Traveler ratings summary of The Howard Johnson Plaza Shanghai
Overall Satisfaction
3.0
hotel service
Hotel condition
room cleanlines
room comfort
situation
4.0
3.0
4.0
4.0
3.0
Individual ratings and reviews
Posted:2010-3-30
Overall Satisfaction
Hotel Service
Hotel Condition
Room Cleanlines
Room Comfort
Situation
4.0
4
4
4
4
4
Found it difficult to find fault with this hotel. I was upgraded to a suite, which makes judging the rooms a little difficult.Location was good (for me) as it is very close to my company's Shanghai office. I also found I could walk (briskly) to the Bund in about 15 minutes.Service was good - as it normally is in business hotels in Asia.Free internet in room was good.It was good to see a hotel Health Club with decent gym equipment, as opposed to a couple of pieces of lightweight equipment that look as though they have been bought out of a catalogue.Buffett was good, although unspectacular - but when travelling on business I'm fine with that.TV channels in English were limited (and why do hotels in Asia typically not have pay-per-view movies?). More
Posted:2010-3-7
Overall Satisfaction
Hotel Service
Hotel Condition
Room Cleanlines
Room Comfort
Situation
4.6
4
5
5
5
4
Excellent hotel in a good location in PuXi (central Shanghai), 1 block from the pedestrian market, about 3 blocks from the metro line 2. Room was good, large for Asia, clean, well furnished, new carpet and flat-screen TV. Got an actual non-smoking room just by asking for non-smoking. Well-equipped all-marble bathroom, big bath, and with the most powerful mirror defogger I have ever seen. The bed is what I call "Asia hard" - if you are Asian, you will think it's great. If you are American you are probably going to think it's too hard. I ended up unmaking the bed and putting half of the duvet under me so that I was sleeping on top of half of the duvet and covering myself with the other half. The desk chair is more ornamental than functional and is uncomfortable after about an hour of use. Got a great deal on the room rate, ended up costing similar to further-away hotels in PuDong. Discount rates from my travel agent didn't include breakfast. There may be lower rates on the hotel's website if you can read Chinese.There are many restaurants nearby. If you go for a walk in the pedestrian shopping district, you will need to tell lots of folks that you don't want their help in shopping (unless you do want their help in shopping... I have accepted the help before and it worked out well, but obviously, be careful)I would give this property 5* except for the bed hardness, which moves my rating to 4*. More
Posted:2010-2-18
Overall Satisfaction
Hotel Service
Hotel Condition
Room Cleanlines
Room Comfort
Situation
4.2
4
4
5
4
4
The rooms are quite big and comfortable, the gym and the spa are very nice. The price for this hotel is quite low if you consider that it's Shanghai Downtown.This is the second time I stay at the Howard Johnson and will definitely stay again next time. More
Posted:2009-12-19
Overall Satisfaction
Hotel Service
Hotel Condition
Room Cleanlines
Room Comfort
Situation
5.0
5
5
5
5
5
I've stayed in Ho Jo's in the US and they've always been just a bit mediocre - comfy and clean but nothing special. But this is Asia where they do things differently!The location is great - right by the Nanjing Road East pedistrian walkway where there's countless restaurants and shops to choose from. The nearest metro (Line 2 Nanjing Road East) is a five minute walk away or Peoples Square Metro is about a 15 minute walk for Line 1/2/8 so you can reach anywhere in the city pretty quickly. The lobby is impressive as are the rooms. Sure the dark wood might not be to everyones taste but it's pretty standard in Asia, and also for an Asian hotel room is was above average size wise (the average would be just being able to swing a dead cat in).But the reason i remember this hotel so well is the staff - especially Gordon Lu who is i think one of the duty managers. Not only is his English excellent but he's funny, helpful and was willing to listen and help out with all my stupid questions and requests. He's an asset to the company! Also all the bell boys when you came and went were friendly saying "Welcome Back". It's the little touches like that that make a hotel stand out.I got the impression this hotel is mainly frequented by business travellers, but i was there for pure shopping leisure and it was perfect for me, i'll definately be staying here again!!Also...they have free internet, which i understand is a luxuary in the more up market hotels in Shanghai...some hotels i checked wanted an additional payment, but not here!!! Great stuff. More
Posted:2009-11-11
Overall Satisfaction
Hotel Service
Hotel Condition
Room Cleanlines
Room Comfort
Situation
4.0
4
4
4
5
3
I decided to stay at the Howard Johnson as this was my first trip to Shanghai and I wanted to be in a fairly central location. Being a business trip of 3 days, time to see the city was also limited, so the central location worked well. Being right near Nanjing Rd, there are many shops - both individual and in shopping centres, and restaurants to choose from.The staff are pleasant and helpful, assisting me in trying to change a flight booking. Breakfast is the above average for the usual hotel buffet style however the price was a bit on the higher side. The hotel offers free internet in all rooms, which is very handy to have. I had a great view over the East Nanjing Rd pedestrian mall, the rooms were of good size, and the bathroom quite large. Complimentary bottled water is also provided each day, which is handy to have.I had one afternoon with 3-4 free hours, and decided to take a quick walk around the French Concession area. If I were to visit Shanghai again, I would most likely look for something in this area seeing as I have experienced 'central' Shanghai now. More
Posted:2010-3-30
