Tried & Tested

Hotel check: Radisson Hotel Pudong Century Park

1 Dec 2007 by business traveller

WHAT'S IT LIKE? The hotel owner is a prolific art collector, with an eye for the contemporary. And the lobby is the logical showcase for his leanings: furniture is low and sleek, just as you find them in the city’s hot nightclubs. The striped carpet was a bit too busy for our taste, but it didn’t seem to bother the numbers of local guests who were lounging, waiting for their appointments to show up.

WHERE IS IT? An anchor tenant of the unusually named commercial complex, Thumb Plaza – a sculpture of, yes, a (white) thumb, is located in a prominent spot in the lobby. It’s a short ride to the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.

HOW MANY ROOMS? 362 guestrooms and suites, most of them at least 40sqm. Following the owner’s passion for expression and risk taking, the daring move was taken to imprint white on the walls and 90 percent of the furnishings, creating an ice cube-cool sanctuary. Thankfully, the designers drew the line with the carpet, which again was striped, but in muted hues. The Club Lounge on the 20th floor is for the use of executive floor occupants, offering express check in and check out, daily buffet breakfast, evening cocktails and two hours’ free use of a meeting room per day.

ROOM FACILITIES: All rooms feature high floor-to-ceiling windows, large plasma TVs, 32 satellite TV channels, roomy workdesk, complimentary broadband internet access and safe deposit box able to store a laptop. Ensuite bathrooms have a separate tub and shower stall.

RESTAURANTS: No walls separate the F&B outlets on the ground floor: the Italian Porcini, delicatessen Bytes, Lobby Lounge and all-day dining Infinity which looks out to a mini-plaza that displays a variety of installations. Yar Chi Ting on the third level serves regional Chinese cuisine in an eclectic Oriental setting.

BARS: The Lobby Lounge.

BUSINESS FACILITIES: About 663sqm of meeting and banquet space cater to events of all types. The ballroom with a ceiling height of 6.5m doesn’t lack for natural light.

LEISURE FACILITIES: Gym, swimming pool, tennis court and small grooming salon.

PRICE: Internet nightly rate for a three-night stay in mid-January starts from US$137.

VERDICT: The staff’s English may need improvement but they’re eager to serve. The daring design concept deserves praise.

CONTACT: 1199 Ying Chun Road, Pudong, Shanghai 200135, China, tel 86 21 5130 0000, www.radisson.com

Margie T Logarta

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