全季酒店上海延安路店 — Hotel in Shanghai

The Ji Hotel chain has many branches all over Shanghai city area. My friends and I chose the Yan'an Road one, which is about a 15-min walk from the nearest subway station. We would definitely choose one nearer to a subway station next time. This particular branch seems to be frequented by business travellers.||The aesthetics of the entire hotel I would liken to a Muji-esque type - very pleasant to the eye with no strong patterns that might be subject to personal taste. Lighting is generally kept at a reasonable brightness in the entire hotel. ||My 2 friends and I each took the queen bed room, which was a corner room on the 8th floor. As we all had the same room type, we could definitely do a comprehensive quality-check as we had 3 of the same room type to compare with.||My room was facing the highway, and I can hear the roaring traffic when I open the window. The weather was quite cool, and thankfully the air-conditioning system in the room was very efficient at either making it feel warm or cool. Ceiling height was pretty low though - I can touch the ceiling at some parts of the room (eg. entry, above the sink, portal before the bed area) without even tip-toeing. I am about 1.75m tall.||Whilst my 2 friends had a mini-fridge in their room, mine was without - the space where there should be a mini-fridge was a bare niche under the built-in couch by the window. They provide bottled water and an electric kettle, with a cutesy Chinese tea seat for me to brew and enjoy tea at the couch. I do love the delicate fragrance of their tea, which is also branded with the hotel's namesake.||The sink and counter is large. I love the light around the mirror, which has a touch-type switch. The wall-mounted hair-dryer next to the mirror is powerful and such a delight to use. No bath-tub in the bathroom, just a shower cubicle in a compartment separate from the WC. The WC's seat is heated, and flushes automatically after use. No bidet spray/tap. Loved the fragrance of the shampoo and body gel provided in large pump bottles on the ledge of the shower cubicle. They were also branded with the hotel's namesake. I must say the branding exercise of this hotel chain is very strong.||Safe for keeping my valuables and passport was not found in the room. I had to carry my passport wherever I went during my entire trip. ALso, there is no enclosed closet - only an open rack with hangers above a ledge for placing my luggage was found. I thought that they could've made the rack longer so more clothes can be hung. I had most of my worn clothes that I was gonna wear again all over the couch-by-the-window.||There is a laundry room for guests to DIY (washer and separate dryer - total 3 of each machines). Laundry detergent and fabric softener also provided. I did not use this facility, but my friend did. He was well treated by the nice auntie staff who said she would take care of his laundry for him, and pack the washed and dried clothes into a bag so he did not have to monitor it. He was so touched that he bought some snacks for her as a thank-you. Nice touch!||We had the hotel's breakfast on 2 mornings during our stay. The spread is more Chinese-style than a Continental type. No scrambled eggs and muesli. The porridge and pickled condiments to accompany it was so delicious. There is also a noodle bar to have as much noodles as you want. But you probably need to understand Mandarin to know what kind of noodles are available.||This hotel makes it hard for me to hate, for this price range. If I had to pick on anything, I have to pick on how it is sometimes slightly annoying when taking the lifts with the hotel's robots that deliver stuff to the guests' rooms - one has to wait for it to wheel out before being able to step out of the lift.||I would definitely choose this hotel chain on my next trip to China, and highly recommend it. I guess the lack of a mini fridge might've been easily resolved if I requested for one to be...

Location- convenient, near most of the places we went. It’s located somehow in the middle, easy access to the east (the bund area) and west (to ancient towns and other attractions). Close to Zhongshan Park (north) and Wu Kang Road, Xu Hui district (south). There’s bus 71 across the hotel that will take you to the bund and Nanjing road, Jing’an temple and other nearby places. Line 2 and 11 JiangSu road metro station is also walkable, or can take a quick ride of taxi/Didi, or can also take the rental bike.Room - the family room is really spacious, with 1 single bed in a separate area for privacy. Necessary toilettries were replenished daily, including towels and slippers. WE LOVE THAT WATER BOTTLES ARE ALSO REFILLED EVERY DAY, we didnt have to buy water outside anymore. Service - helpful frontdesk staffs, there’s robots delivering food orders as well. Can store luggage with them if you checked out and had to go to other places before heading to the airport. Breakfast - typical hotel breakfasts, with choices of made-to-order noodles, wanton or dumpling soups. Western food like breads and desserts are also available. Cooked food and fruits are good, LOVE THEIR YOGURT!Downside is that some of our companions got insect/bug bites from the beds or couches, we’re not sure. We asked the frontdesk to change the bed sheets and it got better, but were still...

Checking in took a little longer than I would have liked. The staff needs to be trained to read English passports. The receptionist girls did not allow my friend to help me bring my bags up to the room. He showed them a photo of his passport from his phone and his taxi on the APP that was about to arrive in 20 minutes but they still refused. The prior hotel from the previous 2 nights did not behave like this or even require my friend to check in as the room naturally accommodates 2 persons and my name was already there on the booking, along with all my passport information. It was really an uncomfortable experience and I could see the hostility on their faces. I had previously checked in to different hotels using a digital copy of my passport and it was fine so I don't know what the issue was when he showed them a photo of his passport. I do not recommend anyone to stay here if you have friends that may want to stop by and visit you without the inconvenience of staying in the waiting area by the door downstairs or checking in with a physical copy of their passport. It's not a very free and comfortable environment compared to other international hotels. However, the rooms are clean and spacious enough for the affordable price. Recommended only for solo travellers who just need to...