Shanghai Meridian Bund View Room Worth It?
 

I've noted lots of good comments on Le Royal Meridian in Shanghai and am trying to decide whether to spend the extra money on a "Bund View" Room. There "City View" rooms are cheaper and also seem to offer an option to pay extra for "club access". Bund View Rooms are more expensive but do not seem to offer a club option.
I heard the views of the Bund were wonderfully colorful at night from the Meridian so I was thinking of going for it. Has anyone stayed in the Bund View rooms?
Do you think it's worth the extra?
Those who did not stay in Bund view rooms, what did you think of your views.

I had wonderful views from my non-Bund-view room. My room faced People's Park and Nanjing Xi Lu. I do not think I would pay extra for the Bund view. You can see this view (to the east) from the bar on the top floors and it is, indeed, spectacular with the riot of neon.

I absolutely loved this hotel where in stayed for 5 nights in 2007. I am not sure what "Club Access" means..you can use the pool and health club with no charge, or at least that was true last year..

Buffet breakfast must be seen to be believed.

Top marks!

Ekscrunchy thanks. I've read many of your trip reports including your positive notes on the Meridian.

Sounds like you are saying you could not see the Bund from your room but could from the bar.
Did your view also have lots of neon or is that strictly a Bund thing or Pudong thing?

It appears I can get a good discount using 1000 spg pts but only for a city view room. Was that what you did?

What floor where you on?

Access To Royal Club Lounge includes Breakfast, Cocktail , Light Snacks, Private Butler Service...and it looks quite nice.

Paulo59, I did get some kind of a deal with the SPG points but I can't remember the details. I paid ab out $235 USD in April 2007.

Yes, you can see the Bund/River/Pudong view from the bar areas which are o the top two floors of the hotel. The fantastic shapes, outlined in neon, of the buildings on the Pudong side are part of the allure on this side.

I did not have those views, but I did have quite a bit of neon. What is the price difference? Honestly I would not pay a lot extra because you can see the Bund view from the bar. But if the price increase is small....

You should be getting the breakfast buffet included in your room price. And the service is so good that a private butler, although it has a great ring to it, would not be necessary, in my opinion. But if the Club access means a drink at the bar, then you will have your view!

I know I had to take two elevators to reach my room, but I was not near the top of the hotel. The lobby is on or near floor 11, so there are no rooms anywhere street level, if I am remembering correctly. So all rooms have good views, some better than others.

I wonder if getting the Club package would get you a room on a higher floor than the one I had...(??) I can't remember what floor I was on but will try to look through my papers and find out.

I had a meal at the Cantonese restaurant in the hotel; I recommend it. Food and service were excellent and the decor is something to see!

The hotel can arrrange a private driver for you...make inquiries of several people before you set the price. I did this for a day trip to Xitang; the name and contact info of the driver I used are in my report.

There was a long thread about Shanghai hotels here. with much discussion of the Meridien..if I find it, I will bring it to the top here. Meanwhile, here is the report I wrote which includes Shanghai:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34984181

I loved Shanghai..the energy, the people, the food, the architecture, even all the glitz......How long will you ahve in the city?

Forgot to add: The beds at the Meridien are the most comfortable I have ever slept on! I even wrote to them to inquire about the mattress company!

Thanks ekscrunchy. We have 5 nights, 4 days in Shanghai. I was thinking of Xitang as a day trip.
I don't see any room rates that include breakfast except the club floor packages. The rates are as follows:
Grand Deluxe City View Room: 2200 CNY
Grand Deluxe Bund View Room: 2350 CNY
Royal Club Level w/breakfast, lounge access etc. 2550 CNY
So price difference between a regular room and a Bund view is not that high normally. However, when I spoke to res. agent they said I could use 1000 points to get 50% off rack rate for a regular City view room. That would drop the City view room to 1400 CNY - a bargain. This promo does not work for the Bund view room.
I believe the club floor is pretty high up.
Thanks again. Any more thoughts would be appreciated.
Paul

But who knows if I will ever be in Shanghai again so I really want to spend if it's worth it. 2350 CNy converts to $342...not so expensive...but 1440 CNY is only $203.

Paulo I just remembered something. I booked with Starwood and I think I got that half-price deal you mentioned on the city view room.

There was no mention of breakfast being included, so I left the hotel on my first morning and ate at a cafe in front of the hotel (right outside the main entrance, on the small side street off Nanjing Lu; there is a string of small western-style places there). But on the second morning, I decided to eat at the hotel and learned that breakfast was, indeed, included in the room price. (??)

For that big a price difference, I would go with the city view room, but only you can make the decision for yourself. I would guess that you could always upgrade if you book the city view and are not happy.
The rooms are very sleek and the windows are floor to ceiling, as I recall. I absolutely loved the hotel.

Thanks. I just booked the discounted room. Turned out to be 1550CNY or $225 for Grand Deluxe City view using 1000 spg pts. Figured I could see if they offer any other deals later. The agent I booked with did not see any way to add breakfast. But I will email the hotel directly to ask.

I need to reread your trip report but... Our plan for this trip was Shanghai, Hanoi, and Hong Kong. Don't know if you saw my post about cholera epidemic in Hanoi but it is making me reconsider that leg.
Any strong reccos on another stop to add in its place?
Thanks again.

Paulo, I just responded to your question about cholera. Personally, I wouldn't let the cholera outbreak keep me from going to Hanoi.

As I noted, I did book the City view room, but there's plenty of time for me to switch, so if anyone has stayed in the Bund View room, I'd love to hear if they thought it was worth the extra bucks.

Thanks.