The RESURRECTION of Shanghai’s Flower-Shaped Island Hotel!!!
Stanley1588 · Solo travel · 2024-12-20
“I have written extensively about the InterContinental Shanghai Harbour City on my TripAdvisor account throughout my three stays there. My reviews reflect a mixed experience overall. When the hotel transitioned from Crowne Plaza to InterContinental, the Pre-Opening General Manager, Matthew Cooper, implemented a radical yet, in my opinion, successful transformation. I felt a strong connection to this Flower-Shaped Urban Resort, and my insights as a seasoned guest helped shape the hotel's direction. I've witnessed both progress and setbacks throughout my three reviews.
The last time I left the hotel, I saw it as a flower-shaped building that had lost its vitality. My experience there was almost horrifying, as I described in my previous review. It was so unsettling that it left me deeply disturbed by my stay, considering how everything unfolded. Admist the nightmares that I experienced at this hotel, the personal connection and the memories made at this hotel were still embedded in my soul.
As a result of my connection to this hotel, I wanted to return at a time when someone could take the vacant General Manager position and help elevate the hotel back to its former glory. Through word of mouth, I learned that InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has appointed French hotelier Philippe Cavory to lead the nearly two-year-old transformed hotel. After a disappointing experience during my third stay without strong leadership, I was curious to see what Cavory has brought to the Lakeside Urban Resort so far and whether he could lead his team to "deliver the Big Mac," as Cooper used to say.
Here is a review of my fourth stay at the Shanghai Harbour City InterContinental:
Pre-Arrival:
After visiting Cooper and his team at Kimpton Qiantan Shanghai, I felt compelled to return to the Harbour City Hotel for an in-person update on its status, nearly a year after my last visit. I discreetly made a reservation for a one-night stay from December 19 to December 20, 2024, without informing any staff members I knew at the hotel. With my IHG One Diamond Ambassador Membership, I booked the entry-level 1 King Classic Room, but I was pleasantly upgraded to a 1 Bedroom Suite with a Lake View Balcony.
During my two-hour subway ride to the hotel, guest services called me to confirm my arrival time and to inform me about the suite upgrade, which was appreciated given the high occupancy rate during my stay. I regarded this as a thoughtful gesture, either due to my Diamond Ambassador membership or my history of staying at the hotel. The cost for a one-night stay on a weekday was ¥1,073 ($148) for the Classic Room, while the approximate price for the 1 Bedroom Suite with a Lake View Balcony on Ctrip was ¥3,358 ($460).
Upon my arrival at the hotel, I was warmly welcomed back by Kim Wen, the Front Office Manager, in the midst of a busy check-out process involving a large company that occupied most of the hotel. Mandy Chen, the Guest Relations Officer, assisted Kim in getting me settled into Suite C309, the same suite I stayed in last time. I looked forward to what promised to be an eventful stay. After setting my backpack down in the suite, it was time for lunch.
Lunch at Commune:
For lunch, I ordered a Working Day Lunch Set for ¥58 ($8) on the Meituan app at the Commune All-Day Dining Restaurant. There were seven main courses to choose from, and I selected the Curry Pork Chop Rice. The meal also included a starter salad, sliced fruit, cake, and a drink, which I think is an incredible value. Everything tasted great, setting a positive tone for my stay.
Midway through my meal, I had the opportunity to meet the French General Manager, Phillipe Cavory. Despite his busy schedule, Monsieur Cavory took a few minutes to chat with me. We discussed his new role as General Manager, replacing Cooper, and he checked in on how my stay was going. Philippe later met with me for breakfast the next day.
I also had the pleasure of reuniting with Tic Du, the Executive of Housekeeping, who kindly spoke with me and ensured my stay in the suite was both clean and comfortable.
The Commune All-Day Dining Restaurant has been making several updates to enhance the guest experience. The hotel has been gradually replacing the trees in the dining hall. Additionally, they have introduced some new service touches, such as a folded towel placed on the dining set, fresh decorations around the buffet area, and a new brand of coffee and tea to complement the dining experience.
1 Bedroom Balcony Lake View Suite:
I took a look at my suite after lunch, which was C309. This was my third stay in this suite. Upon entering, you are greeted by a small marble-floored lobby that leads into a comfortable yet luxurious living room. The living room features grey fabric couches, marble tables, a minibar, and a flat-screen TV. Outside the living room, there is a balcony overlooking Dishui Lake, offering a scenic view of the Yacht Club as boats and windsurfers head out to the water. You can relax on one of the two outdoor chairs surrounding a small round table while enjoying the lake view.
