Locally known as the Panglin Hotel, the Renaissance Luohu is a 397-room business hotel located within the downtown core of the old Luohu commercial district. At its opening at the start of the millennia, the hotel was known was Hilton Shenzhen until 2006 when the hotel’s owners took the property independent and named it the Panglin Pengnian Hotel, after its owner, Yi Pengnian. The hotel occupies the lower half of the mixed-use Panglin Plaza tower, which had been a defining part of the Luohu Commercial District skyline during Shenzhen’s rapid expansion in the late 1990s. After spending the better of a decade under independent operation, the hotel went through considerable refurbishment to transform into the Renaissance it is today.

Booking Renaissance Shenzhen

For my two-night stay at Renaissance Shenzhen Luohu, I paid CNY 689 (approximately USD 103 or GBP 79) for an entry-level Double Room without breakfast. I booked through Agoda, which interestingly offered rates lower than even those on Trip.com. While considerably cheaper than the hotels in Shenzhen’s newer commercial districts, the rate puts Renaissance Luohu somewhere in the middle of the price range for the handful of five-star hotels in Luohu District.

Location

Established in 1979, the ‘historic’ Luohu District is, rather amusingly, the oldest of Shenzhen’s urban districts in a city that is itself relatively young. Within Luohu, the Renaissance occupies a central location along the intersection of Jiabin Road, placing it squarely in the heart of the district’s commercial centre.

Premium shopping malls such as Kingglory Plaza and The MixC are within walking distance, while the hotel is also conveniently located for the Hong Kong border crossing and the well-known Luohu Commercial City. The hotel is also within close proximity of Guomao and Xiangxicun metro stations, making it easy to reach local attractions such as Shuibei Jewelry Cluster, People’s Park, and Dongmen Old Street.

Check-in

Pulling up at the Panglin Renaissance, it was immediately apparent from the building, crowned by its revolving restaurant, that this was a rather old hotel. From the outside, there was little to suggest that a modern hotel lay within its retro-looking shell. Past the revolving doors, much the same impression continued into the lobby, with its high ceilings and large marble-clad columns – features characteristic of the grand hotels of the 1990s.

The lobby was busy, unsurprisingly so given the number of domestic travellers visiting during the crowded summer season. The haphazard arrangement of chandeliers and decorative elements introduced during the renovation did little to help matters, feeling like a rather half-hearted attempt to make the space look more contemporary. Adding to the visual clutter was a Labubu-themed ‘summer tree’, which did little to bring a sense of cohesion to the already busy lobby.

After a brief wait in the queue, we were soon attended to by a friendly check-in agent who spoke decent English. Unfazed by the growing crowd around the reception area, he quickly processed our passport details and confirmed our reservation. Before long, we were handed a pair of key cards for a room on the 10th floor. Fast and efficient – how very Shenzhen!

Deluxe Double Room

At 35 sqm (377 sqft), the room is relatively spacious, particularly for a non-luxury hotel. Design-wise, however, it didn’t feel particularly inspiring, with something of a cookie-cutter aesthetic that lacked the quirks and whimsical touches of more modern Renaissance hotels. Beyond the unusual-looking bedside lamps, there was little to give the room a distinct identity or sense of place – which, I suppose, is pretty apt for Shenzhen.

While the warm tones certainly made the room feel cosy, I was unsettled by how rather gloomy the room was, even in the middle of the day. Much of this came down to the heavily tinted windows, which kept much of the sunlight out. Still, the room offered a decent view of the busy intersection below, and thankfully, the double-glazed windows kept the traffic noise at bay.

Bedroom

Despite my reservations about the room’s design, I was really happy with how functional the space was. The bedroom centres around two super twin beds, separated by a small side table with thoughtfully placed light switches and, importantly, universal power outlets. The beds themselves were very comfortable, with soft linens, although I distinctly remember thinking that the pillows were comically small. Across from the beds is the television console, alongside the room’s (empty) minibar setup.

Running along the entire length of the window side is a long sofa, which, together with the marble table, thoughtfully doubles as both a workspace and a dining area, complementing the minibar. I’m a big fan of this kind of flexible setup, which makes the room feel much more spacious than it would with a full-sized desk. Finally, there’s a closet by the entryway, with an open luggage rack next to it. All in all, the room is functional and well laid out, despite its uninspiring design.

