Mercure Shanghai Hongqiao SOHO

Breakfast was tasty, though I would've liked more options. The rooms were comfortable, with a good-quality bed and mattress, and the hotel felt modern and very clean, close to the airport. Reception staff were really friendly, but their English was very limited. We managed with a translate app, so it wasn't a problem, just slower. Small snacks can be delivered to your room by robot, which is cool. The smart hotel system has fun features like music and KTV, but it's all in Chinese.

The restaurant was the main letdown for me. There were so few choices on the small menu that I didn't find anything I liked and skipped eating there the second night. I shamefully ended up at the McDonald's across the road a few times. The rest of the stay was good: the room was comfortable, adequately sized, and very clean. I also used the great gym several times. Staff were nice, with some English spoken at the desk, and the price I paid was lower than most others in shanghai. I liked having a metro station nearby, too.

Getting around was the best part of staying at Hotel Mercure Hongqiao Shanghai. Songhong MRT Line 2 is only about 300 meters away, roughly a five-minute walk, and it connects to many attractions. For Didi, though, the hotel may show up as "Shanghai Xiecheng Meiju Hotel," so keep that in mind to avoid confusion. The air-conditioning made sleeping really uncomfortable. It only blew warm air, and when we complained, the front desk offered a fan. It seemed to be a recurring issue, which matched some of the negative reviews I'd read before deciding to try the hotel. We stayed from March 31st to April 3rd. Breakfast was also disappointing: average, short on variety and flavor, and hard to justify at its regular price. Joining their membership got us a 50% discount, which made it a bit more reasonable. In the end, the location couldn't make up for those problems, and I'd tell potential guests to take the negative reviews seriously and consider somewhere else.

Someone nearby kept smoking, and the cigarette smell stayed in my non-smoking room for the entire week. The hotel didn't offer to move me, so I'm very disappointed with its service. That's why I can only give it two stars.