Hotel Review: Park Hyatt Shanghai

Touching down at Pudong airport, I had already arranged for the Park Hyatt Shanghai’s car service to take me to the hotel. It was a bit expensive at 800 CNY, which is about 128 USD.  However, since I hadn’t been to the city before and knew I would be tired upon arrival it made sense for me. A man holding a sign with my name took my bags and we were off. The ride took about 45 minutes, and I looked up at the tall buildings as they rushed past. Time passed quickly and soon we were there.

Arriving at the hotel I was warmly greeted by two staff members who showed me to the elevator.

The hotel occupies floors 79-93 of the Shanghai World Financial Center, one of the highest hotels in the world. It is in the heart of the Lujiazui business district, and about 30 minutes away from the train station. I was guided into the elevator and on up to the lobby on the 87th floor I went.

I had reserved a Park Deluxe King room, and as I had not used a confirmed suite upgrade, that was the room type that I received. Out of 174 rooms, only 14 are suites. I took a separate elevator to my room, as the one to the lobby from the street is different than the one for the rooms. Opening  the door to the room, I found myself in a narrow hallway. One direction led to the bathroom, and the other was the bedroom.

There was hardwood flooring in the entryway, but the bedroom had a thin layer of carpet. The bedroom seemed very spacious for just 750 square feet.

I noticed a daybed by the windows, and looked forward to sitting on it during the day when it was light outside. A welcome amenity had been placed on the table for my arrival. It was a unique assortment of eclairs. There was pistachio, caramel, and a nutty flavored one.

There was a desk, with a reading material holder on the wall.

Some fresh fruit had been arranged in a bowl, next to some books on the architectural style table. The walls were bare, but perhaps that was in keeping with a modern Chinese decor.

A TV near the desk could be swiveled to face either the desk or the bed.

Closets in the hallway swung open to reveal space for bags.

Across from the closets was a coffee maker.

The minibar was cold and offered a selection of drinks. Creamer had also been thoughtfully added.

A shelf was lined with small bottles of liquor.

There was a tray of minibar snacks was nearby, in case I got hungry.

The bathroom was well appointed, with a marble countertop and double sinks. The room featured a TV embedded in the mirror, so you could watch TV while brushing your teeth. There were also heated floors, which took the chill off in the winter.

The bathroom amenities were by Aromatherapy.

Opening a drawer revealed a full set of neatly organized items in case I had forgotten anything.

The bathroom’s highlight was the Oriental bathing area, which included a large tub.

I was pleased to find a little basin filled with a bath loofah, salts, and soap.

The water pressure was great, and filled the tub up quickly. The bathroom was arranged so that even if the tub overflowed, it simply went into the rain shower area in the lower level.

After a relaxing bath, I set about getting things ready for bed. A panel of buttons near the bed made switching off the lights easy, once I figured out how to work it.

The bed was supposed to be a King, but oddly enough it felt smaller. Still, the bed was comfortable, the sheets were soft, and I soon drifted off.

The next morning, I got up and looked outside.The views were amazing, and I enjoyed looking at the buildings and just watching the tiny cars and boats below.

As  Hyatt Diamond, I was able to enjoy a complimentary buffet breakfast at the restaurant on the 91st floor, which featured enormously high ceilings. I was seated at a quiet table near the floor to ceiling windows.

I ordered some tea and orange juice, and was told to enjoy the buffet while they made it fresh. The buffet was expansive.

I saw an assortment of yogurts, including Bircher Muesli.

I was delighted to find some Japanese bento boxes.

Healthy smoothies were available by the pitcher, which was convenient. I tried all three, and for me it was a tie between the refreshing grapefruit-red grape-watermelon-mint, and the creamy banana-orange-strawberry-soy milk-almond.

An oven stood ready for made-to-order requests, and new hot items were brought out often. I enjoyed some chinese pancakes and egg rolls.

There were plates of thinly sliced salmon and insalata caprese, and I could tell by the unusual presentation that the staff had worked hard to make sure the carrots and cucumbers stayed cold and crisp.

Wooden cutting boards were laid with meats and cheeses, convenient for slicing.

Different breads and pastries were lined up, and the bite-sized fresh egg tarts were delicious.

I enjoyed my stay at this hotel. The staff was helpful, the room was large and clean, and the location was good. As I was checking out though, suddenly the hostess frowned and said that there was a problem. My Hyatt credit card on file was declined. I travel often so my credit cards usually don’t give me difficulty overseas. Embarrassed, I requested she try again, but to no avail. I tried a card from a different bank, and that one didn’t work either. I called the first card company to inquire in case it had been flagged for fraud, and they said everything was absolutely fine on their end.

Knowing the issue was not on my end, after spending about 30 minutes with the front desk staff, I told them that I had to leave, as I had a plane to catch. They were not happy with that, but I didn’t have any other options. I never heard what happened, but later that day my original Hyatt credit card was charged for the proper amount so they must have figured it out.

It was a little bit of a stressful departure with an uncomfortable situation, and the front desk staff was not understanding about something that was not within my control. Otherwise, I found this hotel to be a really good property and loved the breakfast and views.

Hyatt Category 5. 20,000 points for a free night, or 10,000 points + $125 Cash & Points redemption.

Park Hyatt Shanghai

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