The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong

This is the first time I have to say that a hotel website does not do its room views justice. I booked a pearl tower view room with club access and the tower was right outside my window, perhaps just a few hundred meters away with nothing in between us. I never got tired of watching it in its splendor, especially at night. Viewed from the 51st floor of my room, the astonishing views of Shanghai expands far into the horizon. You can almost hear the pulsating heartbeat of the city. The club lounge on the 49th floor overlooks the bund directly and it was great watching the lights come on in the evenings while enjoying food and drinks. The Pearl Tower and skyscrapers cannot be seen from the lounge, so those wanting a variety of views can book accordingly. The locality of the hotel is second to none in the area. In addition to securing unblocked views of the bund and Pearl tower, it is directed connected to the Lujiazui train station via the IFC mail. I took the Meglev and transferred to the Line 2 train. I reached the hotel in about an hour after leaving the plane. Pretty neat! The room is lavished decorated including the provision of Diptyque amenities and a digital/mechanised toilet seat / bidet. There is a huge standalone bathtub which I did not use and the usual nespresso coffee and gourmet teas. This is the first luxury hotel that you almost cannot hear sounds from the corridor or the usual housekeeping noises. My stay has been very quiet and serene which is a huge plus. It was the same in the club lounge. It is rarely more than two thirds full which adds to the feel of calm and serenity. Service is warm and friendly. I was shown to my room and the club benefits were explained to me clearly. I found a welcoming serving of pastries and fruit for me. The check in staff brought me an additional serving of butterfly cookies as a welcome gesture which I appreciated. Service at the lounge was earnest and friendly. There was perpetual food provision at the lounge in the form of a small buffet and a live station making personalised eggs and noodles dishes. Lunch was surprisingly good. I discovered pâté with a good roast along with other interesting dishes. Alcoholic drinks like wines are provided during lunch. There is an elaborate tea where a small tower of sandwiches and pastries can be ordered. Not all is good however. The hotel shows its age in all aspects. The lift card sensors can be pretty slow. It is easy to miss floors if the sensor does not read the card in time. The finish at the lounge has turned half dowdy with age. In addition, the air conditioning seems to be struggling to cope in the summer heat in the entire hotel. It can be a little warm and stuffy in the room in the afternoons and I found myself waking up with a sweat at night even with the aircon settings at the maximum. Facing west, the lounge is rather warm during tea time when it receives the direct blast of the sun. There is also no USB connector in the room and main controls by the bed are aged with the led indicators largely faded. The light and switch panels looked oddly out of alignment as if they were hastily installed. A lack of manpower at the lounge was observed. The lounge counters are unmanned half the time. There is no private check in or out offered, and procedures had to be done at the main reception. Staff could hardly cope when the lounge becomes more than half-filled, especially during happy hour. During happy hour, everything was self-served and there was a perpetual shortage of basics like drinking glasses, and food replenishment cannot keep up. I also found food offerings during happy hour noticeably inferior to lunch, which was baffling. Some dishes like fried rice and cabbage in broth are too plain for a lounge in a Ritz, especially during an occasion like happy hour where hotels usually showcase how good they are. For the price that the hotel is charging, more localized specialties and elaborate dishes would be befitting to the brand. There is also no bar or bar service, and the wines are fronted by largely economical Chilean and Argentine offerings with no sparkling option available. I saw Champagne served to some guests and apparently on demand but it was not announced anywhere. A large improvement is definitely needed for happy hour F&B management. In comparison, even Hilton and Sofitel perform much better in this regard. In fact, other than F&B at the lounge, most usual club services are relegated back to my main hotel floor or not provided. For example, club floor managers at other hotels would usually approach me to check on transport assistance needed upon check out a day ahead. At the very least, staff at check out counters would attempt to offer help. Here, it is a quick goodbye with a smile at the overwhelmed counter. The housekeeping was generally capable and I had thought that there was no turndown service until the housekeeper turned up at 8pm on my last night asking if turndown services was needed. Turndown services are usually timed with happy hour so that it can be done discreetly. This adds to the odd randomness that one would not expect from a Ritz, especially on the club floor. The hotel has obvious competitive potential, considering the convenience of a good location, spectacular views, peace and serenity with a club lounge that keeps me well-fed without having to worry about eating out. The lovely staff tries their best but club lounge quality especially at happy hour is unimpressive, and the delivery of club services in general shaky. It is not hard to recommend an alternative, especially at this price point, after one is done with the unforgettable views. An average rating for this stay, given its price point.

My stay at the Ritz Carlton was amazing very impressive hotel and the location is very central and linked to Mall also so very convenient, staff are very polite my check in was very quick and was taken to my room , and what a beautiful spacious room with amazing views of the towers around the hotel , my stay was fabulous would definitely recommend this hotel

I stayed at The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong recently and was genuinely impressed not only by the hotel itself but by the incredible service from the staff. Even after checkout, the team — especially Joey and the front office managers — went above and beyond to assist me with a payment adjustment due to a card miscommunication. Despite me already being abroad, they handled the situation smoothly, provided clear communication, and resolved everything quickly and professionally. It’s rare to experience this level of support and flexibility, especially post-stay. This is what world-class hospitality looks like. I’ll definitely return — and highly recommend the hotel to anyone visiting Shanghai. Thank you again for everything!

I stayed at the Ritz Carlton Pudong for work in June 2025. Positive 1. Great service as usual from the staff I met such as An and Yanna Jin. 2. If I did not remember wrongly, they updated the WC to a smart WC. 3. I had a complimentary upgrade and I appreciated that a lot. Areas for improvement 1. Given a significant number of smartphones are using the USB type C connectors, the hotel could consider updating/refreshing their built in electrical points to include the USB type C connectors. 2. One of the lamps at the headboard was slanted as the fixture was loose. 3. One of the rails in the elevator was loose. 4. Limited and dated in-room entertainment channels. I ended up watching Jurassic World no less than 4 times during the stay. 5. The phones in the room appeared yellowish, not because it was dirty but it had changed coloured due to time. I would stay at the Ritz Carlton Pudong again when I return as it is nearer to the airport, attached to a shopping mall and accessible to the subway. 5. Unable to use Google, Whatsapp, Facebook, IG, Netflix. It can't be helped due to the restrictions.

Wonderful Spa experience! Highly recommend Jojo-only the best massage therapist in the world❤️❤️, and I appreciate for always getting great welcome from the spa director Monica and her wonderful team! The food at the Michelin Chinese restaurant is as flawless as their service. Aura is a great place for afternoon tea and the view is spectacular- Lynn helped me taking wonderful photos too! Had the pleasure of meeting Dale, the GM who continues to make the RC the best hotel in the world🫡