The hotel is in a great location amidst impressive gardens. When I arrived early in the morning they had no record of my early check-in and initially told me I would have to wait until at least 10:00 as they were full. Fortunately though I had printed out my confirmation which clearly stated early check-in, and miraculously within 5 minutes they were able to check me in and provide an upgrade - so plus points for that. The provided room was very large and very clean, and the air conditioning/heating actually worked - a big plus compared to other hotels in Shanghai. The bathroom was also large and clean, although there was a slight smell of drains that permeated the space. The biggest downside with the room (is the bed, which is rock hard and very uncomfortable. The other negative of my stay is the quality of the room service food, absolutely the worst food I have tasted - generally swimming in oil, cold and served on greasy plates complete with finger marks, as well as being hugely overpriced.

Stayed here for the first time this week, centrally located, good service and immaculate rooms . Don't miss the sky bar , has amazing views of the city . Downside is no Wifi in the rooms which I found ridiculous , had to go down to the lobby to check mails etc which wasn't really good . Would have expected this as standard as cant imagine a hotel not to have wifi in rooms.

When I come Shanghai which I do 4-5 times a year, I usually stay in Jing Jiang Hotel. Okura Garden Hotel is right across the street.  I like the Jing Jiang a lot. You can check my review about it.
This time I decided to try the more expensive Garden. The experience is not good.
The hotel lobby is a beautiful old building, used to be the French Club. Unfortunately the renovation of inside is unimpressive and tasteless. The furniture quality of lobby/reception area is low and uncomfortable, certainly not meet its 5 star ranking.
A three story open cafe behind lobby looks a bit better. But a few ugly food counters at the entry area are very obtrusive. The surrounding hallway aera has a few shops that all sell overpriced servileness. The decoration and display of the shops are disorder and tasteless, consistent to the overall setting of the hotel.
The room is a little of more satisfied, but not much. Furniture is better than lobby's. Bathroom is clean but very small. Here comes the worst part of the hotel: bed. The bed is very hard. Two small pillows provide little cushion.
The best part of the hotel is its location. The major part of the hotel was build in 80s of the last century. It was one of the 1st international hotels in shanghai since China opened its door. After an quarter of a century, it no longer deserves the top hotel rankings in Shanghai anymore. For those like its location, I think Jingjiang hotel across the street is a better chioce. It offers better hotel at lower price.

The hotel was centrally located and in front of a big garden. Excellent service, immaculately clean room, centrally located and closed to where all the activities were. Beautifully-crafted architecture covered the hotel facade.

Easy walking distance to some very good western restaurants and bars. Subway station was nearby. A short taxi ride could bring you to almost anywhere in Shanghai.

Our clean and spacious room offered a panoramic view into the heart of Shanghai. The ambience of the hotel exuded a mixture of European and Japanese culture and feel. Overall, it was a comfortable stay.