for its historic grounds is the Radission Xingguo.