Kingswell Tongji

I stayed at the hotel for 3 nights and found the facilities and services more than adequate. The breakfast buffet was quite good, and the bed was also comfortable. I was also happy that the front desk offered umbrellas for its guests, which was particularly helpful during the rainy season.

I had an international science workshop at Tongji University, and they put up the speakers here. It's very close to the Tongji University metro station, and convenient to a number of restaurants. The rooms are generous and comfortable (especially on the Executive Floor where they put me!) and they have both good amenities and an unusual approach to conservation (toiletries are all in sustainable packaging, which I'd never seen before...). The hotel bar is typically (for China) expensive, so I wouldn't want to have beers there, though it would be comfortable; and the coffee shop where they serve breakfast and lunch offers a very generous buffet service for both. My only substantive gripe with the place is a workout space that is rather hot and not terribly well-maintained. Another point to be aware of is that, like much of China, the air conditioning is on the weak side - so much so for my top-floor room that the cleaning staff stuck a keycard in the turn-everything-on slot in the room to keep the AC running so the room would stay clement (there was a heatwave in Shanghai during my visit!). Otherwise (and at other times of the year) I'd for sure stay here again.

A few stops from downtown and the Bund, this is right next to Tongi university. Clean, well appointed with nice staff some of whom speak good English. Good breakfast. Internet can be a bit slow but overall a good introduction to this astonishing, sometimes overwhelming city.