Through a wooden sliding door from the living room, you enter the bedroom, which boasts a king-sized bed surrounded by innovative, practical lighting, bedside desks, a JBL speaker, an abstractly designed carpet, a leather sofa, and another TV. The bedroom also has a second balcony.
The bathroom features a double marble vanity sink, a freestanding bathtub, a marble-tiled shower cubicle, and a Japanese-style toilet by the Duravit brand. Additionally, it includes Byredo Blanche soap products, which perfectly complement the marbled atmosphere of the space. Finally, there is a closet space equipped with soft bathrobes.
Upon my arrival, I was warmly welcomed in the living room with a delicious chocolate cake, a plate of fresh fruit, and an assortment of Evian and Perrier water, along with a welcome card signed by the staff. Additionally, I requested a few fans to help ventilate the room better.
I must note that the hotel has made significant improvements to its hygiene standards since my first stay. My suite was thoroughly cleaned on short notice, despite the hotel transitioning from a busy night of service for a large corporate event. I'd like to give a big round of applause to Tic for leading a significant comeback in the housekeeping department. Finally, the hotel has performed well in hygiene!
Club InterContinental:
The Club InterContinental Lounge is currently closed due to renovations, which are expected to be completed by the end of 2024. During this time, the Afternoon Tea and Happy Hour services have been relocated to the Commune Restaurant - both of which I have enjoyed. Due to the temporary arrangement, the selections have been limited. This is understandable given the few customers with Club Access and the reconfigured buffet settings. While I had no issues with the Afternoon Tea options, the Happy Hour would greatly benefit from transitioning from a mini-buffet dinner service to serving only hors d'oeuvres and cocktails. After all, that is the essence of Happy Hour. The service was attentive and well-suited to the temporary arrangement.
Dinner at CaiFengLou:
I asked Kim to arrange a solo meal for me at either the Korean restaurant MooWoo or the Chinese restaurant CaiFengLou. After reviewing the options, I decided on the selections offered by the chef at CaiFengLou. This gourmet meal cost me ¥240 ($32), but with a 15% membership discount, the total came to ¥204 ($28).
Under the supervision of CaiFengLou Supervisor Sonia Yao, I enjoyed the following dishes:
- Soup of the Day: Chicken & Date Soup
- Cantonese-style Crispy Sesame Chicken
- Stir-Fried Asparagus with Truffle Sauce
- Nanhui Salted Pork with Vegetable Fried Rice
- Fruit Plate
- Pomelo Mango Sago Soup
All of the dishes were delicious! One suggestion to enhance the atmosphere of CaiFengLou would be to add some Chinese cultural decorations or artwork. This could create a more distinct ambiance compared to Commune.
Turndown Service:
After my dinner at the CaiFengLou Restaurant, I returned to my suite to find the bedroom prepared and ready for the evening. The bed was nicely made, with a pair of slippers and a glass of water by the bedside. With the additional fan and air purifier I had requested, I slept quite well until morning!
Breakfast at Commune:
For breakfast, I went downstairs and met Jenny Tan, the newly appointed Director of Food & Beverage. I was sitting with Philippe during the meal. Overall, I would say the breakfast has improved, but there is still room for enhancement. The buffet now includes new additions, such as a Chinese-style Onigiri station, a significantly improved Western selection, and a variety of pastries. However, some options have been scaled back; for instance, you can no longer order scrambled eggs, only omelets. Additionally, the Shanghainese small wontons and other signature items that used to be available are no longer offered.
During our conversation, Cavory expressed his dedication to improving the breakfast service in collaboration with Jenny and the head chef. From what I gathered, enhancing guest experiences involves various factors, including logistics and ownership approval. The Food & Beverage Department appears to be the biggest challenge at the moment. Nevertheless, I am optimistic that Jenny’s new role as the Director of Food & Beverage will lead to gradual improvements in the hotel’s food and beverage offerings.
Concierge Services:
As a guest who frequently travels to various hotels, I've found that the concierge is the hotel department I utilize the least during my stays. However, aside from opening the door for me and greeting me in the main lobby, I did take advantage of their buggy service, which offers transportation to the main road and saves a ten-minute walk from the hotel. The driver was attentive and friendly, ensuring that I was quickly and safely transported between the main road and the hotel entrance.
Fitness Center:
I had the opportunity to use the indoor swimming pool, which was to say the least clean and refreshing. Given the colder temperatures out in Shanghai, the pool was warm enough to the point it is comfortable for a few strokes around the pool. The changing room facilities are well stocked with a sauna, swimming suit dryer, and sandals for the pool.
