Review: W Shanghai – The Bund

As first-time visitors to China, Shanghai was the natural starting point for my brother and me. We felt that staying along The Bund would be ideal, thanks to its central location, easy access to shopping and dining, and spectacular views of Shanghai’s futuristic skyline. The area also has plenty of pedestrian-friendly paths, making it easy to explore the city on foot.

We chose W Shanghai – The Bund because we’ve consistently had good experiences with W properties across Asia. I’m happy to say that W Shanghai met all our expectations. Despite staying at several other hotels in Shanghai during the trip, we both agreed that W Shanghai was our preferred property.

Booking & Check-in

While I’ve found hotels in China to be more affordable than other regions, luxury properties located directly on The Bund waterfront command a premium thanks to their prime location. Although a stay in this area of the city is likely to cost more than elsewhere, I felt the additional expenditure was worthwhile for the convenient location, great amenities, and the views from our room.

We were able to take advantage of a travel industry rate for our stay, which came to roughly $300 per night.

Standard rates typically start around ¥1,950 per night (CA$407) during the low season and can climb to ¥3,000 (CA$630) or more during peak travel periods.

When redeeming Marriott Bonvoy points at W Shanghai, award rates start at 100,000 points per night, making this a relatively poor use of points at lower cash rates. However, if you can find availability during peak periods when cash rates are significantly higher, a redemption could make more sense.

The hotel features the familiar W branding, with large W sculptures and installations spread throughout the property. Upon arrival, a valet member promptly greeted us and directed us to the fourth-floor lobby for check-in.

The hotel has several pedestrian entrances, with the main vehicle entrance on the north side of the building. A second set of doors on the opposite side of the lobby provides direct access to the SMP Mall. From the mall, you can easily reach the nearby metro station on the lower level, and the pedestrian walkways along The Bund.

There was no wait when we arrived, and the check-in process was handled quickly and efficiently. The check-in agent noted that we had been proactively upgraded from a City View Room to a Bund View Room. I hadn’t requested an upgrade, so it was a welcome surprise and one that I always appreciate as a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite member.

I will note that W Shanghai offers some of the best and most unobstructed views of the Shanghai skyline, which I think is a major part of the experience of staying here. We took a gamble and got lucky with an upgrade to a Bund View room, but if the view is important to you, I’d recommend using a Nightly Upgrade Award or booking the room category you want directly. With a hotel like this, having the right view can make a significant difference to the overall stay.

The only other item to deal with at check-in was the Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite welcome amenity, which was the choice between 1,000 bonus points or complimentary breakfast. As always, I opted for the free breakfast.

If you’ve stayed at a W property before, you probably know what to expect: flashy design, quirky decor, and plenty of vibrant lighting. However, W Shanghai is much less aggressive than other W properties when it comes to some of the brand’s goofier design choices. It strikes a nice balance between being practical and maintaining the signature W aesthetic.

The rest of the lobby floor features plenty of seating, along with WOOBAR and The Kitchen Table, the hotel’s main all-day dining restaurant.

Location

W Shanghai – The Bund sits in a prime location along the Huangpu River, just north of Shanghai’s historic Bund waterfront promenade. The hotel puts you within easy reach of one of the city’s most recognizable areas, with The Bund’s historic architecture, waterfront walkway, shopping, dining, and spectacular skyline views all nearby.

For first-time visitors to Shanghai, staying near The Bund provides a convenient base for exploring the city on foot while keeping many of its major attractions within easy reach. Nanjing Road and its extensive shopping are nearby, while the Bund waterfront is ideal for an evening walk and taking in Shanghai’s skyline after dark.

W Shanghai is connected to the SMP Mall complex, a multi-level shopping and dining destination with dozens of shops, restaurants, and cafés. You’ll find familiar names like Starbucks, 7-Eleven, and Wolfgang Puck Steakhouse alongside a wide variety of local and international restaurants, making it easy to grab a coffee, meal, or snack without venturing very far from the hotel.

W Shanghai is also well connected to the rest of the city’s public transportation network via the Shanghai Metro International Cruise Terminal Station, making it practical to venture beyond the immediate Bund area. While the hotel is slightly north of the busiest section of The Bund, I found the location particularly convenient for combining sightseeing, dining, and exploring Shanghai without spending too much time commuting.

Shanghai has two major airports, with Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) handling most international flights. Pudong Airport is located well outside the city center, and the journey to W Shanghai will typically take around 45 to 60 minutes by car, depending on traffic. We used a DiDi rideshare from the airport, which was an affordable and convenient way to reach the hotel.

You can also take public transit from Pudong Airport, including the high-speed Maglev train. However, none of the rail options will take you directly to the hotel, so you’ll need to make at least one connection before continuing to W Shanghai.

Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) is the city’s other major airport and primarily handles domestic and regional flights. This airport is located much closer to central Shanghai, making the trip to W Shanghai considerably shorter. As with Pudong, you can take a DiDi or taxi for a quick door-to-door journey, or use the extensive Shanghai Metro network if you want to save money.

Parking

Complimentary on-site self-parking is available to all guests.

Room – Spectacular 2 Twin Pearl Tower View Room

We were assigned a room on the 8th floor, featuring two twin beds and plenty of space for the two of us. The room also included a small side table and chair, along with a bench running along the floor-to-ceiling windows at the far end of the room.

