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Hongqiao Xiangyuan Hilton (Gubei Hilton) Hotel Experience: A Relaxing Non-Business Trip
📍Location: The hotel directly faces the super luxurious Gubei No.1. Gubei's boundaries were once strictly defined, encompassing only Gubei Phase 1 (Vanke Plaza area) and Gubei Phase 2 (Golden City Road). But with the changing times, Minhang Gubei and Jinqiao have gradually gained public recognition. I've always had a soft spot for this area, and every time I come here, I feel especially at home.
🏨Lobby and Breakfast: The lobby embodies the standard style of a five-star hotel. However, the area around the roundabout at the entrance is slightly cluttered, which somewhat affects the overall impression, but it's not a major issue. It's worth mentioning that the famous restaurant Xin Rong Ji is also nearby. The hotel's first floor houses the check-in area and breakfast area. I personally prefer breakfast being served on the second floor, so I could comfortably go there in my slippers. Having it on the first floor means changing shoes, a small detail, but it does create a slightly different experience.
🏘️Room Type/Layout: Both the room and bathroom have large windows, providing ample natural light. Although they're not entirely floor-to-ceiling windows, the layout is reasonable and very pleasing. After staying in this type of room, it's hard to go back to rooms with windowless bathrooms. The decoration style is also to my liking, especially the white marble used in the bathroom, which exudes elegance.
🌳View from the Window: The Gubei residential area has a high greening rate, so even just enjoying the ordinary city view is quite pleasant. The room faces Mingdu Cheng, a famous luxury residential area from the 1990s in Shanghai. Back then, the security guards even patrolled on horseback. Even today, the prices of detached villas in the complex remain high. Although the apartment buildings show some signs of age, their charm remains. If you're lucky enough to stay on the other side, you can enjoy the view of Gubei No.1 and the golf course in front of it.
🛌Amenities/Facilities: The welcome fruit in the room wasn't thoughtfully prepared, the minibar requires an extra charge, and guest parking is also charged. The hotel seems a bit stingy in these aspects. On the plus side, the swimming pool is particularly bright due to its floor-to-ceiling windows. Although it's not large, as long as it's not crowded, the experience is quite good. The gym is spacious and well-equipped, but it's often busy. The spa services are quite expensive; I'd rather choose a more cost-effective massage nearby.
🧹Soundproofing/Cleanliness: The hygiene is good, and the room was very clean. However, the soundproofing is poor. The noise of cleaning the carpet in the hallway at 10 a.m. woke me up after a late night, and the sound of the next-door neighbor closing their door could also be clearly heard. Fortunately, the soundproofing between rooms is decent.
🍽️Lounge and Breakfast: The lounge offers breakfast, afternoon tea, and dinner, closing at 10 p.m. This time I tried the afternoon tea. Most of the offerings were standard, meeting the usual hotel standards, but some of the desserts were quite good, likely homemade. The languages spoken in the lounge were either English or Japanese, highlighting the high concentration of foreigners in Gubei. The hotel breakfast is served until 11 a.m. on weekends, which is why I didn't have breakfast in the lounge, as it's only served there until 10:30 a.m. The overall quality of the hotel breakfast is decent. If there were hash browns, I would definitely give it a passing grade.
💗Other Tips: Compared to my last stay at the Xujiahui Intercity Hotel, the Gubei Hilton offers better value for money. Although the Xujiahui Intercity Hotel itself doesn't have any obvious flaws, its price is slightly higher than the Gubei Hilton (taking a standard double room with 1 p.m. check-out as an example, the Hilton was 7, while the Intercity was 6). As expected, comparison makes all the difference.
Overall, my stay at the Gubei Hilton had more pros than cons. It truly stands out among the hotels in the Gubei area and is highly recommended. I look forward to exchanging more hotel experiences with everyone and welcome your recommendations.