2nd Lunch at Commune:
After walking extensively around the Lingang and Dishuihu area in the morning, I decided to have lunch at Commune again. This time, I had the opportunity to speak with Head Chef Zhuo and Jenny about the Food and Beverage Department. I ordered the steak sandwich, which was delicious and reasonably priced at ¥118 ($16).
Due to another company hosting a major event at the hotel, an event buffet was primarily reserved for them on this occasion. I had the opportunity to look around and see what the buffet was like, which was quite different from the original dinner buffet I had expected. I hope to try the dinner buffet in the future!
My Departure:
I checked out at 4 PM in the lobby, where most of the familiar faces at the management level were waiting for me. Coco Li, the Guest Relations Manager whom I first met during my very first stay, was there to collect my key card. The Director of Housekeeping, Tic, and the Front Office Manager, Kim, also greeted me one last time. I shared refreshing feedback with them, stating that the hotel has significantly improved compared to the beginning of this year.
Before I left the Flower-shaped Urban Resort, I had the opportunity to meet one last person: Philippe. In my experience with the 41 InterContinental hotels I have visited, General Managers typically do not spend much time engaging with their guests. However, Philippe was an exception. He took the time to converse with me at length and ensured that everything during my stay was perfect. The last General Manager who provided such attentive service was Matthew Cooper, the man who transformed this hotel into one of IHG’s Premier Flagship Hotels in Shanghai. As a thoughtful gesture to commemorate our new friendship, Philippe gifted me a generous box of tea from the Premium T9 Company. Thank you, Philippe!
With Philippe at the helm as a first-year General Manager, he has breathed new life into this hotel, leading an exceptional team to reclaim its glory by delighting Shanghainese locals on weekend getaways and accommodating large business groups for special events. Despite the challenges posed by existing conditions, the hotel experience under Philippe’s leadership has reached unprecedented heights since Cooper transitioned to Kimpton Qiantan. I salute Philippe and his team for the incredible comeback witnessed during my stay.
Conclusion:
Overall, was my stay perfect? The answer is certainly not. The rooms could use some hardware updates, and the restaurant experience needs some adjusting with the new Director of Food & Beverage Jenny Tan. All of my concerns expressed to Phillipe’s team has personally been addressed, and I'm sure they will pull off the finest improvements as of this point in my history with the InterContinental Shanghai Harbour City.
The most important question to assess my experience is whether it was worth the price I paid. The answer is a resounding yes. Absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt. My fourth visit to this hotel has been nothing short of incredible. I was deeply impressed by the revived hospitality, unique location, and the cherished memories that resurfaced since 2023.
To conclude, Cooper once told me that delivering a McDonald’s Big Mac Burger should always meet its standard to truly satisfy paying customers. He likened this to the necessity of maintaining an exceptional guest experience to justify what guests pay for. Today, it’s clear that the InterContinental Shanghai Harbour City is “delivering the Big Macs well for their guests…”
As someone who has formed a personal connection with this establishment, Thank You InterContinental Shanghai Harbour City!!!
Personalized InterContinental Rankings:
#5 out of 41 InterContinental Hotels & Resorts I have personally visited. A rocket shot up from when I ranked it at #22 almost a year ago…”
Shanghai’s Dying Flower-Shaped Island Hotel
Stanley1588 · Solo travel · 2024-01-31
“The InterContinental Shanghai Harbour City is one of the signature hotels in the Greater China IHG Network. The once Crowne Plaza turned InterContinental Hotel was once prized as the country’s best island resorts. Located on the southern tip of the Shanghai coast Lingang, it is a hub for Shanghai’s Marine Ports, its growing tourism, and rapidly expanding economy. I had the honor of visiting the hotel in 2023 with what I thought was a low point for them in my first visit. The hotel’s reopening inaugural General Manager who oversaw the hotels renovations, and design of the hotel Matthew Cooper invited me back a month later for a second visit to experience a much improved hotel to Cooper’s vision. You can find my insider review after a quick scroll down on this TripAdvisor account that I wrote about that second visit.
Sadly, Matthew left the hotel not too long before this stay that I’m with pure sadness writing about. The soul and spirit in this hotel is fading away as the hotel reaches nearly a year since its reopening. Here is what I have seen in this hotel on my third visit to this flower-shaped building:
The reason why I decided to return was because of the Seoul COEX InterContinental Hotel awarding me 20,000 IHG One points due to multiple cleaning errors made during the initial room preparation of my stay. This led me to use the points at this hotel given that the hotel has been on a successful run under the leadership of Matthew Cooper. Little did I know on my arrival date of the 29th of January that the hotel underwent a rather sad downfall in standards likely since the general manager’s position was left vacant.
