Novotel Shanghai Jingan

I booked through Trip.com and wasn’t an Accor member. We arrived around 6+am ish, and they arranged a room upgrade for a very small extra cost, plus complimentary breakfast that day. It was a comfortable stay, and the room was spacious and well equipped. The laundry room was handy, with a waiting area, laundry bags and baskets that aren’t for keeping. The room TV showed which washers and dryers were free or occupied, though the dryer took a while to get clothes completely dry. They accepted online shopping deliveries and had a mailroom around the back. Put your room number right after the hotel name so parcels can be left on the shelf for your floor. Otherwise, finding them in the mountain of deliveries can be painful. For returns, after processing the refund on Taobao, write the 4-digit number Taobao gives you on the parcel and leave it on the specific shelf in the mailroom for pickup. Staff were helpful, and we could always get bottled water at the front desk. Free late checkout until 6pm would have been nice, but 2pm was still pretty decent. There are lots of beef noodle soup/noodle shops nearby, as well as Starbucks/KFC/Manner Coffee/Lawson within a 5-minute walk. The location itself wasn’t anything special. Happy to return!

The room was neat, breakfast tasty with enough choice, and the large modern laundry room was useful. There’s also a robot delivery service for food and drinks. Restaurants and the Metro are close, so the location is excellent. I stayed four nights at Novotel Shanghai JingAn as an ALL Gold Member. There was construction going on and it got quite noisy. I found an insect on the bed after the first night. The Front Office staff noted my complaint but didn’t apologize. They also didn’t upgrade my room, saying the hotel was fully booked. Their welcome felt cold, more like being at a factory hotel. The facilities and location are great, but cleanliness and service need improvement.

The room was new, clean and spacious, and the smart delivery robot was cute. It’s a 5-10mins walk to either subway station and a 10-minute taxi ride from the Bund. The entrance is at the back of the street, with convenience stores across the road and local eateries nearby. The breakfast was okay, mostly Chinese, but the quality wasn’t great. Free self-service washers and dryers are in the basement, though the dryer takes a long time. There’s a gym but no pool, lounge or rooftop bar. The front staff were abrupt, unwelcoming and unhelpful. Even as a Platinum member of Accor, I got nothing from Novotel in China, not even a hello or smile. The welcome drinks were non-alcoholic ones in the fridge, and you can’t even get a cup of coffee in the lobby as a welcome drink. I wouldn’t recommend Novotel if you come to China!

The front desk staff were helpful, though they could use more experience and confidence. The hotel facilities were great, and the location made it easy to reach important tourist spots, including the train station, the Bund and Yu Garden.