Shanghai Hoteller i Minhang

I am on day 5 of my 9 day stay at Sky Fortune Hotel in Shanghai. I am staying in a standard room with two double beds. It is currently the 30th of May 2009. Staff is very friendly. Staff speaks English well enough to get what you need done. Room is lovely. Beds are very comfortable. Everything is very tidy and thought out. Breakfast buffet is worth what they charge. Really quite a spread. You will be impressed. I am staying in the back of the hotel, view is of other buildings which is quite common in China. Room is deadly quiet. The occasional door slamming due to some idiot guest with no manners...but no horn honking from the street. I am on the 7th floor and wish every hotel I stay at in China is this nice. T.V. could use more English channels...and as is typical in China....the reception is not always crystal clear and sharp. I have had some spotty internet issues which have been frustrating. Took about 30 minutes for someone to come to my room to tell me the internet was down. Duh. Remote control device is wireless for the room. Opens and closes the drapes. When drapes are closed the room is pitch black. Great for sleeping since it is so quiet here. AC works great. Motion sensors activate lights when you get up to use the restroom. Morning papers available in the restaurant in English. Housekeeping leaves you alone if you put note on door. When they do come, they are quick and efficient. Concierge is helpful and knows the area well. I paid about $75 a night which included breakfast for 2. Great deal. Overall I give this hotel two big thumbs up.

The hotel itself is beautiful. It is decorated with antiques and understated elegance. The photos they provide on the internet is accurate. The location is a little out of the way from the main attraction area like the Bund but there are stores and other things in the area and the taxi ride is not bad and not so expensive (*-* RMB or less than $* US) to the Bund. The room was huge. I stayed at the Westin also and where the Westin wa sleek and modern, the Sky Fortune was more elegant and local (Asian themed). They had turn down service also. The minuses were that the carpet was a little outdated and old (they don't seem to vacuum a lot over there), their staff was very nice but did not understand English very well, and when I was at the pool, the 'lifeguard' stood over you like you can't use the pool except to swim. Their whirlpool/hot tub was a joke! They charged you * RMB (or $* US) and the jets only stayed on for 45 seconds and you had to keep hitting the button to restart it. They also had a booklet in the room that listed the services but not the prices for them and a couple of times, I was given different prices for the services. The guest relations did try to accommodate me and told me to ask for the manager on duty if I had a problem, but most of the staff did not understand 'manager' to call for me so when I couldn't make myself understood, I had to actually go to the front desk before I got someone to accompany me back to the spa or restaurant. The spa is in the hotel annex and out of the way.

The hotel staff was accommodating but the room was a little noisy, I happened to be at the end of the hallway which was a good thing because I was able to hear everything in the hallway. Outside the hotel was also noisy even though I was facing a side street. The restaurant staff was very cordial and most accommodating but on one evening I had military people in the non smoking area, smoking at their leisure with no comments from the staff and seemed to be widely accepted. Otherwise the food was good and the cost was reasonable. The real complaint that I have is regarding the internet service, it was rather costly and getting someone to explain how to log on was a nightmare. I finally asked for someone to come to my room and show me. This proved to be a smart move and didn’t require me to go into the lobby to read emails. For us Westerner’s, there were ample staff on site to speak English and they communicated rather well. At times there were difficulties understanding the wait staff and front desk help, but I was always able to communicate with people. I would suggest staying closer to the heart of town but subway transit and cabs are readily available. Not sure I agree with the hotel rating or four stars but it is a solid three star.