Aijia Xiaoyuanzi Hotel (Shanghai Bund Branch)

Overall, the value for money was excellent, the room was a bit dark, and the worst thing was being next to a construction site that woke us up very early in the morning and there was no chance to rest, but that's not the hotel's fault.

Let me tell you about the hotel experience, starting with the room itself. The room was comfortably large for two adults and one small child, but I wouldn't recommend it for more people. The highlight was definitely the large projector, which was perfect for watching movies after a long day of sightseeing. The view of the river from the window was also very nice. The bed was comfortable but a bit small; it would have been nicer to have a queen-size bed instead of a double. The room had a slight smell—I'm not sure if it was from the cleaning products—but it was completely fine after I opened the large window. I can't say the same for the hallway and lobby, though, as both had an unpleasant smell. The hotel offers some gym equipment, as seen in the photo, but there is very little. Instead, I ended up renting a bike each day for my morning workout. Honestly, I believe Shanghai is one of the most beautiful places to bike, with so many wonderful things to see. Another thing I didn't like was that mid-stay, we stopped having hot water. I can only assume the cleaning person closed the hot water heater, as we had to reopen it to get hot water again. This is just something to keep in mind. The location is not the best, but it's actually great if you don't mind walking for 30-40 minutes or taking a taxi. There aren't many restaurants nearby, but it's easy to use a delivery app to get food right at your door. Overall, for the price we got on the app, the stay was good. The hotel didn't over-deliver but was as expected for the price. I wouldn't pay 700 RMB for the room, but with the discount, it's totally worth it if the hotel experience is not a top priority and you're just looking for a cheap, comfortable place to sleep. Also, the room wasn't super clean, but it was acceptably so.