Accor recommendations in Shanghai and Beijing

What is the Radisson Hyland like? I have read a few reviews and they are very mixed.
As above, the location is good. Very close to East Nanjing Rd metro that goes to both Pudong and onto PVG nonstop or the Maglev station, but also west to Hongqiao (station & airport). The train to/from Xi’an goes to Hongqiao.

We booked via QF Hotels (Triple points promo), so no status benefits. Just a regular room, allocated mid level floor that looks west. I suspect there’s decent Pudong views from the high floors, east side. There’s also a lounge on the 38th floor (but haven’t been there). Haven’t tried the B’fast either (¥168).

My only complaint with the Hyland is the room sound proofing isn’t the best. Hasn’t been a huge issue but not something I’m used to.

Other hotels nearby include a Conrad, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Westin and Shanghai EDITION (friends love the later).
For Xi'an - am only there for 3 nights so was thinking the location would be okay. Will be there in October so hopefully pleasant enough to walk around. Or is Novotel Bell Tower a better option?
3 nights is probably plenty - depending on what time you arrive / leave. We had two nights - arvo free on day of arrival (flew from PEK, not train to get there earlier), and arvo free after Warriors but had ticked off most the sights on Day 1.

I can’t speak for the quality of the Novotel, but if you like being amongst it all, it seems to be a good location. But traffic there is probably worse.
Really grateful for the detail you are including here!
No worries! If I get around to it, I’ll do a TR. China is not the most simple place to visit if you haven’t done some homework.
 
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For Xi'an - am only there for 3 nights so was thinking the location would be okay. Will be there in October so hopefully pleasant enough to walk around. Or is Novotel Bell Tower a better option?
3 nights is enough I reckon. I also spent 3 nights there. One for the city - i.e. bell tower, city walls, and general exploring. One for the warriors, and one for hiking at huashan. So I didn't actually spend much time within the city itself. I thought the Sofitel was good, as many tours do pick up from there.

Seems like the Novotel is quite a new property, I don't think I noticed it was open when I last visited. The location seems quite nice being so close to the subway. The location is equivalent to staying at Times Square, so you can imagine it'd be a lot more busy, a tourist hotspot and more street vendors and hawkers etc. Depends on if you like that kind of vibe. There's two big malls near the area which are quite upmarket as well.
 
I stayed 4 nights at Fairmont Beijing as a Diamond at the beginning of this year. Good service. Gigantic room. For a VERY very cheap price... not sure if it's to do with winter or economic downturn.

The lounge was free so we had a good time with it. But I wouldn't pay for it - the food had less variety than downstairs. It's main attraction was the lack of people. We saw only 8 people in the lounge at the maximum.

Thoroughly enjoyed it.

I am sure others have already pointed out that you won't be able to enjoy plat benefits if you turn plat during the trip. It takes a few days for the status to credit.

For Shanghai, Pullman Central was probably the best bet. But we decided against it for a Marriot near the Yu Gardens - much better location.
 
I stayed 4 nights at Fairmont Beijing as a Diamond at the beginning of this year. Good service. Gigantic room. For a VERY very cheap price... not sure if it's to do with winter or economic downturn.

The lounge was free so we had a good time with it. But I wouldn't pay for it - the food had less variety than downstairs. It's main attraction was the lack of people. We saw only 8 people in the lounge at the maximum.

Thoroughly enjoyed it.

I am sure others have already pointed out that you won't be able to enjoy plat benefits if you turn plat during the trip. It takes a few days for the status to credit.

For Shanghai, Pullman Central was probably the best bet. But we decided against it for a Marriot near the Yu Gardens - much better location.
Yes the EL in Fairmont was a great place to work given the empty crowds. There's nothing special about breakfast - would prefer eating in the buffet. During the evening, there was some odd sushi rice casserole thing that was quite adventurous but otherwise, nothing too appealing. They do have a decent salad leaves section though which I understand is quite expensive/hard to find in China.
 
am sure others have already pointed out that you won't be able to enjoy plat benefits if you turn plat during the trip. It takes a few days for the status to credit.

I’m believe this has changed, I had a status upgrade during a stay last year that should have seen the upgrade take effect a few days after I checked out.
 
Stayed at Banyan Tree Shanghai.
To me Banyan Tree always had this spa/resort vibe. Stay there not to explore the city but to relax and unwind in the room.

It is a bit out of the way from the fun parts, but offers a fantastic view of the Bund and LuJiaZui. Banyan Tree does not have an executive lounge, which is a huge shame.

Non-alcoholic drinks were free in the minibar, refilled once a day, and breakfast was fantastic.
 

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