Review: Grand Hyatt Shanghai

Since I was scheduled to pick up my award ticket and start my journey back to Washington, DC via Tokyo on an Air China flight from Shanghai to Tokyo, I arranged to get back to Shanghai the prior day, leaving the two of us with one last afternoon and evening in Shanghai.  Since we were exhausted at this point of the trip, we decided to cancel our pre-existing reservation at the Andaz Shanghai, Xintiandi in favor of the Grand Hyatt, which is located in the Jing Mao Tower — directly across the street from the Park Hyatt, where we had stayed the previous week.

After arriving on a short hop from Hong Kong on China Eastern, we this time opted to take the Maglev to town, avoiding the ripoff that we experienced on our first stint in Shanghai a few days earlier.  The Maglev only cost 80RMB round trip and took only 12 minutes to get from Shanghai-Pudong Airport to the Longyang Road stop on the metro.  A twenty minute metro ride and five stops later had us a couple blocks from the Grand Hyatt.

Upon entering the hotel, we were whisked away to reception on the 54th floor.  Once again, as a Diamond guest, I was escorted up to the Grand Club on the 83rd floor.  After a somewhat lengthy check-in process, they were able to free up a room for us and we made our way down to room 7614, a River View Twin Room on the 76th floor.

Going into this hotel stay, I knew that one of the highest atriums in the World was located at the Grand Hyatt Shanghai.  Unfortunately, we never saw it!  Our room was located right across from the elevators, as was the Grand Club.  We were here for such a short time that we NEVER made it to check out the soaring, 33-story atrium — what a shame!

River View Twin Room

We were shown to our room and upon entering, the first thing that struck me was the beautiful, marbled entrance with a floor-to-ceiling window view at the end of the hallway looking directly at the Oriental Pearl Tower!

There was a small vestibule in the foyer with a tea set, stationary, and room information.  The Chinese decor is very evident.

The room setup was pretty simple.  There were two very comfortable twin beds, along with a desk and a lounge chair.   A flat screen television sat atop an entertainment center that was attached to the wall.  The room itself was very light and airy — it felt much larger than it actually was.

For a standard sized room, it was quite nice.  The finishings and immaculate cleanliness of the room stuck out in particular.  Though it was nowhere near the size of the suites we’d had the previous few nights, the size was perfect for us — and since we were only there for one night, we certainly didn’t require much.

I also liked the bathroom, as it had a unique design with both a bathtub and a shower.  There were mirrors and marble galore in the bathroom!

Grand Club

I really appreciated the Grand Club during this short stay at the Grand Hyatt.  This beautiful, two-story space features an incredible view of the Shanghai!  In the evenings, they feature a happy hour with an impressive selection of appetizers.  There are about three serving stations throughout the lounge.  I enjoyed a couple of beers, some dim sum and some bbq ribs here — all were quite good.  I took many more pictures than what I’ve posted, but few turned out.

We also took a quick breakfast in the lounge the next morning before rushing to catch our train back to the airport.  I remember the selection being good, but I just grabbed some fruit, as we were running a bit late.  Sadly, I didn’t take any pictures of the breakfast spread.

We received access to the Grand Club since I was a Hyatt Diamond member.  The lounge was one of the nicer lounges I’ve experienced at a Hyatt property, though I did find this particular Grand Club to be a bit crowded at times.

The Verdict…

Overall, the Grand Hyatt Shanghai is a wonderful hotel.  Though we only stayed here for one night, I was sufficiently impressed.  While I don’t think it can compete with the Park Hyatt next door, the Grand Hyatt is usually priced at a completely different price point.  The Grand Hyatt is normally more in line with the Andaz and Hyatt on the Bund in Shanghai — and I think that’s a superb value, since it really is just  gem of a hotel.

I didn’t get to experience really any of the service other than check-in.  That experience could have gone a little smoother, as it took quite some time to assign me a room, but I won’t judge against that too badly.

How I Booked it…

I booked a Hyatt Elite Rate for this stay for around RMB 1080.