Shangri-La Hotel, Suzhou — Hotel in Suzhou City

Night manager Tony is fantastic, solved problems and personally worked hard to ensure a great stay! Initially, my experience was not exactly off to a smooth start: the airport pickup driver (arranged through the hotel) did not speak English and did not have any of the advertised amenities in the car. This was frustrating, although I realize that the airport-pickup car company is a contractor and the driver was not a Shangri-La employee. Luckily, when I called the hotel from the car to voice my concerns, I was connected to Tony, the evening manager on duty. Tony, who speaks fluent English, listened to me carefully, was extremely understanding and apologetic, he immediately directed the driver to make the requested pit stop for water etc., and then he personally welcomed me upon my arrival (!), and - to compensate for the airport-transfer issues - he upgraded me from a regular room to a suite with Horizon Club lounge access privileges, as well as generously issued a significant discount off the airport-transfer cost. It made all the difference in my assessment of this stay. The suite and lounge were exceptional, I thoroughly enjoyed my all too brief stay, breakfast was great, lounge staff spoke good English and assisted me with my laundry and business-center needs very competently. The property itself is beautiful, clean, stylish, and feels dignified - really an oasis in busy Suzhou. Tony proved that guest problems can be solved even after they occur, and he epitomizes the proactive, "above and beyond," recognition of frequent-guest loyalty (I am a Golden-Circle Jade member and was treated as such) that the Shangri-La chain is so well-known for. After my full day of business meetings, I returned to the hotel to retrieve my luggage, and at that time, Tony followed up with me again and personally made sure that I was in good hands for my (regular taxi) onward trip to the railway station. Kudos to the Suzhou Shangri-La, and in particular to its evening manager Tony for his fantastic work and for going the extra mile to really address guest concerns...

We stayed for 7 nights in a deluxe twin with b/f. We like: 1. the room is spacious, bright & clean. Plus hi-ceiling with nice city view. 2. well equipped: great air- con, auto blow dryer, smart toilet seat, air purifier. 3. Bedding, towels, fragrance are great Shangri-La standards. Upholstery a bit aged due to gold color rather than say dark brown, but really no complaint. 4. Nice pool & opens till 11pm! I swam everyday. 5. Impeccable services from front desk, cleaning ladies, repairmen, waiters, concierge (Peter Zhuang knowledgeable, helpful & presentable) & pool (lifeguard Jack Suen pleasant & so dedicated). Everyone really tried to please and made our stay so fantastic. I joked that the best thing on our itin is the Shang (kidding, Suzhou private gardens are unbeatable). 6. Originally, we didn’t book b/f. How could you eat in the same place for 7 days?! Actually you can when the selection is huge and quality is good in an ultra hi-ceiling cafe. Not to mention incredible value. 7. Location not in old city, but MTR just across the street and a big shopping center too. We only used taxi though and never paid more than RMB35. Easy to hail a cab though using apps a bit cheaper. Gaode Map 高德地圖 is useful. RMB35 to Suzhou train station (20 mins) by hailing a cab. The only shortage: wifi bandwith not enough to download photos. Generally, Shangri-La has good standards in China, but this one is truly impressive.||Sight-seeing tips: the small private gardens (like 艺圃) have higher artistic value and far less crowded to enjoy. Avoid Hanshan Temple 寒山寺 (totally commercial). Pingjiang Road (平江路) is nicer than Shangtang Street 山塘街 (very touristy). A fabulous Chinese tailor shop if you fancy hand-made silk Cheongsam on...

Overall service standard was very good. Staffs were well trained, especially Lily Wang from Front Desk, she checked me out and she made me feel warm and welcomed. Also Colin Zhang from Concierge, he helped me with luggage and was energetic. They performed professionally. Lily's service standard was high and up to what I had experienced from other luxury hotels around the world. I was really delighted. Another highlight was a lady who is a trainee (I guess she's from Concierge, sorry I forgot her name but she is definitely worth a mention!) providing me with excellent services in terms of suggesting my friend and myself where to go in Suzhou, arranging car for us to travel around. Her smile was so lovely and I believe she can growth further within the hotel industry.

The restaurant (for breakfast) was really nice, clean, a wide variety of selection, and very delicious. However, if staff can be trained to smile more would be even better.

The gym room was fantastic too, the view and the wide selection of devices were just perfect. Trainer was always by my side to help. I was so impressed.

I was satisfied with my stays and definitely would recommend my friends to Shangri-La Suzhou.

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