Accor recommendations in Shanghai and Beijing

[SYD]

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.

 

[DJTravels]

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.