Holiday Inn Shanghai Songjiang

The room was okay, though I couldn’t close the bathtub drain, so taking a bath wasn’t possible. Breakfast was average, with only a few options. The pool wasn’t available, and the fitness room hours were shorter than the website said. You also have to register at reception before using it. They required payment for the whole stay upfront, plus a deposit. The deposit wasn’t returned at checkout as I was told it would be. If you pay by card, it comes back later.

A pleasant stay overall. The big surprise was the good-sized heated indoor pool, though there wasn’t a lifeguard on duty. One person was responsible for both the fitness room and the pool. The place looked inviting, and it’s part of a shopping mall, with busy tourist streets nearby and plenty of good buys and food. My room was cozy, the bed was comfortable, and the bathroom had no odd smell. There are few service lifts for an 18-floor hotel, so waits can be a little long, especially at peak times.

The gym and pool were good facilities, with a nice, large pool. Without them, I’d have rated the hotel one star. My executive room was really poor, old and tired, and the club lounge was closed most of the time. When it was open, the offerings were very poor. Breakfast was mainly oriental, which wasn’t a problem in itself, but the European choices were poor quality. The cheeses and cooked meats, when available, were dry and shriveled. The bar was okay when someone served you, but at check-in it often seemed no one could be bothered to get someone over for drinks. This falls well short of IHG’s hotel standard in Europe or the US.

The hotel still has a decent breakfast buffet, and its location is handy for the factories in Songjiang. Staff speak decent English, even on the overnight shift. But the place has been declining. The furniture is worn out: desks are scratched, chairs stained, and some pieces show exposed plywood. In the suites there’s no outlet near the desk. The minibars aren’t stocked anymore, just a card with the room service menu. Room service is open 23 hours a day, but if you arrive between 10pm and 11pm, you have to wait to order food. Don’t rely on the breakfast hangcards being collected overnight. Once my room phone was broken too, so I had to go down to the front desk to order breakfast. The HVAC rarely works well. The rooms are always too hot or too cold, whatever the thermostat says. In winter, I often have to open my window because of the excessive heat.