Opened in 2017, Shangri-La Hotel Yiwu has cultivated a reputation of being one of, if not the best hotel in the city. Rising high within the 52-storey Yiwu World Trade Centre – the tallest building in the city – the hotel features 366 guestrooms and suites in a contemporary setting. Its debut reinforced Shangri-La’s already extensive footprint across China, where the brand has long been synonymous with five-star hospitality.

Booking Shangri-La Yiwu

Being a major centre of commerce in China, Yiwu has a surprisingly small number of international upmarket hotels. Of the handful, the most well-regarded are probably the Shangri-La and the Yiwu Marriott, located by each other in the city’s Central Business District. Although both had similar and competitive rates, I ultimately settled for the former, thanks to its marginally better location within the district. For my two-night stay, I paid a nightly rate of CNY 630, equivalent to about USD 88 or GBP 65 – a reasonably nice rate for a hotel in a second-tier city in China. This booked me into an entry-level Deluxe Room, without dining inclusions.

Location

The Shangri-La is set within the Yiwu World Trade Centre, a landmark mixed-use complex in the heart of the city’s gleaming Central Business District. Directly connected to the hotel is the World Trade Centre’s Glory Mall, offering seamless access to many dining and shopping outlets. Just across the road lie Zones 1 and 2 of the International Trade City, making them easily reachable on foot. The remaining zones are a short 10 – 20 minute drive away, making the hotel within convenient reach of the world’s largest wholesale market.

Check-in

I arrived in Yiwu by high-speed rail and, after a sweltering wait for my DiDi at the jam-packed station, finally set off towards the hotel. Twenty minutes later, the Yiwu World Trade Centre appeared on the horizon, crowned by Shangri-La’s unmistakably stylised logo. At the porte-cochere, a porter quickly collected my bags and welcomed me inside.

The lobby made its presence felt immediately. An elaborate floral display stood in the centre, paired with a massive lotus-shaped chandelier that dominated the ceiling. In many ways, it felt like a textbook Shangri-La lobby – grand, slightly old-fashioned, and unmistakably Asian in flavour. Chinese paintings, silkscreens, and intricate Dongyang wood carvings lined the walls. It wasn’t exactly my definition of beautiful, but each to their own.

Check-in was a mix of smooth and slow. A short line moved at an unhurried pace, though once it was my turn, the English-speaking agent at the desk was quick and efficient. She found my booking right away, took a copy of my passport, and swiped my card for incidentals.

Keys in hand, I was then directed to the lift lobby just next to reception, ready to head up to my room on the 26th floor.

Deluxe Room

The entry-level Deluxe Rooms are generously sized at 48 sqm (516 sqft), which isn’t surprising for a flagship development in a relatively new city like Yiwu. The space is dominated by sepia tones, layered with shades of sienna that feel very much in line with Shangri-La’s style. While the palette gives the room warmth, it also feels oddly aged for such a new hotel.

The purple carpet doesn’t help. Its bold colour clashes with the otherwise restrained classic décor, leaving the room looking a little tasteless. On the other hand, I did like the theme wall, which features embossed caricatures of the Chinese rose – the botanical symbol of Yiwu. Unfortunately, the accompanying old-fashioned paintings of the same flower only add to the dated impression.

At the very least, my room on the 26th floor offered a sweeping panorama of the fast-growing city. That view brought a welcome sense of freshness to an otherwise tired-looking space. If anything, the room really left me with a strange impression of the hotel – undeniably new but unashamedly old-fashioned at the same time.

Bedroom

Disregarding the room’s design, the layout features a very traditional set of furnishings, the kind you’d expect in an older hotel. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – especially as many newer hotels have stopped including desks and sofas in their rooms. In particular, the two twin beds take centre stage; they were quite firm and topped with thin, flimsy pillows, but the bedding itself was comfortable. Combined with the cool ambient temperature, I still managed a good night’s sleep.

Across from the beds sits a flat-screen television with a minibar console beneath it. By the window, there is a comfortable armchair with an ottoman and side table rounds out the sitting area. Across from the chair, there’s also large desk paired with a leather rolling chair and a lamp. Fortunately, the lamp isn’t tied to the room’s lighting switches, which are limited in their settings – it is frustratingly difficult to keep certain lights on or off.

Finally, along the entryway, you’ll find the two closets and a built-in luggage rack. Inside the former, you’ll find the safety deposit box, as well as a full ironing set.