Bathroom

Positioned by the entryway, the bathroom feels bright and inviting, in stark contrast to the bedroom. Fully clad in travertine, the spacious bathroom is perhaps the most upmarket-looking part of the room, if not the entire hotel. While this was certainly a welcome touch, I did find that the semi-frosted glass didn’t offer quite enough privacy.

The bathroom is otherwise well equipped, with both a freestanding bathtub and a large walk-in shower, lending the room a more luxurious feel. Sadly, the water pressure and temperature were merely decent, and better performance in both areas would have made a noticeable difference to the overall experience. I was also disappointed to find that the toilet did not come with a bidet, despite what the photos on the hotel’s website seem to suggest.

Despite these drawbacks, I was pleased to find high-quality Argus amenities provided in the spacious shower stall, on par with those at other Renaissance hotels worldwide, including the excellent Renaissance resort in Bali.

Amenities

Clustered on the sixth floor is the Renaissance’s fitness and wellness facilities, which comprises a swimming pool and a fitness centre.

Fitness Centre

Located right across from the lift lobby is the hotel’s fitness centre, which is open 24 hours a day. Overlooking the pool deck, the gym feels airy and modern despite being relatively small for a hotel of this size. Technogym treadmills, elliptical machines and an exercise bike are positioned by the windows, complemented by a similarly nice selection of weight machines and free weights at either end of the space.

To the left of the main gym area is a dedicated studio, which I imagine hosts regular aerobics classes and the like. As such, it comes equipped with a complete array of exercise steps, cushions and exercise balls, among other things. Bright and well-kept, I’d say the fitness centre is perhaps one of the best aspects of the hotel.

Changing Room and Steam Room

Sequestered on either side of the fitness centre are the changing rooms, which are, unsurprisingly, separated by gender. As you’d expect from a relatively upmarket business hotel in Asia, both are equipped with a full range of amenities, including vanity tables, lockers, and a restroom. While the changing rooms are otherwise quite nice when well-kept, I was surprised by how low the ceiling is in certain areas, leaving the space feeling a bit claustrophobic.

Just before the dedicated entrance to the pool deck, you’ll also find a shower stall and a steam room. Sadly, neither was particularly well-kept, with both feeling rather grimy and uncomfortable to use. This was especially true of the steam room, which felt unusually rundown for an otherwise modern hotel. For one the steam room didn’t seem well-ventilated, leaving it with peeling sealants and smelling damp.

Swimming Pool

As I noted in the previous section, the only way to access the pool deck is through the entrance in the respective changing rooms. Overlooking Shenzhen’s older skyscrapers, the pool deck feels rather spartan, despite the small amount of shrubbery lining one side. Much like the fitness centre, the curved pool feels relatively small and isn’t particularly well-suited to swimming laps. Regardless, the pool still remains a popular amenity to the hotel’s guest, staying quite busy throughout its opening hours of 08.00 and 21.00.

One thing worth noting is that the pool deck receives plenty of direct sunlight throughout the day, particularly during the summer months. This is especially true of the sun loungers lining the length of the pool, which are positioned to make the most of the sunshine. If sunbathing is your thing, then, this is probably one of the better aspects of the pool deck.

Service

Much like my experiences at other hotels in China, I found that the vast majority of staff members at the hotel spoke little to no English. The exception was at reception, where the staff were reasonably friendly and able to communicate in conversational English. Regardless, this didn’t trouble me too much, considering how automated everything is in China. As such, I can’t really comment on the overall level of service, although I wouldn’t have expected much in the way of personalised attention from a business hotel of this size anyway.

Overall

While the old Panglin might have been a venerable hotel when it first opened, I don’t think time has been particularly kind to the property. Despite its renovations, the hotel feels decidedly dated, increasingly eclipsed by the newer hotels in an ever-evolving Shenzhen. While I wouldn’t discount the merits of its ‘renewal’ under the Renaissance brand, there’s simply not enough here to compel me to return. All things considered, Renaissance Shenzhen Luohu is a decent enough business hotel, provided the price is right.

Read more from this trip here!