As I mentioned before, I actually planned a special trip just to stay at the Peace Hotel. It has the same kind of cachet as a Michelin three-star restaurant—absolutely the sort of place worth building a trip around.
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Getting There
I started from Hangzhou and took a high-speed train to Shanghai. Booking these train trips can be oddly maddening: departing from Fuzhou South Station, I could only get a ticket as far as Hangzhou East. Once I got to Hangzhou East and tried to sort out the next leg on the spot, I could only get a ticket to Hongqiao. So it ended up being a very “downtown station to downtown station, suburban station to suburban station” kind of setup. In the end, I gritted my teeth and bought it anyway.
The train itself was quite fast—just one hour from Hangzhou to Shanghai. I had originally planned to take Didi to the Bund, but the traffic looked pretty bad.
With some advice from my friend Mr. V, I took Metro Line 10, got off at East Nanjing Road, and walked from there. I have to say, the passenger volume at Hongqiao Metro Station was intense. Big-city life, indeed—I felt about 10 times more pressure than in NYC. And despite boarding at the starting station, I still didn’t manage to get a seat :(
After all that jostling around while dragging two suitcases, the scene was not exactly glamorous. Didi still felt like the more convenient option.
This location really is first-rate. It’s only about 100 meters from the Bund, which is a double-edged sword: the crowds are massive, so the moment you go downstairs for a walk, you get swallowed up.
Check-In
As soon as I walked in, I handed my luggage to the bellboy and went to check in. About half the front-desk staff seemed to be foreigners—they were clearly going all out to serve international guests.
After briefly confirming my information, the front desk handed me off to the GRO (Guest Relations Officer) next door. That kind of efficient service felt very comfortable.
It would have been even better if they offered in-room check-in.
I’m too shy to take photos of the front-desk girls, so I settled for a shot of the concierge’s Les Clefs d’Or keys instead. This used to be my dream career—dreamed up in the ivory tower, ended at JFK....
For this stay, I used a Chase Fairmont FN plus a suite upgrade certificate (which isn’t allowed at The Plaza).
At check-in I was given a city-view suite. I looked up the price:
Yep, 5500+—definitely enough to justify that 3000 RMB cancel fee.
Room Photos Time
I still think this style falls short of The Plaza, but it’s miles ahead of most other hotels.
Food, Drinks, and Things to Do
I didn’t feel like there was all that much to do in the city. As a New York resident, skyscrapers are honestly pretty boring to me. So I just went over to the Bund to take a few photos as proof that I’d been there.
I turned back for one more look—what a wide river, with fragrant breezes and beautiful women on both banks....
After dark, I went back to the hotel and got hungry. Then I remembered I still had a $50 dining credit. Since the girl with me didn’t want to eat in the restaurant, I called for room service.
I was then told that the credit could not be used for in-room dining, only in the restaurant.
Well, where there’s a will, there’s a way...
So I went to the Chinese restaurant, placed the order, used the credit,
and then had them send it up to the room....
These three tiny dishes that barely filled the gap between my teeth cost me $50... It really made me reflect on “international” pricing. Better to head back to a third-tier city—there, $50 could practically buy out a whole barbecue stand.
Final Thoughts
Some people called it: my trip to Shanghai really was just about staying in hotels.
I stayed at two Fairmont properties, and the stays were good overall, though I still had a few regrets.
As hotels, both properties were truly top-tier.
That said, I don’t necessarily recommend using your limited FN for this kind of trip.
In terms of value, Hyatt or IHG FN are a better deal, and the locations are not bad either.
As travel destinations, Hawaii and Banff would be better choices.
As far as I know, all of this year’s FN at The Plaza have already been redeemed, so readers planning for next year should start making arrangements early.