Kempinski The One Suites Hotel Shanghai Downtown

“Recommended for family stay”

Overall experience is good, location and neighbourhood are ideal for family, and the 2-bed room suite we stayed is comfortable and good size.

“Probably want to avoid until renovated”

Chose this hotel after reading that it was "last renovated in 2026" but as of April this is not the case and rooms are very unfortunately showing their age. Our suites had very dated decor along with cracked and chipped surfaces/corners/walls/paneling, and appliances that are over a decade old. In… more

Chose this hotel after reading that it was "last renovated in 2026" but as of April this is not the case and rooms are very unfortunately showing their age. Our suites had very dated decor along with cracked and chipped surfaces/corners/walls/paneling, and appliances that are over a decade old. In one of our rooms, a cabinet door fell off its hinges and a reading light dislodged from the wall. There's a lot of inaccessible storage space too high up to use and sliding door / nightstand / wall / electric panels that all block each other. Definitely feel misled by hotel photos. The hotel also goes VERY strong on artificial fragrance and everything I had with me smelled like the hotel within a day of checking in. Breakfast was decent although service could be pitifully slow at times. The location of the hotel is very good and within walking distance to many places, and the front desk staff was very helpful.

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“A Decent Stay But Value Not There”

Travelling with my wife and 2 teenage daughters, this was our first ever trip to Shanghai. There is an abundance of hotel options however we sought one out close to Nanjing Road / The Bund that was also large enough to accommodate all 4 of us in an apartment style configuration. Not a lot of prop… more

Travelling with my wife and 2 teenage daughters, this was our first ever trip to Shanghai. There is an abundance of hotel options however we sought one out close to Nanjing Road / The Bund that was also large enough to accommodate all 4 of us in an apartment style configuration. Not a lot of properties checks all the boxes so we opted for the One Suites. Without a doubt, location is the primary appeal for this hotel. It is a 5 minute walk from the LV cruise ship, Wujiang Road Market, HKRI Taikoo Hui Mall, and Starbucks Roastery. It is also a 15 minute walk away from the starting point of Nanjing Road. Subway stations are close by and we found several very good local eateries in the neighbourhood. There are many Starbucks close by and a 7-Eleven next door. It is clearly a popular hotel as the lobby had a constant buzz throughout the day. The staff are also clearly trying their best to deliver a high end experience for guests. Everyone we came across was polite and accommodating. Anytime we asked for something, it was delivered to the room quickly. The front desk team for the most part speaks good English. We did not go with the breakfast option and we did not use any of the other hotel amenities during our stay. The staff are not the issue as they are doing their best with what they have to work with. The main critique about this property is that it is badly in need of renovations and a refresh. This could be the reason why the previous large hotel franchise recently dropped this property from their portfolio. The pictures on the website are very misleading and may have been taken many years ago or staged very selectively. The hotel has a good foundation and I am sure at one point in its life cycle it was a very high end product. It's clear however that there has been little invested to maintain over the years. We opted for a One Plus One Family Suite that had 2 bedrooms with 1 King Bed in each room. Each room had its own shower. There is a small kitchenette with a medium sized fridge and a small electric stovetop. The washer/dryer was a life saver although these small dual function units often struggle with fully drying loads so we asked for a hanging rack. The room was spacious with ample storage. For the price, we expected more however from the quality of the room itself. There were cracked tiles all throughout, baseboards missing, and flooring planks that had shifted leaving gaping holes. Cabinets did not close properly, dented furniture, and the kitchen was lacking many standard amenities (i.e. no plates, no cups, no glasses). We were always short a set of towels for a family of 4. The bathroom had mold in many areas and oddly enough had a full window that opened up to the bedroom for a full view unless you figured out how to lower the blinds to provide some privacy. If the state of the room is not of great importance then this hotel will certainly be more than adequate. Personally, I don't feel the cost is justified with the current state of the hotel and I would question the star rating as I would suggest it is more of a 3-star. There were renovations being conducted during our stay so its encouraging to see some remediation is under way. Overall, the stay was good but simply does not live up to the cost.

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“Great location but average experience for a Kempinski property.”

We chose this hotel mainly for its excellent location as well as it's apartment set-up which is suitable for a group of girls travelling together — it’s close to everything we needed, which made getting around very convenient. However, there were several aspects of our stay that fell short of what… more

We chose this hotel mainly for its excellent location as well as it's apartment set-up which is suitable for a group of girls travelling together — it’s close to everything we needed, which made getting around very convenient. However, there were several aspects of our stay that fell short of what we would typically expect from a Kempinski-branded property. The two-bedroom apartment felt somewhat dated and could benefit from refurbishment. Upon check-in, only two sets of towels were provided for four guests, and we had to request additional ones from housekeeping. There were also no hooks for hanging towels in the bathroom, which was a minor inconvenience. For an apartment setup, we expected basic kitchen amenities such as cutlery, plates, and drinking or wine glasses, but none were provided. The shower area in the bathroom also lacked a ledge or shelf to place toiletries, despite there being sufficient space for one. Additionally, the bathroom doors did not have locks, which was unusual for a property of this standard. It would have been more comfortable if there were two hairdryers (one in each bedroom) and additional dustbins, particularly in the kitchen area. Although there was a sink in the pantry, no dishwashing detergent was provided, which would have been a thoughtful inclusion. We also encountered a minor issue during check-in — one of the reception staff was not particularly helpful when we requested to have our luggage sent up from the concierge. Only part of our luggage was initially brought up, and we had to follow up again for the remaining bags. As the bags were tagged together, it was puzzling why some were left behind. While the matter was eventually resolved, it did leave a less-than-ideal first impression. Although the rooms were generally clean, we occasionally noticed a smell of cigarette smoke at certain times of the day. We couldn’t determine where it was coming from, but it did affect our comfort slightly. Overall, while the location is excellent, the apartment and service could benefit from greater attention to detail and upkeep. For a Kempinski property, we had expected a higher level of comfort, consistency, and hospitality.

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