From Pudong, it is a fair distance to get to the Hyatt on the Bund at the other side of the river. This can take even longer due to traffic in the small streets common in this part of town. After all, the hotel is located close to the old town of Shanghai. The English name of the hotel is also less recognizable by the taxi drivers, and it is better known as ‘Mao Yue’ (茂悦) which is the Chinese name of the hotel. Arriving at the hotel, I was assisted by the bell boy with my luggage as I head to the reception to check-in.
The hotel comprises of 2 towers with a vast glass ceiling lobby joining both towers. This made for a comfortable space to conduct the check-in. Attending to me was a young man from Indonesia who was a new trainee, though he was efficient in handing me my keys and I was even provided with an upgraded room facing the river.
Room No: 1309 Category: River View King Room
After getting my room key, I was directed to head to the tower on the left. On entry, the room has a layout similar to the Hyatt Regency Kota Kinabalu, with an open plan bedroom. The bathroom is located on the left with 2 sliding doors that could enclose it.
The bathroom has a vanity that faces the bedroom window, thus allowing guests to have a great view even while brushing their teeth. At the end of the bathroom, there is an open closet where the bathrobes and ironing board are located at. There is also several laundry bags and shoe shine accessories.
The bathroom is compartmentalized further into a toilet cubicle and a shower chamber with a bathtub. With a large shower room, there was space and choice to bath in the bathtub or standing in the room itself.
Bathroom amenities were June Jacobs branded similar to that in the Grand Hyatt. There was also a tray filled with all kinds of toiletries.
Right in the middle of the room lies a King-sized bed and beside the windows there are 2 armchairs and an ottoman that functions as a table of sorts. The latter furnishing is meant to take advantage of the view.
In fact, the wall mounted TV is located at the end of the wall right in the line of view with the comfortable armchairs. The work desk is placed in line with the bed and guests are seated perpendicular to the bed facing the door.
While guests are provided with 2 bottles of mineral water daily, I was able to request for more and there is a bottle of Evian water for sale by the shelf near the work desk. Along with the water, a box of 3M respiratory kit was on sale, which is for the time when Shanghai is hit with intense smog I guess. Fortunately I did not need it during the duration of my stay.
The best part of the stay was the view from the room. I have to say amongst all the hotels I have stayed, the view here is one of the best since it faces the Pudong side and has a direct view of the Oriental TV Tower which is a landmark in the Shanghai skyline. And when the lights come out at dusk, the view was even better!
Not only do the rooms have a view, there was a nice view from the elevator as well. It was a view of the back side though that has more of the old Shanghai buildings. While the hotel has a fitness centre and indoor pool in the lower level lobby, I did not use them since I was only staying for a night. Instead, I took the opportunity to have an outdoor run along the Bund which is about 5 minutes away starting from the historic Waibaidu Bridge.
For this stay, I paid a rate of RMB1,400 (~$200) which is on par for the average luxury hotel in Shanghai. With the upgraded room that offers a fantastic view of the city skyline, I enjoyed the stay. I have to note that the rooms are not exactly family friendly with the open plan, but it works out best for me since the room was designed to maximize the views. As one of the cheapest Hyatt hotels, I also found it to be the best value since it was walking distance to the Bund which is also the top attraction in Shanghai.
QUIRROW 