The two twin beds suited our needs perfectly and proved very comfortable, with excellent pillows and soft sheets. We both got a chuckle out of the decorative chopstick and dumpling pillows on each bed, a fun touch that added some local character to the room.

Beside each bed was a control and connectivity panel with a universal power outlet and USB-A charging port, along with switches for the motorized curtains and room lighting.

The hotel also provided plenty of complimentary bottled water, which were placed beside the beds and replenished each evening.

Opposite the beds was a wall-mounted flatscreen TV, along with the minibar and pantry area.

The pantry drawer had a few snacks available for purchase, and the minibar included a Nespresso coffee machine, glassware, a cocktail shaker, and an ice bucket.

The Shanghai skyline views are a major part of the experience of staying at W Shanghai, and our room offered an amazing view of the city’s skyscrapers and the Oriental Pearl Tower across the river.

At night, the views became even more impressive once all the buildings were lit up.

Moving back toward the entrance, the closet area had enough space for a couple of small suitcases and included several useful amenities, including an umbrella, robe, iron and ironing board, and shoe care accessories.

The bathroom was nicely equipped with a dual vanity sink. Bath essentials were provided by Davines, which are the standard brand across all W Hotels properties.

The walk-in shower and toilet chamber were enclosed behind separate glass doors.

The toilet was a Toto washlet with all the usual bells and whistles.

Finally, a large soaking bathtub rounded out the bathroom amenities.

I will mention the bathroom setup because W properties are notorious for what many guests call their “zero-privacy” bathrooms.

W Shanghai has come up with a surprisingly elegant solution using smart glass technology, something I’ve never seen used in a hotel room before.

With the flip of a switch, guests can change the bathroom glass from opaque to transparent. It’s a cool and clever feature that gives you the best of both worlds, privacy when you want it or a more open concept when you don’t.

Restaurants & Bars

W Shanghai has five dining establishments on property, this includes two restaurants, two bars, and the poolside WET bar.

• The Kitchen Table – All-day New York City-inspired bistro serving international cuisine.
• YEN – Contemporary Jiangnan and Cantonese cuisine
• Liquid – 1920s Shanghai speakeasy bar
• WOOBAR – Lobby bar serving light bites, drinks in a lounge setting
• WET Bar – Snacks and drinks from a poolside food truck

The Kitchen Table – Marriott Bonvoy Elite Complimentary Breakfast

The Kitchen Table is located on the hotel’s main lobby level and serves a breakfast buffet each morning.

The restaurant offers both indoor seating and outdoor seating in a spacious solarium. However, during our early spring visit, the weather wasn’t warm enough to enjoy the outdoor seating.

Hotel breakfast buffets at luxury hotels in Asia are, in my opinion, one of life’s greatest pleasures. Often expansive, indulgent, and packed with an incredible variety of dishes, the breakfast buffet at W Shanghai was one of the best we’ve experienced. We thoroughly enjoyed exploring the seemingly endless selection, which covered a wide range of cuisines and flavors from around the world.

Needless to say, the buffet offered an impressive variety of options, ranging from pastries, fresh fruit, salads, and cereals to Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Western dishes.

Made-to-order noodles were also available at the noodle bar, which offered around half a dozen different noodle dishes.

YEN

Since we arrived late on our first evening and were pretty hungry, we wanted to eat as soon as possible, so we decided to try the on-site Chinese restaurant.

We shared a few dishes, including fried rice, pork belly, crispy chicken, and dumplings. Both the food and service were excellent, but as an on-property restaurant, a “W Hotels” premium was definitely baked into the bill. As we discovered over the next few days, you can find equally good meals elsewhere in Shanghai for significantly less.

Facilities

Fitness Center

The W FIT fitness center is open to all guests and offers a well-equipped workout space with modern Technogym machines, free weights, cardio equipment, and a Smith machine.

The fitness center has a spacious layout, and even during the busier morning hours, it never felt overcrowded. Plenty of equipment was always available, particularly cardio machines, which were plentiful and never required a wait.

Adjacent to the fitness center was a dedicated spin studio offering scheduled, instructor-led classes.

Pool

W Shanghai has two swimming pools, including an indoor pool and a seasonal outdoor pool.

The indoor pool features a lap pool and a jacuzzi, providing a good option for swimming regardless of the weather.

Temperatures were still quite chilly during our April visit, so the outdoor pool hadn’t yet opened for the season.

It’s worth noting that every hotel we stayed at in China required guests to wear a swimming cap when using the public pool. We weren’t aware of this requirement since it was our first time visiting China, but fortunately, the spa sells swimming caps for a very reasonable CA$12 each. The caps were actually quite nice, so picking up a couple wasn’t an issue.

AWAY Spa

I didn’t have a chance to visit the spa during my stay, though it offers the usual selection of facilities and treatments, including massages, skincare treatments, steam rooms, and therapy baths.

You can find more information about the spa, including a full menu of available treatments, on the W Shanghai AWAY Spa website.

Conclusion

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at W Shanghai – The Bund and would recommend it to anyone looking for a luxury property in a great location, with easy access to transit, shopping, dining, and the pedestrian walkway along The Bund.

Highlights of our stay included the excellent complimentary breakfast each morning, impressive facilities, and a proactive upgrade to a Bund View room, all of which contributed to a memorable stay.

However, Marriott loyalists are spoiled for choice when it comes to luxury hotels in Shanghai. While I would have no issue staying at W Shanghai again and would recommend it to anyone considering the property, I’ll likely look to try another property on my next visit.