A much anticipated addition to Shanghai’s Marriott/SPG portfolio, the W Shanghai opened its door in 2017. At the time, the W Shanghai had no competition in town in terms of its quirkiness, playfulness, and unparalleled bund view. Now, seven whole years have passed, and many new and established hotel brands have entered the “distinctive luxury” market, is the W still worth the hype?
Abso-effing-lutely.
The W has always been a go-all-out kind of brand when it comes to blings and dazzles, but the W Shanghai went a few more steps above that, even though the building may not seem like it from the outside. Once inside the lobby, however, the little design features started popping up – from the local but modern “nong-tang” style chandelier-y artworks, scattered metallic elements trimmed around the brave and bright colour combos, the designer of the hotel did an awesome job to make everything look fun and upscale at the same time.
Similar design choices extended to the guest floors – in fact, the colour pallet somehow became even braver in the guest rooms. Most hotels, even “fun-oriented” hotels, choose to go the intimate and easygoing route in the rooms, and in my opinion if the room gets too busy/overpowering, the stay can get somewhat overwhelming as opposed to relaxing. The W Shanghai, however, went very far the “busy” way and pulled it off. The designer did not hold back, and filled the room with “offensive” colours like bright red, gold and sky blue in the ambience, and couple those with the scattered art pieces, themed pillows (gold in colour of course), gloss glass/metal surfaces and last but not least, one of if not the best panoramic viewpoints of Shanghai’s downtown landmarks, the room felt luxurious yet energetic, sophisticated yet functional, and absolutely fresh even today, SEVEN years after the hotel opened its door.
The hotel also did not slack off on service and soft products, especially when it came to elite recognition. I was upgraded each time during my visit, and I’ve never been given in a room without the signature bund view. The team also went out of their way to impress, especially Claire at the front desk and Alex at the bar – they took note of my personal preference and made me feel special, and the gifts and souvenirs I received from them still takes up half of my display shelf at home. And let’s not skip over the welcome gift, which consisted of local pastries, fresh fruits and a bottle of bubbly wine – sometimes I could only wish more hotels do things like this, a little extra goes a long way.
The W also had all the amenities and facilities you would expect – a full-service gym, indoor and outdoor pools (again with the best view of Shanghai) and multiple F&B outlets. Evening Happy Hour is free for elite members and it was free-flowing drinks – needless to say I got a little tipsy. Breakfast buffet was also a step above most competitors, with eastern and western options and multiple made-to-order items. Staff was also very proactive even for the buffet, they were always visible and ready to help. They never left my tea cup empty.
Shanghai has always been one of the most attractive cities in China to me, and the W has always been one of the most attractive hotels in Shanghai. At the W, I appreciated the energetic vibe, the youthful and hippy ambiance, but most importantly, that no balls were being dropped while they were achieving all those, and if I were to walk in and expect a typical luxury hotel experience, I would have left satisfied as well. A must-try in Shanghai, if you ask me.
RealScore
Service: 8.5
Design and Room Size: 10.0
In-room Amenities: 9
Bathroom Size and Layout: 10
View from (my) Room: 10
Hotel Location: 8
Available Guest Facilities: 10
Food Quality: 9
Food and Beverage Service: 9
Executive Lounge Quality: N/A
Final RealScore: 9.41
Final RealRating: AAA
Hotel is built/opened: 2017
Total number of rooms: 374
Length of stay: 6 nights
Membership level at check-in: Titanium
Room type experienced: Wonderful Room / Cool Corner Room / Mega Room / Fantastic Suite
Hotel4Real! 
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