Fairmont Peace Hotel

Very good experience and worse to pay for the historical tour

The great thing about staying at the Fairmont Peace Hotel is that you never have to worry about finding someone to help with your luggage. There’s always at least one person stationed at every entrance, handling the stream of tourists coming by for photos. The front desk staff were efficient and friendly, though I couldn’t help but feel a bit put out when they asked if I wanted to pay extra to upgrade from the base room I’d booked — the one with no view. I didn’t bother asking why they couldn’t just offer a complimentary upgrade. If the Peninsula shows signs of age, the rooms at the Peace Hotel are practically on the verge of falling apart. Renovated and reopened the same year as the Peninsula, the Peace Hotel sees a much higher volume of guests. The entry-level room I stayed in wasn’t much to write home about. The decor and overall worn-out feel reminded me of the InterContinental Shanghai Ruijin, where I used to stay during business trips. Despite being advertised as 49 square meters, the room felt significantly smaller than the 55-square-meter room at the Peninsula. The bathroom was disproportionately large, eating into the living space way too much. The base room faces an inner courtyard, so there’s basically no view — I didn’t even bother opening the curtains for days. The air conditioning didn’t seem to be working properly either; even at the lowest setting, the room stayed uncomfortably warm.

Audrey Evanta Max Nana Marjory Lance Jun Melody Kevin 非常满意 很感谢您

The Peace Hotel, not to mention its prime location at the heart of The Bund of Shanghai, is itself a historic attraction having come across a number global celebrities (e.g. Charlie Chaplin) since 1929. Before checking in we joined a extensive guided tour of its own museum, the rooftop, and the old elevators. We lived in the Fairmont King Bed room (entry-level room type) facing Nanjing East Road, the iconic pedestrianized shopping street, and with a little bit of Huangpu River view as well. The windows are openable and let fresh air in, and blocks the noise very well when closed. The layout is distinctive and the décor is very classy. There is a walk-in closet which allows us to stow away stuff and enjoy the rest of the room in all its glory. The washroom is very big and comes with two large vanities, a big bathtub too, and spacious toilet and shower rooms - and a TV at the bathtub! The room is cleaned twice daily to a very professional level. The light bulbs are mostly Philips CFLs and Philips Master LEDs, which give warm and cozy light with excellent color rendering. The minibar has a coffee machine too. The buffet is very delicious - to me in particular, the halibut, the honeycomb, and the matcha & red bean waffles. Closer to the breakfast closing time the manager even confirmed with all the remaining customers if they're happy to have buffet service ended. We checked out over an hour late, but nobody chased us up! Overall, it's very pricey, but definitely worth it for such a once-in-a-life experience.

It is so happy to stay in this historic hotel. We stay in very nice rivet view suite and joined the Tour with professional guide Mr. Robin. He introduced the city of Shanghai & Bund and speak German very well. We are looking forward to visiting this modern city and great hotel with my family members again.