I have never put a review on Trip Advisor but felt it so important to following my stay at Bothland Hotel in Shanghai. I want to save anyone else from making a huge mistake.
I have just returned from an amazing time in China. My first week was spent in Beijing at the luxurious China World Hotel which was 5* plus and each star so very well deserved.
I was informed that for my second week in China the Bothland Hotel in Shanghai was a 3* but having just spent a week there I can absolutely guarantee you that this is not the case. The only plus I could give is for location as it's quite close to an underground station.
We drove into the main entrance and saw the large chandelier hanging in the foyer which looked very nice from the outside...but then we entered the building. The staff were completely unhelpful on the front desk on arrival. We went up to our room to discover - an awful smell, mould surrounding the bath, a broken fridge, broken electrical sockets, a broken TV, a filthy carpet..should I go on? We went straight back to reception who only paid any attention once they fully understood that we weren't happy with the room and weren't prepared to stay in it. We were given a new room which didn't smell as bad, didn't have as much mould around the bath, had a fridge that worked and a TV which worked. However, please don't get too excited - the room was still dirty as you can see from the photographs I have attached.
I have stayed in all types of hotels, from B&Bs in Brighton to 5* hotels in New York. I don't mind how basic a hotel room is as long as it's clean and the word 'clean' doesn't seem to exist at Bothlands.
As for dining, we were booked for breakfast each morning. After our first visit to the dining room (which turns into a pop-up bar in the evening by the way) we never went back! A plate heaped with fried eggs that had been there for Lord knows how long as well as sliced meat and other cold fare, orange squash instead of juice, a two-slice toaster for all guests to queue in front of... dire! As for the pop-up bar, you are better off going to the local supermarket and buying your own refreshments as it's far cheaper. Plus this then leaves the bar staff more to eat and drink themselves in front of you which, believe me, they enjoyed!
Shanghai is a fantastic city and I have every intention of returning, however I would NEVER stay at this excuse for a hotel again. On various websites it stated that this hotel had been recently refurbished - utter rubbish! Someone else had written in a review that they should knock it down and start again, I couldn't agree more.
Expect to read more reviews like mine on Trip Advisor as many of us stayed here in Sept. My friend and I got lucky with our second room as it was a palace in comparison to some of the others. Many of them had fridges which didn't work and they were told that 'none of the fridges in the hotel work' - they knew this was rubbish as ours did actually work. Another friend had the plumbers come to her room three times in five days as the toilet kept overflowing. Please don't listen to your friends who say 'you can't believe everything you read with hotel reviews' because, in this case, I know you will be writing exactly the same review as mine if you decide to ignore my review and book a room at Bothland.
Oh and for non smokers: you can smoke anywhere in this hotel so be prepared for smelly rooms, smelly hallways, smelly lifts...
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