Upon arrival into the hotel’s lobby, I was checked in by the hotel’s Guest Relations Manager Coco Li. Coco being a Guest Relations Manager from my previous 2 stays immediately recognized me and welcomed me back into the hotel. She immediately made sure that I got a good room upon looking at my reservation. Coco determined to get a me a suite initially got me a standby room for the first hour of my stay and then got me to the suite which was under cleaning. Coco then brought me to the 1 King Premium Lake View Balcony Room, where we immediately found a lot of cleaning defects that were near the amount I have seen on my first stay. Coco upon seeing the mishaps brought the hotel’s Housekeeping Director Tic Du up into the room to observe the situation. I decided for the rest of the first hour to tour the hotel whilst the suite was being cleaned. With Coco and Tic, I took a look at the Club InterContinental, the CaiFengLou Chinese Restaurant, the Commune All-Day Dining Restaurant, and the South Island No. 2 multi-functional building. Take a look at my previous review for all the facility details.
In that span of time, Tic made sure that the suite was ready and in clean order while the room. I was then introduced to the new room which was in the same category as my previous suite: 1 King Bedroom Lake View Balcony Suite. The suite configurations go like this as described last time:
Upon entry you are greeted with a small marbled lobby room, followed by a comfortable yet luxurious living room with grey fabric couches, marble tables, a minibar area, and a flat-screen TV. Outside the living room is a balcony overlooking the Dishui Lake, where you could from a scenic view see the Yacht Club sending their boats and windsurfers out to shore. You can sit on one of the two outdoor chairs surrounding a small roundtable taking in the lake view. Through a wooden sliding door from the living room sits the bedroom, where you have a king-sized bed surrounded by innovative practical lighting, bedside desks, a JBL speaker, the abstract graphically designed carpet, a leather sofa, and another TV screen. You also have a second balcony outside the bedroom. The bathroom holds a double marble vanity sink, a free-standing bathtub, a marble-tiled shower cubicle, and a Japanese-style toilet courtesy of the Duravit brand. Also featured are the Byredo Blanche soap products that pair well with the marbled atmosphere of the bathroom. Finally, you have a closet space paired with soft bathrobes.
I must say, Matthew in his time managed to improve some aspects of the suite that are more thoughtful. First, the air conditioning system is actually working which was a pleasant surprise in my opinion. Second, the hotel changed its TV channel system where you can stream your phone on the TV, use your smartphone as a remote control, or gain access to more media content such as your bill, the IHG One Rewards introduction, the IHG Channel, and more. Furthermore, looks like the glass doors and the mirrors have been replaced with new durable ones in the bathroom which makes the bathroom neater. I loved the different configurations of this suite as they are flexible in terms of how it’s laid out for your comfort. My previous suite was C309, this time it was C401.
The Club Lounge certainly is in need of
some form of improvements service wise. It seems that the hotel always change its club lounge agents as there’s a new face every time I enter the lounge for the first time per visit. The afternoon tea service can be improved by perhaps adding more tea selections to the lounge, perhaps a loose-tea concept would be in order. The scones certainly lack its condiments such as the clotted cream and the jam to compliment it, I had to ask for the jam but the clotted cream was not available, only the butter. For the happy hour, I would actually change the dinner buffet setting and change it to hors d’œuvres, cheese, salad, and charcuterie with a full-service cocktail bar. Obviously, the club lounge needs a refrigerator to store drinks rather than relying on ice and a huge bucket container.
One of the better experiences was my second visit to the CaiFengLou restaurant. My CaiFengLou is managed by the Food & Beverage Manager Vincent Guo. I requested the restaurant just like the previous time to curate my meal and select the meal I was to have. Here’s what the Vincent and the CaiFengLou Supervisor Ms. Luo got me:
Cold Pressed Marinated Spinach
Cantonese Roasted Pigeon
Shanghainese Braised Pork Belly
Stir Fried Beef Chao Fun Noodles with Truffle Sauce
Mango, Coconut Cream, & Pomelo Purée
All of these are very well cooked and absolutely delicious. I had a lovely time with Vincent discussing the cuisines found all over Shanghai and the CaiFengLou Brand. At the time I was going to pay the bill, but Vincent voided the bill. I really must give my gratitude towards CaiFengLou.
