View from the Room - Grand Kempinski Hotel, Shanghai
Room 2303
For our last night of the big China/New Zealand adventure, we went all-out lux. After travelling between Shanghai, Auckland, Wellington and back again, we figured we’d be exhausted from travelling and decided on 24 hours of comfort before flying home to the UK.
Until now, the most luxurious hotel I’ve stayed in is Le Pavillon in New Orleans (pre-Katrina) although my favourite is the Century Plaza in Vancouver where I’ve stayed countless times in two decades. Le Pavillon is the first and only place I’ve stayed where someone stood by to open the doors in the corridors. It was the first place I’d experienced a turn-down service where staff left a little homemade cookie with a handwritten note including the next day’s weather forecast. Over 20 years later and I remember all the details of this three-night stay. Both of these and many since beat the Waldorf NYC where I stayed back in 2005.
Hotels have come a long way since that first experience of luxury and the Kempinski brand had alluded me until now. What constitutes luxury? That’s got to be in the eye of the beholder but as a basic, every hotel has got to be at least as good as my home. That means it has to have large, soft towels, a good-sized bed, decent wi-fi, a fridge, located well with temperature I can control and a bath.
Ticked.
The bonuses are generally a view and space and room 2303 gave us this and so much more.
For starters, it’s pretty ideally located to with a little shopping arcade including Tim Hortons next door and the river running behind it and just a few minutes away from one of many shopping centres dotted around Shanghai.
We landed an hour early (that never happens when I’ve got a tight connection) on a flight from Auckland and were dreading several hours of being in our travelling clothes. The staff promptly agreed to have our room ready by 10.30 when we turned up at 8am. We were able to freshen up in the ample guest toilets, leave all of our luggage and head out for breakfast with no cares. We couldn’t quite believe we’d be in our room by 10.30 but yes, the ladies in red, as the staff are known (I know, sexist) were terrific.
When we came back from a little warming breakfast at Tim Hortons we held the keys to one of the finest hotel rooms I’ve ever had the pleasure to stay in. Our bags were bought up to us a few minutes after we walked in and barely had a chance to take in the view. We never got bored of that view for the short 24 hours we had access to it.
The furniture is all Rosewood:
Four drawers
A drawer on each bedside unit
Three slim ones in wardrobe (containing one branded gift bag)
Two in the bathroom
Plus more in the desk with stationery including staplers, tape - everything that could possibly be needed in an emergency.
One long wardrobe and a short one with drawers
Bathroom
The heated wall with hooks for towel drying in the bathroom is something I’m still talking about. How can a bathroom exist without this essential to keep both the room warm and towels dry?!
The shower and loos are separated by doors within the bathroom and I’m a big fan of having two sinks. It’s what I’d have at home if I ever need to replace the bathroom - hotels have such an influence on my home.
bathrobes and slippers
three large towels
two large hand towels
two face cloths
luxurious bath math and a shower mat
shaver socket
body lotion, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and a bar of soap - which I bought home and took weeks to use up!
The shower has side sprays, and over-head rain shower plus a handheld. The deep bath also has a handheld shower for hair washing/rinsing bath and a regular tap. There are two loo roll holders with a light up shelf on top. With a two loo-roll policy for some years - one for me, one for giving quick clean-ups and for visiting kids to use - this is the ideal and I’ve been looking for this for our bathroom ever since. Holler if you see it anywhere for under £60.
Note: I used the loo roll holder for the main photo as it’s impossible to demonstrate just how brilliant a heated wall is.
The 10 quality hangers including ones for skirts and delicate materials.
The fridge is stocked with a clear price list (pricey as you’d expect) although we appreciated the complimentary bottles of water.
There are plenty of sockets and the lighting worked well with individual lights everywhere including one on the desk. All are clearly labelled. It normally takes the duration of the stay to work out what they all do.
Best of all, the master light to switch off everything - something I’ve always wanted at home.
True luxury though, is having a pillows menu. Sadly we didn’t stay long enough to explore this although I look forward to another Kempinski experience.
2019
