Grand Kempinski Hotel Shanghai

Good but could be better

Plus: Good breakfast variety. Reliable internet. Bathroom amenities (soap etc) have improved since last year.

Minus: Maintenance crew noisy in middle of the night. Wake-up call was an hour late one morning. Showers a bit leaky into the bathroom.

Plus: A fairly genuine five star hotel with well appointed rooms including the "standard" amenities, restaurants and facilities. Location in the heart of Pudong's business area suited my needs well.

Minus: Complimentary WIFI is a bit irritating in the it required constant re-logging on even inside the 24 hour day - none of the various location logins remembers you. The spa is mediocre with relatively poor service and the pool is far from the expected comfortable resort hangout but rather like a small town community pool where you are given a gross looking community bathing cap before entering the water. While I realize that I'm in a foreign country the overall level of English speaking (understanding) in public areas is below expectations for this class of international hotel. A $ 133.00 charge for a 3 hour late checkout.