I stayed in the Jianguo during a recent business trip to Shanghai. I travel to Asia frequently so I have a developed a pretty good understanding of Asian hotels and what to expect from them.

My room was on the 22nd floor, which is an executive floor. Overall, I found my room to be quite typical for Asian business hotels. Not huge, but more than adequately sized. The desk included all of the power adapters for 115 VAC as well as a UPS - probably the first time I've seen a room equipped with UPS to protect against unplanned power outages. I'm not sure why a hotel would have that, unless perhaps they get occasional power outages during typhoon season. The bathroom was good sized and well equipped with all of the amenities you would need for your stay, including toothbrush, razor, etc. I don't typically use any of that stuff - with as much as I travel I keep my toiletry kit well stocked at all times - but it's nice to know that it's there in case you run out of something.

My only minor complaint about the room was that the bed is too short for someone taller than about 5'10". I'm 6'2" and I had to sleep on the bed diagonally to keep my feet from hanging over the edge. Not a big deal since I was alone, but if I had my wife with me it would have been a bit uncomfortable.

Service in the hotel is very good, and the staff responded promptly whenever I needed something. They have airport limo service which is a nice feature. When I arrived at Shanghai airport, I was greeted by a hotel limo driver holding up a sign with my name on it, making it very easy to get to the hotel after a long flight. It's a bit pricy - 650 RMB which is around $100 USD - but worth it.

The area around the hotel is good for walking, and seems perfectly safe. There are lots of shops nearby. Unlike other places I've visited in China where I was constantly harassed by prostitutes, this wasn't a problem in or near the Jianguo. There were a couple of sleezy types hanging out just outside of the hotel driveway trying to sell me illicit services, but a good firm "no" was all it took to get rid of them. I've stayed at quite a few other hotels in China where the working girls actually tried to follow up up the elevator and to my room, but that wasn't a problem here.

If you stay in an executive room, you get a nice breakfast included in the room rate. The breakfast buffet had everything from typical Western items (sausage and scrambled eggs), to fresh fruit and Asian items such as dim sum and fried noodles. There is also a nice executive lounge on the 23rd floor that has complimentary snacks and beverages available in the evenings.

I will definitely stay in the Jianguo again the next time I travel to Shanghai.

We were booked into this hotel by GoAheadTours. This is a modern business hotel in an excellent location, close by several department stores, two consumer electronics malls, and a subway stop, and not far from the French concession. Our standard room was clean and comfortable. After we rejected a soiled rollaway bed initially offered by housekeeping, they returned with a new one wrapped in plastic. We enjoyed the brreakfast (which offered both Asian and Western foods) and a buffet dinner at the hotel restaurant, which was very good.

I stay here on 3 occasions every year and a local client books the room for me. On this recent occasion I checked in on the Executive floor and had a room on the 21st floor. The room was large and very comfortable with a huge bathroom including jacuzzi, shower, TV and toilet with heated seat and some interesting spray attachments.

The included breakfast this time was in a room just off the lobby dining room, and was really disappointing. A few crumbs of muesli, stale pastries and small pieces of fruit were a big difference to the quality on offer on previous occasions. There was a delegation in the hotel for the swimming world championships and they had the usual executive floor breakfast room and I hope they enjoyed their's more than I did mine.

The fitness room is old and untidy, the sign on the treadmill saying 'waiting for repair' was there the last time I visited in March, and it soon gets overcrowded.

Dinner at the lobby dining room is a buffet so you should find something suitable to eat if you are not to fussy. There are many good and cheap restaurants nearby if you don't mind trying your luck by pointing at pictures on the menu cards.

The location next to a metro station gives you the opportunity to see all of Shanghai in comfort and safety if you are prepared to walk and climb a lot of stairs. About 400m away there is a huge electrical department store selling everything from pcs to cell phones, memory sticks and computer accessories.

We enjoyed this hotel very much. The room was smartly decorated and the broadband access in the room was fast. The taxi ride to the Bund cost only the equivalent of £3 (sterling pounds). Nice food at the restaurants and food court ("Food Republic" - very cheap) at the shopping centre nearby.