Sunrise on the Bund

The hotel is a short drive from The Bund, though there’s development going on around the neighborhood. There’s no mall or convenience store connected to it. We were surprised to find there was no water from 12 to 5 a.m. Aside from that, it was a decent hotel.

The staff were great, but breakfast was disappointing. The cornflakes tasted worse than cardboard, and eggs were the only good thing. The bed wasn’t comfortable either. I also wanted something fun to watch, like movies or shows, but nearly every TV channel was news. I found one good channel in Japanese, though I couldn’t understand what they were saying. It was funny that this was the only decent channel.

My room on the 11th floor was stylish, and the bathroom had a very nice view. I was very satisfied with the hotel. Breakfast felt Michelin-grade, with everything locally made and incredibly fresh.

Things have gone downhill here, and I wouldn’t recommend another stay. This time the gym and pool were under renovation, with no mention of that anywhere. The in-room heating didn’t work, and housekeeping brought an extremely noisy fan heater that made it impossible to sleep. On earlier visits, the gym was already a bit under-equipped for anyone serious about working out. Wi-Fi is practically useless for business travelers: they seem to make every effort to stop VPNs working, and keeping up with essential websites is a hassle. I had air-conditioning problems too. A technician came twice, but the noise issue persisted. Rooms can also be noisy because the windows don’t shut tightly. The TV channels and reception need fixing. They use old-style multiple plugs at the wall, but there’s only one socket near the work table that can take an adapter. Total disappointment now.