Holiday Inn Express Shanghai Wujiaochang

The room itself was nice, and the cleaning staff were friendly and reliable. The rest of my stay was awful. The internet kept going down over all three nights, the phone broke the first time I tried to use it, and the elevators would sometimes be out. My room smelled strongly of smoke when I arrived. Laundry cost 60 yuan for one load, and breakfast was mostly low-quality fried food. The place felt dark and dreary. Some staff spoke no English. When I did find someone who could, they seemed helpless and often useless. They also seemed frustrated when things didn't work. I gave this just one star instead of two because it's part of an international chain, and I expected more. I'll be much more careful about staying at a Holiday Inn or IHG hotel in future.

The complimentary breakfast was great, even for someone from the Indian subcontinent. If you're travelling from India or Pakistan, there's a good place to get your food right beside the hotel, and a 7-11 just across the street. It's a good place in a great location. The staff don't know English, though, so having a translator app would help.

It was a good place to stay, and I was happy overall. The main drawback was the staff's English communication. It would be awesome if all the staff could speak and understand English.

The price didn't match the quality, and this hotel isn't well-run. My bathroom hadn't been cleaned properly, and the air conditioner didn't work. At reception, only one guy speaks English. Breakfast was cheap and very greasy.