Compared to a few other hotels I've had to stay in Shanghai, the Crowne Plaza is a good selection.

The location is in a fairly quiet street, near Huating Lu, good for shopping. I was not able to check any of the services the hotel offered, as I was mostly in and out of the hotel late/early, as my schedule was tight.

I had a deluxe room, which was nice but average - the best thing was that I could open the window, not very common in high-rise 4* hotels, so I was able to turn off the aircon and grab some fresh air.

The restaurant serves a decent buffet and some a la carte, although the service is a bit slow and clumsy. Breakfast also offers the standard fare and the overall price (around 100€ all inc) is a good deal for what is offered.

The only drawback was the awful processing of my check out. It took them almost 15min to get my bill printed and, although I had pointed it out, that I neeeded it invoiced to my company, they got it wrong TWICE.

NOTE: The KLM airline crews also stay here.

We stayed at this hotel as part of a group tour of China. I was a little concerned about staying here at first, because on a map it seemed kind of far from the places we'd want to visit in Shanghai (i.e, museums, the Bund, the Pudong area, and the Old Town). One of the advantages, though, of going with a tour group, is that the tour company provides a driver, and although this hotel is too far from downtown to walk there, it took us no time to get there with our driver or by taxi. The location turned out to be pretty convenient actually -- there are number of little restaurants and shops in the area, a convenience store around the corner, a really good gelato shop two doors down, and an ATM right across the street. The other fun thing about this hotel is that some of the elevators have glass backs to the outside of the building, so you can get a view of the area on your way to and from your room. The business center is really nice and open late, which is convenient. The breakfast is good, serving both eastern and western breakfast foods, although the selection was somewhat limited compared to other hotels we used on this trip. The rooms were nice, and the beds were comfortable.

Intro
- I have stayed at this hotel during many visits since 2005. Due to my changing work locations, I just stuck to the "old formula" of staying in a familiar location.

Location and Logistics
- This specific Crown Plaza is situated on a secondary road (Pan Yu Lu) which connects to the Yanan Elevated Road (S).
- It is in an almost central location, in an area which is quite accessible to some of Shanghai's main sites.
- It is however a problematic place to stay if you want to regularily commute in and out during morning or evening rush hour. The reason is because Pan Yu Lu is a 2 way-single lane road with medium range shops on either side.

Rooms and Design
- Rooms are quite spacious. They are equipped with the usual standard stuff like a Safe, Kettle, (nice) Toiletries etc
- Internet is available but at a charge.
- The Design is quite nice to the eye as well - good tan/brown shade finishes which make a cold day outside feel nice from inside.
- They have a good range of TV Programmes as well.
- The lobby of the hotel is so-so. The Breakfast area in the morning can get a bit crowded in the morning but the food is good and always fresh.

Service/Safety
- This is a good secure hotel with pretty stiff security and CCTVs all over the place.
- The checkins can get slow sometimes since the hotel hosts regular flight crews which means bottleneck checkins at usually 2 counters working simultaneouly.

Amenities
- Theres a coffee shop run by the hotel just outside called Star walk Cafe. With a Starbucks opened up nearby, thats a plus for "fast food" type coffee lovers.
- I haven't checked the gym or pool but I was told its pretty good.
- The hotel actually shares a compound with a large cinema hall as well!

Opinion/Pros/Cons
- Pan Yu Lu can be a tight slow moving road at rush hour. It may even make your arrival time from airport extend by 30 mins! Total commute time from Pudong Airport in a taxi is around 90 minutes.
- The hotel at night is not really in a very hip or trendy area with much nightlife around and its not a walk away from the famed Nightspot Tongren or Heng Shan Road.
- Pan Yu Lu is however a very 'fully equipped' road with all kinds of shops for shopping medium range products like a range of clothes/DVDs/restaurants which are open at normal hours. This includes a 'legal' massage place suitable for all family members across the road.
- The hotel is situated at a spot which is quite close to the Xui Jia Huai Shopping intersection and good distance from the Jiangan Temple (by Taxi).
- Overall the hotel is a nice stay and quite comfortable but as someone mentioned...its a bit boring for some reason. It may be well packed with visitors but somehow still doesnt "rock" or isnt memorable.

Cheers

Both the service and the rooms at the hotel were good. The location of the hotel is in more of a residential district. It surrounded by several shops and restaurants which was convenient, but since it is not in the "touristy" parts, you will need to know some basic mandarin to get by.