We chose this hotel because of the great recommendations, and all of the history behind it. The price point couldn't be beat either.

It was a great stay. You should definitely pay for the executive suite
or better since a couple of extra dollars gets you an enormous room. My boyfriend is 6ft4" and he loved the high ceilings. The bathroom is huge. They have robes, slippers, coffee, hot water boiler, and in room
safe. Also the executive suite comes with your own computer with internet access (though our computer kept freezing on us). The beds are a bit firm but not bad considering that it's China.

The hotel restaurants aren't that great but you're really close to the
East Nanjing Rd. where food options are endless. The breakfast buffet is pretty good if you stick to the simple stuff: fruit, yogurt, coffee, eggs (cooked on the spot), porridge, pastries, buns, etc.

The staff isn't that great with English but they try really hard to assist you. It's best to come with a phrase book, travel book or translation tool that contains chinese characters.

If you like to shop, there's plenty of options. We spent a lot of time in the Yuyuan Gardens & Bazaar, which is really pretty at night.
You can find modern shops and more expensive goods in the French Concession area. For the really good fake products, head to the street
markets which has been moved to the underground area by the metro. Take metro #2 towards Pudong and get off at the Science & Technology Museum exit. Be prepared to bargain! Start low - half the price of what they are asking.

Lastly be prepared to have cabbies up the fare on you or try driving without the meter. It's illegal for them to do that, so don't fall for
it. It definitely doesn't happen as often in the major cities as elsewhere in the country.

This hotel is already one hundred years old. It was the best hotel in China of that time and it's charming is still there. The room is spacious and we especially like the wooden floor. Remember to visit the third floor central lobby - charming and peaceful.
It's just three minutes walk to the bund and it is best to have a walk there in the early morning and also after dark.

I took the advice from Trip Advisor and found a good deal on Hotel.com for the Executive room on the second floor. The hotel itself is very classic and worldy-high ceilings and wooden floors. They have a GREAT breakfast buffet-carrot juice, salmon, french cheese just to name the special extras. Also the use of the concierge and executive lounge was nice with snacks and free juices. Did I mention there was a computer/fax in the room too?BUT what no one mentioned (and how we later found out) that ruined our experience, was not the traffic noise outside of our window,( It was November so we didn't need to open the windows.),it was the continual stomping and walking back and forth in shoes on wooden floors from the floor up above us.It started about 7:30am (and continued until??)when most guests like us are still sleeping. We thought it was just other guests-chinese- because of the yelling and loud conversation just checking out. Come to find out when we asked to move rooms the hotel manager confessed that the third floor was the hotel administration offices!!!! Way too noisy!!!!!

I usually stay in more modern, western style hotels but took a gamble on this due to high reccomendations, being close to the Bund, and wanting a more authentic experience...

It was fantastic. Hotel was a bit older but the rooms (get an executive suite or better) were HUGE, nicely decorated, and well equiped. I wasn't a fan of the hotel food, but was so close to the Bund that I ate there nearly every meal except breakfast (which was nice at the hotel).

You can't beat the room or the location for the price point.

One thing you do need to be aware is that English is a bit difficult with the staff but they make a great effort and will assist you in translating any of your destinations to Chinese.

If you are into going out to nice bars\clubs, be sure to check out the Glamour Bar, Volare, and Attica.