Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong by IHG

I had an amazing stay and would definitely come back. The rooms were huge and well kept, check-in was smooth, and the included breakfast had a lot to choose from. There’s a large, well-equipped fitness centre, a clean pool, a spa, and a few restaurants in the hotel. The location is excellent too.

The breakfast was a highlight, tasty and with a good range of choices, and the staff were especially supportive with foreign visitors. The hotel was very clean throughout my May 4th to May 10th stay. Though my trip officially began on May 9th, I checked in earlier without trouble. I’d arrived at 8:30 AM and was initially worried about the 2:00 PM check-in. Staff said around 12:30 PM might be possible; after a few polite requests, they let me in at 11:00 AM. That flexibility really helped after a long journey. Thanks for making the stay comfortable. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to other Shanghai travelers.

The first room’s toilet didn’t work. We were told there were no rooms left, then just 30 seconds later offered an upgrade. In that second room, the phone was broken, the Wi-Fi was practically nonexistent, the fridge barely cooled and stayed above 5 degrees Celsius, and the AC was stuck at 25°C no matter what setting we chose. The bathtub also took 20 minutes to drain during a normal shower. On top of that, the hotel made us pay at check-in even though we already had a card on file. Dinner at the first-floor restaurant was another mess. Our cod took over 30 minutes, and it was missing half the listed ingredients, including the glazed almonds and sautéed potatoes. When we asked about it, the staff seemed confused and didn’t know what to do. Easily the worst hotel I’ve been to.

My room smelled strongly of cigarette smoke from the moment I walked in, almost like a KTV room. Changing rooms didn’t help, and I suspect the smell may come through the ventilation. It was hard to feel comfortable there. The room itself was old and deteriorated, with worn fixtures and furniture that made the place feel neglected and low-budget for an IHG hotel. It isn’t worth the price, and management needs to work hard on the conditions. The staff weren’t professional either. At check-in, someone took my identity document without telling me or getting my permission. The hotel says it’s smoke-free, but that didn’t match my experience. Worst IHG hotel I’ve encountered. Avoid it or you’ll regret it.