Bathroom

The marble bathroom sits just off the bedroom entryway, directly across from the closet and built-in luggage rack. Inside, you’ll find a deep soaking tub, a spacious separate shower stall, a bidet-equipped toilet, and a single sink in the middle. Much like the room itself, the design feels very “classic Shangri-La.” That’s not necessarily a complaint, though I did wish the space were brighter.

On the plus side, the bathroom is both generous in size and built to a high standard. The large shower stall was a highlight, fitted with both a rainshower and a handheld option, with excellent water pressure to match. Less impressive was the wait for the water to actually reach the right temperature – not impressive when you’re get in the shower only to be hit by a wave of cold water.

Amenities follow the template of Shangri-La’s more mid-tier properties. Toiletries now come in refillable jade-green bottles fixed to the shower wall. While the quality itself is fine, the fragrance leans on a heavy perfume note I’ve never liked – though I admit that’s more personal preference than fault. What’s harder to excuse is the policy of only providing basics like toothbrushes or shaving kits upon request. For a Shangri-La, it feels less like sustainability and more like penny-pinching dressed up with good intentions.

In-room ‘amenities’

On the bedside table sat a rentable phone charger (?!) and, more conspicuously, a so-called ‘Passion Kit’ as part of the minibar offering. At a brand like W, this would feel right at home. But at Shangri-La, it comes across as a little tacky – especially when it’s packaged in a bold red box and placed prominently by the bed. Adding to the odd impression were bedside notices banning prostitution, gambling, and drugs, which didn’t exactly inspire confidence.

The aggressive push to upsell soft amenities didn’t stop there, however. A bottle of Shangri-La Yiwu–branded wine and two jars of cookies were placed next to the complimentary water in the minibar. Meanwhile, an ‘Anti-bacteria Foaming Bath’ was tucked by the bathtub. While the wine and cookies are fairly obvious add-ons, the bath foam blends seamlessly with the toiletries. I could easily imagine a guest mistaking it as complimentary, only to find it charged to their bill later.

The Zone Fitness Centre

Shangri-La Yiwu’s health club, curiously named The Zone, is located on the hotel’s sixth floor, where guests first check in at the reception. From there, you’re directed upstairs to Level 7, home to the fitness centre. Open daily from 7:00 to 23:00, the gymnasium offers an extensive selection of modern LifeFitness cardio and weight machines, along with a dedicated yoga studio. It’s just a pity that the facility doesn’t operate around the clock.

The equipment itself is impressive, both in variety and condition, yet the overall aesthetic of the gym came as a surprise. Rather than echoing Shangri-La’s typically classic style, the space felt closer to a branch of Fitness First; its industrial design stands in vast contrast to the business hotel-style seen throughout the rest of the hotel.

The hotel also houses an indoor swimming pool, but it was unfortunately closed for maintenance during my stay; this left me unable to check out that part of the facilities.

Relay robot

Shangri-La Yiwu also maintains a fleet of small autonomous robots that ‘patrol’ the hotel. From my experience at Yotel Singapore, I believe these are programmed to deliver small amenities to guest rooms – a practical solution given that items like toothbrushes are only available on request. Whether this is a clever cost-saving measure or simply a playful nod to modern technology is up for debate. Personally, I only found them bothersome when they stalled awkwardly in the lift, struggling to find their way out.

Shopping Mall

As I have mentioned earlier, the Shangri-La is directly connected to the neighbouring Glory Mall, within the Yiwu World Trade Center complex. Conveniently, the hotel has an exclusive back entrance to the mall located on Level 2, near the Brown Sugar all-day dining restaurant. Open between 10.00 – 22.00, the entrance leads straight to the mall’s second floor.

Service

Staff at the hotel are courteous friendly, unafraid to greet guests regardless of any potential language barriers that may come in the way. In fact, I am quite impressed by the number of staff who spoke conversational English. This is particularly true at the hotel’s reception areas, especially during typical check-in and check-out hours. Despite that, language barriers is still prevalent in other departments, such as housekeeping, who unintentionally skipped cleaning our room due to a misunderstanding.

Overall

Although Shangri-La Yiwu has the makings of a five-star hotel, it doesnt quite live up to the promise. The hotel does well in certain respects, offering spacious rooms, a solid location, and the familiar hallmarks of the Shangri-La brand. The staff, to their credit, were warm, professional, and spoke decent English, which made the stay smoother. But the dated design, tacky upselling, and prominence of alleged cost-cutting drag the experience down. For all its polish, the hotel feels more like a dressed-up business stopover than a true premium stay. Supposing I’d have to return to the city at some point in the future, I’d probably stay at the Yiwu Marriott just for the sake of trying it out.

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