Opened in 1990 as a Shangri-La hotel, The Portman Ritz-Carlton has the unique distinction of being the first foreign-operated luxury hotel to open in China. As denoted in its name, the 593-room hotel was designed by the venerable American architect John C. Portman Jr., famous for his atrium hotel designs in the 1970s. The hotel is housed in the Shanghai Centre, a mixed-use complex hosting many foreign consulates. After becoming a Ritz-Carlton in 1997, it was later joined by a sister property in Pudong, which opened in 2010.

Booking The Portman Ritz-Carlton

As I mentioned in the introduction, I had initially booked the Grand Hyatt Shanghai in Pudong for this stay. I decided to switch this up to a hotel on Nanjing Road, after reading less-than-stellar opinions of staying in Pudong on a first visit to the city. Despite its aged look, I ultimately settled for the Portman Ritz-Carlton, having read very good things about the hotel’s service.

For my two-night stay, I paid a nightly rate of CNY 1385 (~ USD 192 or GBP 145) that booked me into an entry-level Deluxe Room. This seemed reasonable enough, considering other hotels in the area, like the Jing An Shangri-La and The PuLi, were charging rates over 50 per cent higher. This would also be my first stay at a Ritz-Carlton in years, having previously been a regular at The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore before Covid-19.

Location

The Portman Ritz-Carlton is located on \West Nanjing Road in Shanghai’s fashionable Jing’An District. It is surrounded by office towers, consulates, luxury shopping malls, as well as historic landmarks, most prominent among which would be the iconic Shanghai Exhibition Centre. In particular, the exhibition centre sits directly across the hotel and is known for its Soviet-style architecture.

Furthermore, the notable Jing’An Temple and its eponymous metro station (on Lines 2 and 7) sit 10 minutes away on foot, providing easy access to the rest of the city. Popular landmarks like People’s Square, the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Area, and The Bund are reachable within one to two stops from this station.

Check-in

After arriving in Shanghai on Philippine Airlines, I took the Maglev train to Longyang Road Station before hailing a DiDi (China’s rideshare app) to the hotel. I specifically sought out to experience the Maglev, which was easy enough to do, although it felt more like a gimmick than anything. As such, I’d probably take a DiDi straight to the hotel next time. At the Shanghai Centre entrance, I was greeted by two porters who took care of my bags.

Inside, I briefly gazed at the various artworks and grand floral arrangements on display in the timeless-looking lobby. It seemed that my arrival caught the attention of one of the many hosts standing watch by the lifts, however, who greeted me and walked me to the reception desk at the far back of the lobby.

At the desk, I was greeted once again by a friendly agent who spoke great English. As there wasn’t a queue, the registration process took little time, and before long, my passport and my credit card were returned to me. After being handed a pair of keys for a room on the 22nd floor, I was informed that I had been upgraded to a higher room with a nicer view. How nice!

With my keys in hand, another of the lobby hosts showed up to offer to bring my bags to the room. I ultimately turned down the offer, as I only had my trusty Rimowa trunk, which easily rolled with me. But wow, what a smooth arrival!

Deluxe City View Room

I was assigned a Deluxe City View Room on the 22nd floor, high enough to appreciate the excellent views of the Shanghai Exhibition Centre and the old French Concession. Notably, the room has received a discernable refresh compared to the pictures of the hotel’s site.

In particular, a blueish-grey theme dominates the space, replacing the warm gold palette of old. The inviting warmth remains, exuded by clever and subtle lighting design, instead. While I don’t typically love monochrome tones, I liked that the refresh did not make the room look cheap and shabby as a result. Instead, it feels contemporary and welcoming – a much welcome improvement, for one.

Bedroom

Sized at a respectable 38 sqm (409 sqft), the room retains a traditional yet functional arrangement of furniture. Taking centre stage are the two wide twin beds, covered in plush pillows and linens. As they weren’t overly firm, they were very comfortable – certainly something I value compared to the oft hard mattresses in East Asia.

There is also a large desk with a comfortable leather chair, alongside a comfortable velvet-upholstered armchair by the window. Multiple bottles of water are presented here, alongside a copy of Chinese ELLE.

Many subtle local touches embellish the room; this prominentaly includes a beautiful chest of drawers housing the minibar, inspired by traditional studded palace gates. Various understated Chinese paintings also adorn the walls, adding a distinct and elegant sense of place to the space. Furthermore, the room has also been upgraded with many universal power outlets scattered throughout, alongside a large LED smart TV.

