The Peninsula Shanghai

Excellent room: large, comfortable and well-equipped with great views across the Bund from the 12th floor. Friendly and helpful staff. Good location.

I had heard excellent things about the Peninsula in Hong Kong so was looking forward to trying it in Shanghai. My expectations were that it would be at least equal to Four Seasons / Mandarin Oriental and perhaps exceed them, particularly since the room rate was in the region of 20-30% higher. Peninsula Shanghai does have a lot to commend about it: the room was excellent, the hotel has a good location and the architecture is impressive. But what let it down slightly were the restaurants / bars. In particular, the cocktails and snacks at the Sir Elly's Bar on the 13th Floor were surprisingly mediocre (I emailed the bar some feedback on the cocktails but did not get a response). The 'à la carte' breakfast accompanied by a small buffet selection may also not suit everyone. It just didn't really feel special in the way you might expect from this type of hotel. In sum, a good hotel but don't expect it to be superior to its competitors otherwise you will be disappointed. If the price is higher than other hotels, perhaps look elsewhere.