I had the opportunity to stay at the Swissotel Grand Shanghai for a few nights in mid-September for a business trip. The location of the hotel for my purposes couldn't be beat (3-5 minute walk to Park Place, an office building with various companies' offices). It's located close to several major malls (think luxury stores like Fendi, Tiffany & Co, etc.) that have good restaurants and shopping.

The hotel itself is nothing too special. It is pretty new, so the rooms, lobbies, restaurants, etc. have a nice, modern look and feel. High speed internet is available (for a fee, although it was included in my company's negotiated room rate) and worked without any problems during my stay. Bed was comfortable (I had 1 king bed), bathroom was a good size (with separate tub and shower), and all the typical amenities were there (kettle for tea, minibar, 2 free bottles of bottled water/night, slippers, robe, umbrella, toiletries, hairdryer).

TV service in the room was pretty good too. A variety of both Chinese and international channels (including CNN, BBC, National Geographics, Discovery Channel, some German stations). Hotel does have 24 hr room service, but I didn't utilize this.

Breakfast buffet as ok - not as good as the international breakfast buffets I've had at other high end Chinese hotels (such as Tianlun in Beijing). There was the typical western offerings of eggs made to order, bacon, yogurt, cereal, baked beans, and a variety of regular and sweet breads/rolls. There was also Chinese breakfast offerings including steamed buns (roast pork, sweet bean paste buns), dumplings, congee and a noodle bar (where you choose what you want in your noodles from an assortment of offerings). Beverages included the usual coffee and hot tea, as well as milk, fruit juices (apple, orange, grapefruit, etc) and both hot and cold soy bean milk.

Service at the hotel was ok. Not superb, but not subpar, just ok, nothing special.

Overall, had a good stay here and would definitely stay here again if I were back on another business trip to the same office. If I were vacationing in Shanghai, I'd probably choose a hotel closer to the tourist attractions (to illustrate, a taxi to Yu Yuan Gardens took about 20 minutes).

Very nice suite with sitting room. Excellent service. Enjoyed the hotel and its location. The executive floor offered very nice refreshments and snacks in the afternoon. Breakfast was good too.

In-room dining menu is limited and it took ages for the food to be served. We ordered spaghetti bolognese - definitely the worst pasta we ever had. Club Sandwich was no where near a cafe's standard even. Hotel staff... definitely do NOT know how to smile. i paid for price to enjoy a 5 star standard, unfortunately... they were not able to deliver any. we wrote a feedback form... and NO service recovery was being done! NEVER even think of staying there!

I loved everything about this hotel, including high tea, the breakfast and the dinners each night weren't bad either. My room had a fabulous view, was modern and everything worked. I loved the small but efficient closets.

My only complaint is why a 5 star hotel must charge for internet access when lots of less expensive hotels offer it for free. I guess just one more way to make money.