Renaissance Yu Garden Shanghai Hotel Review is part of the TPOL in Shanghai Trip Report.
Getting There: Take the Maglev if open. Otherwise, go to the authorized taxi line.
After one night in a dated room with no view (see Unhappy Upon Check In? Don’t Let Buyer’s Remorse Sink In), Renaissance made good on its promise and moved me to a huge room with a view on par with my views from Grand Hyatt Shanghai, Park Hyatt Shanghai, and Hyatt on the Bund. This was luxury that I was used to and commensurated with the view I have in Puerto Rico. It also has become the standard for the type of accommodation I require when I’m back in Shanghai resuming my expat lifestyle, also known as TPOL in Shanghai.
Room
Give me a small kitchen and I could live here.
Soap
The best hotel soap is the W, the Westin, and Waldorf. The worst soap has to be this Renaissance. The shampoo smelled like sushi.
Bathroom
Soap aside, the bathroom was just fine: good pressure and hot water.
Long-Term Stay
I usually don’t stay in hotels long enough to use the amenities. I ended up staying at the Renaissance for 8 nights to take advantage of the 4th-night free offer (see Prestige 4th Night Free: My Last Great Use). In between the first batch and the second batch of nights, I stayed at the Courtyard Marriot. With so much time at one place, I ended up knowing many of the staff and became friends with one of the managers. Shout out to Lefteris who always had a table ready for me at the club lounge.
Club Lounge
The Club Lounge was a blessing and a curse. It was great because coffee, soft drinks, and snacks were available all day. In addition, there was food aplenty from 5:30PM to 7:30PM. From 5:30PM to 9:30PM, alcohol was also available. This is is a bad thing is because I kept eating and eating. I tried to offset the intake with a trip to the hotel gym. My ten-minute session did nothing to counteract my Fat Guy in the Lounge persona. It did prompt me to join a TRX and spin gym, albeit too late on my expat assignment (see Z & B Fitness: TRX Training in Shanghai).
Espresso
I could go to the lounge for espresso but sometimes I enjoy having it in my room. This begs the question, why am I only given one Nespresso capsule with caffeine?
Gym
I can’t workout at hotel gyms. I don’t know why I try. For the average weakling, this gym is more than sufficient.
Pool
Instead of working out, I went to the pool which is adjacent to the gym. The view isn’t as good as the suite but impressive nonetheless. It reminded me of the Park Hyatt NYC. The hot tub was perfect for Shanghai’s typically rainy days.
Breakfast
You can have breakfast in the main dining room or the club lounge. Both serve too much food.
Location
The Renaissance Yu Garden is in a decent location close to many attractions.
Next door is Yu Gardens. While I’m not a fan of Yu Gardens, the fake Chinatown in China, there is a nice dumpling place within it (see Yu Garden: Go Only for the Dumplings).
There’s also a great rooftop bar at the hotel for seeing Pudong by night (see World’s Greatest Skyline: The Best Views of Shanghai).
It is close to the Fabric Market (see Fabric Market Shanghai: How to Bargain) and minutes away from the Bund and nightlife (see TPOL’s Guide to Libations in Shanghai). It is also walking distance to People’s Square and West Nanjing. Still, whether on vacation or to live, I prefer the French Concession to those locations (see Twelve at Hengshan Shanghai: The Best Breakfast in the World).
Overall
I was initially disappointed with my room at the Renaissance. The staff resolved that problem and made me feel welcome. It’s not the newest hotel in Shanghai but the service made up for it.
Renaissance Yu Garden Shanghai Hotel Review is part of the TPOL in Shanghai Trip Report.
