Renaissance Shanghai Zhongshan Park

We appreciated the service, location, breakfast choices, and the connection to a shopping mall. But our family of four, two adults and two teen boys, waited almost three hours for our room. We arrived at 3:30pm with a duplex two-bedroom suite and club lounge access booked, but didn't get in until after dinner. We were exhausted from traveling and needed to rest, shower, and get ready for dinner and our pre-booked Shanghai Tower tickets. We just made it in time. The suite was set up wrong, with only one single bed in the boys' room. A pull-out bed was offered, but for the price we paid it wasn't acceptable: it would take up space and be uncomfortable. The alternative room had the correct twin beds, but smelled putrid, like a sewer. Room 5827 is the one to avoid. After we returned from dinner, I nearly threw up walking in. Spraying, an air purifier, and opening the windows didn't help. With the windows open in Shanghai's freezing January weather, it was miserable. The lower floor was unusable because of the smell; upstairs was a little better, though the hallway still smelled bad, so we were effectively confined to the upstairs bedrooms. We also smelled it in the hotel's lifts and hallways, with some days worse than others, which made me think it might be an underlying sewer problem. Without that smell, this could have been a great stay. For a five-star hotel, I'd also expect a properly fitting toilet seat and securely fixed towel rails.

The metro is right downstairs, and there are lots of restaurants in the same building. I’ve stayed here several times because the location is excellent, and the friendly staff offer a range of services. Ivan helped carry my luggage up to the taxi. He was polite and quick to help, and I really enjoyed the experience. A big thank-you to Ivan.

The room was wonderfully comfortable, with a massive bed, and the staff were incredibly kind and helpful. Cloud 9 is just a short tube ride away. It was a real pleasure staying here, and we'll definitely come back.

The room was decent overall, but the air conditioner didn't work. Check-in was very slow. The lounge was good, though crowded, and served happy hour and dinner.