Finally, you’ll also find a pair of closets by the entryway, alongside the entrance to the sumptuously-appointed bathroom.

Bathroom

Located by the entryway is the marble bathroom, which has really stood the test of time. Well-lit and clad with multiple mirrors, the bathroom feels spacious and inviting – certainly a welcome sight compared to the open concept and overly minimalist bathrooms all too common at many new hotels nowadays.

A large deep-soaking bathtub adorns one side of the space, complemented by a spacious standalone shower stall on the opposite side. In between them is a sizeable vanity and sink, in a darker marble, complete with an assortment of toiletries and plush bath linens. The water pressure and temperature were excellent from any of these fixtures. Despite, that a rain showerhead would have been a nice addition to the shower stall.

Furthermore, provided were Philosykos amenities from Diptyque in large reusable bottles. Although there wasn’t much of a fragrance to them, they were rather high quality. In any case, I very much prefer this over the strong scent of the old Asprey Purple Water at most Ritz-Carlton hotels.

Fitness Centre

Located in the Health Club on the 7th floor is the hotel’s sizeable Fitness Centre, open 24 hours a day. The facility is lined with a large array of equipment, including all sorts of cardio exercise and weight training equipment from LifeFitness.

Like the fluorescent light-lit, office-like environment it is housed in, the fitness centre looks quite outdated. However, I was pleased to find that the equipment still looked very fresh and was very well-maintained. Certain machines, like the treadmills, have even been refurbished to include television screens.

I’ll also add that there is a yoga and aerobics studio tucked away on a corner of the fitness centre, complete with all the equipment you’d need for these activities.

Swimming Pool

The Portman Ritz-Carlton has both an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, with the latter only open during summer months. Both pools are located next to each other, one flight of stairs up from the Health Club on Level 7. To access the pools, you will need to fill out a sign-in form to receive a locker key, which is also the key that opens the door to the pools.

Open between 06.30 and 22.00, the rectangular indoor pool is popular with many local Ritz-Carlton Health Club members, especially in the mornings and afternoons. As such, with just three lanes, the pool does get quite crowded with both Health Club members and hotel guests alike, throughout the day.

On one end of the pool is also an elevated hot tub, complementing the sauna, steam room, and a secondary spa pool facility in the gendered changing rooms. Furthermore, swimming caps are mandatory at any pool in China; they are available to borrow in case you don’t have one.

On top of that, there is also a semicircle-shaped outdoor pool parallel to its indoor counterpart. Separated by a wall of glass, the outdoor pool is open for a more limited duration – between 09.00 and 18.00 on summer months. Considering its shape and location, this pool is geared more towards leisurely activities than outright exercise.

Shanghai Centre

The Portman Ritz-Carlton is designed by John C. Portman Jr. as the centrepiece of the prominent Shanghai Centre. A variety of dining options, including casual cafés and international restaurants, are located within the mixed-use complex, alongside a nice supermarket across the hotel lobby, with English-speaking staff. The complex also features several high-end stores, featuring various stores from both mainstream and niche brands selling luxury goods.

Service

As I have mentioned earlier, I booked The Portman Ritz-Carlton thanks to what I’ve heard about the service. This both lived up to that expectation and didn’t. For one, I was impressed by how the hotel reached out several days before arrival to accomodate any advance requests. Furthermore, everybody I encountered were exteremely friendly and welcoming. Although some staff members did not speak English, the language barrier did little to stop them from being warm and proactively assisting me with my needs.

However, despite my otherwise excellent experience, I did have some issues with the concierge service. For one, he struggled to assist me in finding and booking train tickets to Hangzhou for the next day. I was also misinformed with regards to the location of the nearest train stations to the hotel. In the end, I relented and did everything myself. Perhaps it was just my luck (or lack thereof) since several people raved about the Portman’s concierge.

Overall

After over 35 years, The Portman Ritz-Carlton has somewhat established itself as an icon. Although the hotel has been outclassed by many neighbouring rivals, it remains a very venerable option in the Jing’An area. Realistically, this hotel will never be one of those cutting-edge, contemporary Ritz-Carltons, and it really doesn’t have to be. The ‘Let Us Stay With You’ era from a decade ago was when I was fondest of the brand, and this hotel reminded me greatly of it. As such, considering its comfortable rooms, friendly service, exceptional location, and excellent pricing, I definitely wouldn’t think twice about staying here again.

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