Holiday Inn Express Shanghai Zhenping

You can walk to lots of local restaurants in about five minutes, which is handy since the local breakfast is dull. The other downside is the noise, even on the 2x floor. Still, the room rate is very reasonable, and the location is great for budget travelers or an executive stay. It’s at the junction of metro lines 3/4 and 7, with metro access to Hongqiao and Pudong airport. Shanghai main train station is just 2 to 3 stations away.

It’s outside the city center, but transport is good, with metro lines 7, 4 and 3. The station is 100 meters away. Reception staff are friendly and speak English, and the room was cleaned daily. Breakfast has enough variety to find something each time, with Chinese and Western food. There’s also a free coffee machine in the lobby, plus tea and small Chinese sweets. The pillows are comfortable. The mattress feels hard at first, but I slept well on it.

Getting here is easy because it’s close to the subway, and the hotel has fairly strict security, with ID checks for all visitors. The lobby’s complimentary lemon water and goji berry tea were refreshing and tasty. There are several things I wasn’t happy with. At NT$3,000, the facilities don’t feel worth the price. There’s no refrigerator, and the comforter is made of a crisp material that rustles with every movement. The bathroom has no conditioner, and using the same product for shampoo and shower gel feels odd. Breakfast is limited, the food is light and healthy, but the pastries are poor quality and very average.