After checking out at the Grand Hyatt, I took a short taxi
ride to Hyatt on Bund located in the Puxi district. After spending five days in
the western, yet sterile Pudong district it was a nice refreshing change of
pace to head over the river and into the more local district of Shanghai. Gone
were the modern skyscrapers and elevated pathways, instead the Hyatt on the
Bund is surrounded by old low rise houses.
The Hyatt on the Bund opened in 2007, and is the newer of
the two Grand Hyatts in Shanghai. The views are said to be unparalleled, as the
hotel overlooks the Bund and the entire Pudong skyline.
The cash price for the first night was relatively expensive
at $250, so I decided to use Hyatt Points + Cash, which allowed me to book a
standard room for 7,500 points + $100. For the second night, I paid $170 out of
pocket.
I then used a Diamond Suite Upgrade to upgrade to the Bund
Suite, which typically retails over $500 a night after taxes.
I was warmly greeted by the concierge who proceeded to take
my bags and store them in the lobby close to the main door. I was a bit
perplexed, since almost all western hotel chains tend to store guest luggage
behind the counter or in a secure area, but the concierge assured me that the
bags were safe. Nonetheless, I decided to take a few of my valuables with me,
as leaving my luggage unattended in a public area is not ideal.
During my check in at the lounge, I asked to be put on a higher
floor, as I’ve read that the lower level suites have an obstructed view of the
Bund due to the neighboring buildings.
View from the 5th
floor Bund Suite
I was offered an
upgrade to the 26th floor for a surcharge of 1000 RMB ($150) per
night, which I thought was a bit excessive. I asked if I could see the suite
myself and for the most part the suite has pretty much the same layout as a
regular Bund View suite. The only real difference is a marbled bathtub that has
a direct view of Puxi and a couple extra pieces of furniture.
Personally, I wouldn’t splurge the cash for an upgrade.
However, I would highly recommend emailing the hotel before
your stay, asking for a suite located on the 8th floor or higher.
It’s also important to note that the Hyatt on the Bund
compromises of two separate towers. The best postcard views of the Bund are
located on the East Tower.
I asked to be put on the highest non-surcharge floor, which
was the 11th, and was lead to my room.
As you enter walk into living room area with a beautiful
view of the old colonial buildings lining the Bund.
There’s a lounging sofa to facing the Bund and a small work
desk on the side, with a unique vantage point on a neighboring office building.
Parallel to the living room is a walkway that connects with
the vanity area and comfort room.
Welcome amenity: a
platter of fruit and bottle of Bordeux.
Both the vanity area and separate comfort room are pretty
standard for a Grand Hyatt.
The bath area consists of a shower and bath tub with a great
partial view of the Pudong district. The bathtub also comes with a TV monitor,
although with such a picture perfect view I never got the chance to try it out.
Best of all there is an outdoor balcony that you can access,
a rarity among hotels in Shanghai.
Between the bath area and the living room is the bedroom
with a standard king sized bed along with a lounge chair. I’ve stayed at many
hotels in my life, but this by far is the best view from a hotel bed I’ve ever
seen.
Even if the bed was made of plastic and cardboard, I’d still
pick this room over most as the view becomes even more grandiose during the
night.
The lounge chair was perfectly set up and I spent most of
time in the bedroom relaxing and watching the countless ships go by.
Overall, postcard views make this hotel an amazing use of a
diamond suite upgrade. The views at night are absolutely breathtaking,
especially from the balcony.
However, the room location can make the world’s difference and
I highly recommend contacting the hotel ahead of time so you can reserve a good
room.
Review: Hyatt Bund Club
As a Hyatt Diamond member, I was granted access to the club
lounge, which serves complimentary alcohol & food from 5:00-8:00 PM.
In terms of food selection, the Hyatt on The Bund has wide
variety of hot and cold dishes, with a semi-open kitchen concept.
Most of the hot entrees were Chinese dishes, but all of them
were quite traditional dishes that you’d expect at a local Chinese restaurant
back home. I found all the hot entrees extremely savory, and you can easily
have dinner at the lounge.
If you prefer something cold, there are also a few canapes, a
salad bar, and even sushi.
There is a huge separate desert area stocked with all kinds
of sweets and pastries including all you can eat macaroons.
The lounge has a main seating area right next to the buffet
area, but I’d recommend heading all the way to the end of the lounge, which
features spectacular views of the Pudong district.
However, seating is limited, so I’d suggest getting there
early to snag space on one of the two couches lining the windows.
Overall, the lounge has an excellent food and alcohol
spread, along with a view of the shining Pudong district. The staff was top
notch and their English levels much better than the Park & Grand Hyatt
across the river.
Breakfast is served at the restaurant and the grand club.
The spread at the restaurant was quite vast.
However, I found the service to be quite slow and while
quantity was quite vast, I found most of the food to be of moderate quality but not great,
as quite a few items were too well cooked.
Overall, I really enjoyed my stay at the Hyatt on the Bund.
In fact, I’d rate it superior to its much taller Grand Hyatt Shanghai
counterpart due to its location
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