Howard Johnson Huaihai Hotel Shanghai

There’s a shopping center and rows of shops just across the street, handy for picking up a designer handbag or shoes, grabbing a quick bite, or wrapping up the day with a cocktail. I have very limited Mandarin, but the staff were exceptionally helpful and answered several of my questions. They made my stay much easier and more accommodating.

The shopping center nearby is the one good thing for me. The hotel feels very old-fashioned, and with it 28 c outside, there was no air conditioning available. Sunlight made the room hot, while construction at the neighboring building brought noise all day. I’m very disappointed.

The location is fantastic. South Shaanxi Station is about a 5-minute walk away, inside the basement of a really nice mall. There are excellent restaurants nearby, and you can easily walk to pleasant parts of the Former French Concession. I’ve stayed here twice. It’s a pretty good hotel, with comfortable, spacious rooms and plenty of outlets. The bathrooms are clean and well-appointed, and they replenished the bottled water each day. The front desk was efficient and helpful, and the room staff were careful about taking care of everything. We tried the laundry service, and it worked great. A couple of things varied between visits: the air-conditioning was so-so the first time but worked quite well on the most recent stay. The Internet was also so-so in October of 2016, then quite reliable in June of 2017. There’s no VPN, so bring one if you need it.

I was quite happy here. Everything was good, it was super clean and very nice, and the location was great. It just makes me smile because, as a kid, Hojos meant fried clam stripes and ice cream on road trips.