Novotel Shanghai Atlantis — Hotel in Shanghai

A nice stay at the Novotel Shanghai Atlantis for 2 nights. Welcomed as a Platinum Member and received and upgrade which was nice. As Novotel properties go, it's a little bit dated, but the rooms are very clean. The room maid on my floor was lovely and despite no English tried hard to greet me when I saw her and had big smiles.

The Executive Lounge on the 48th Floor was very quiet when I went there, and the offerings for evening snacks/drinks and breakfast was good. The view from up there is quite stunning towards the Huangpu River. It's about a 8 minute walk (flat) to the subway station (Pudong Avenue - Exit 4) so it's easy to get around from the hotel.

I also appreciate Quentin in Guest Relations replying to a few emails prior to my arrival to help me clarify a few things - very good service. Room service is reasonably priced and has decent options available, however the minibar is a bit lacking in variety.

A few points could be improved:

Air con is centrally controlled and even though there is a temperature dial in your room, it does nothing. I couldn't sleep on the first night - the room was far too hot - so I requested a fan from housekeeping which was brought up promptly. I don't know why so many hotels in China do this. Maybe not the hotel's fault?

I pre-paid my booking online, so why does the hotel wait until you get there to charge the room? The whole point of pre-paying online is so you can get it paid and out of the way. The invoice clearly states: BALANCE TO PAY AT THE HOTEL: 0.00 So why does the hotel do this?

Beware - they like to take a large deposit on check-in. I understand if it's a "random" guest, but when you're an Accor Platinum Member staying over 70 nights per year and your Accor profile has 3 credit cards saved, then it's not going to be too hard to track you down if you check out without paying. I find this lack of trust a little bit insulting. Accor properties in Asia are notorious for doing this and I find it really annoying and doesn't make you feel like a valued and TRUSTED guest who stays often and is loyal to the brand.

Whilst the staff in the Executive Lounge were nice, friendly and well-intentioned, if you're the only person in the lounge at the time (as I was) it's quite disconcerting and off-putting that when you're eating your breakfast they will stand together a few meters away from your table watching you eat "in case you need anything". I know they're trying to provide good service, and this is a cultural thing, however maybe some training about western habits and social norms would be useful here?

Small points, however I wanted to raise them as I feel they are important. It's a decent hotel, the rooms are clean with awesome views, despite being a bit dated. For the price it's good value, but there are better options in The Accor Group in...

The hotel is ideally located for exploring the city, and the view from our room was fantastic, offering sights of the Huangpu River, the Shanghai Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center, the Oriental Pearl Tower, and the entire city illuminated at night (until 11:00 PM). Upon arriving by taxi, you need to take an elevator (or the escalators) to access the reception. The first four floors of the building house shops, cafes, restaurants, and an Aldi supermarket. The reception area is located on the fifth floor. The check-in process took a bit longer than expected, but we were given our room before the official check-in time. The hotel features a small gym, an indoor pool that is 1.2 meters deep with a lifeguard on duty, and a jacuzzi with hot water, although the jacuzzi was under maintenance during our stay. Our room rate included dinner for two at the hotel restaurant, but I wouldn't consider this complimentary meal a plus. The dinner was disappointing, consisting of a limited buffet selection of side dishes, unappealing desserts, and poor-quality wines. I ended up eating only a salad. The breakfast buffet offered at the "Revolving" restaurant on the 50th floor was rich and abundant, presenting a spectacular 360-degree view of the city. It was a delightful experience to start the day with such a feast, surrounded by breathtaking scenery. However, after the first day, I settled for just milk and cereal. The hotel could have been excellent if it weren't for a couple of situations that significantly impacted my overall judgement. The first issue concerns the dining experience and the alarming lack of basic sanitary practices among the kitchen staff. In a four-star hotel, it is unacceptable to witness kitchen personnel going to the bathroom with the same gloves they use for food preparation or not washing their hands with soap before returning to their station. Such negligence in hygiene is a serious concern that cannot be overlooked. The second issue involves an unfortunate encounter on the morning of check-out. We faced a rather intrusive receptionist who linked our request for a large vehicle to take us to the station (as we were five people) with the fact that some of us are overweight. This was not only inappropriate but also quite offensive, leaving us with a negative impression during our final moments...

Extremely Slow and Unprofessional Check-in — Our Trip to Shanghai Was Ruined

I stayed at Novotel Shanghai Atlantis with my friends for one night during our trip across Asia. The room itself was nice — clean, tidy, with fresh towels and a spotless bathroom. Everything seemed perfect… until we tried to check in.

Our check-in took 1 hour and 45 minutes, which is by far the worst experience I’ve ever had at any hotel. This delay completely ruined our short visit to Shanghai.

We were the second group of our friends to arrive — the first group checked in two hours earlier without any issues, and even informed the reception that we would be coming soon. However, when we arrived around 8:50–9:00 PM, things went downhill immediately.

Two receptionists started the check-in process for us, but as soon as several local guests (Chinese citizens) appeared, one of the staff members simply abandoned our check-in and began assisting them instead — without any explanation or apology. I don’t know whether this was discrimination or just terrible management, but it was absolutely unacceptable.

The other receptionist continued to repeatedly photograph and scan our passports, acting completely unprofessional and clearly inexperienced. We explained multiple times that we were in a hurry because the Shanghai Metro closes around 11 PM, and we wanted to quickly drop off our luggage and head to the city center for dinner. She just mumbled something unclear and continued scanning, only saying that she needed to “send our information to the police.”

After nearly two hours of waiting and frustration, we finally got our room keys at 10:45 PM. We rushed upstairs, changed clothes, and ran to the metro — only to find that the last train had already left at 10:53 PM. We missed our chance to see Shanghai by night, and our evening plans were completely ruined.

This was our last stop before flying home, and unfortunately, it ended with disappointment and frustration.

Thank you, Novotel Shanghai Atlantis, for ruining what was supposed to be a great ending to our trip. I sincerely hope that hotel management will review this incident and take appropriate action. I would also be happy to speak directly with the hotel manager, as during check-in the receptionist repeatedly told us, “It’s ok, no need to...