After coming back from a Japanese-style bathhouse in the late evening, I was ready for bed. At the time, I was under the impression that the suite was inspected and clean. Now I think the suite was inspected as hard as possible by Tic. I wouldn’t really expect anyone to look into the nooks and crannies of every single square centimeter of the suite. This however in my opinion outrageous for guests to find in their room. I’ll list them down here:
1. I found a female’s long hair strand not one but twice on the bed sheet, which was frankly horrifying to find in a bed. This is the exact bed our bodies would be sleeping on, and to have someone’s hair be slept on is certainly a horrific experience.
2. I found a metal nail in the vanity kit box. It’s actually pretty dangerous for someone to put their hand into the box and to pick up a dental kit whilst having the risk of puncturing your hand with the sharp-end of that nail.
3. Something absolutely horrific I found was on the medium-sized towels. Another guest may have blown their nose into the towel and the towel had someone’s boogers on the towel. If not it’s some kind of sticky substance that shouldn’t be on the towel. I did ask whether the towels were inspected, they were according to Tic. It’s rather strange how this phenomenon has occurred.
So I think it’s fair to say that what has occurred is plain crazy. It’s absolutely insane and I’m sure this was not how any guest would envision an InterContinental experience. To be honest, this was the worst I’ve seen any hotel deteriorate like this in China. The reason why I think the housekeeping has been so bad, was the fact that the development company gave management a third-party housekeeping company that doesn’t even have hotel-graded cleaning staff. There’s no way a hotel-qualified housekeeper could miss all these horrific errors. To think that a Holiday Inn Express experience at the nearby airport was better on a hygiene level is beyond unthinkable.
I speculate whether the buffet catering staff at the Commune Breakfast was the same third-party concept. I liked the new atmosphere of the new trees being placed by Tic in the Commune restaurant. Something I haven’t been liking is the service by the buffet chefs. I had an omelette, Lanzhou Hand Pulled Noodles, and some fruit. When I ordered the omelette, I specifically asked for a cheese omelette, but the omelette ended up being an omelette with every additional ingredient in it. It seems that I wasn’t being listened to or the chef was half-awake. The chef near the noodle stand happened to be watching TikTok videos on her phone. I’m not sure if this was the ideal situation the F&B Director Michael Wang wanted in his absence during what I believe was a nice teamwork outing to Zhoushan. There are some ways the breakfast buffet could improve, in which I gave such suggestions but wasn’t sure if they were taken seriously. I know the scrambled eggs should be done fresh to order. This was testimony given to me by many F&B Directors in InterContinental Hotels across the country. I was well-looked after by the manager at the time, the Food & Beverage Manager who was manager of the South Island No.2 at the time of my second visit.
Now as a standard paying guest without any form of membership with the IHG, I’d be really upset about what has occurred. No guest whether a non-IHG member with a standard room or a Royal Ambassador member with a Presidential Suite deserves any of these inconsistencies in service and hygiene. I have not seen anything this severe since my 10th visit to the InterContinental Shanghai Hongqiao NECC. The math for some of these room prices really upsets me as someone who compares the rates to the quality of cleaning. That suite I experienced was 8,000 RMB ($1,127 USD) per night, which certainly is worth the price feature-wise but nowhere worth the housekeeping quality. The same applies to the 1,098 RMB ($154) for the entry-level rooms, worth the hardware product but not worth the housekeeping quality.
You have in my opinion overpaying guests, low housekeeping standards, under-motivated staff, an inspiring general manager that left, and it all turns into a Greek Tragedy for the IHG and the landlord. For a flagship property of the IHG’s Greater China network, the Lingang Hotel Company really shot themselves in the foot for badly planning the long-term service maintainability of this island resort. It is not normal for a newly reopened luxury hotel to rapidly deteriorate in just a year. I felt quite bad for the great staff members who had to endure this deterioration of the hotel. No one deserves this.
Coco, Tic, and the Chief Duty Manager arranged the hotel’s new Front Office Manager Kim Wen to call me post-departure about the stay. I must admit, there were some nice things the hotel did for me that was thoughtful including the complimentary dinner and the free departure ride to the subway station. I wanted to speak to Kim because I wanted to get a full-closure understanding of what occurred - he did and brought my attention to his perspective of his job. To Kim’s credit and honesty, he awarded me most of my points back in true good faith. I think what Kim did was generous, honest, and fair.
To end my review with a paraphrasing quote from a friend the hotel knows who told me:
“Think of a McDonald’s Customer Experience: When you order a Big Mac, you’d expect a fully-assembled burger; except the burger was missing the meat patties, you wouldn’t be inclined to pay for it.”
My Personal InterContinental Hotel Rankings:
Prior Rankings In Terms of Full Experience: #1 out 36 InterContinental Properties
Current: #17 out of 36 InterContinental Properties
I hope the hotel will recover to its prime!”
