Room with a view
By Shi Yingying (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-15 09:42
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The meandering Huangpu River unfolds in front of you like a painting just outside the window.
Wyndham Grand Plaza Royale Oriental Shanghai wows guests with panoramic views of Pudong area and high-tech sophistication. Shi Yingying reports
There is a saying in the hotel business: Only rooms without a view require fancy decorations and design. That's certainly not the case at Wyndham Grand Plaza Royale Oriental Shanghai, with its panoramic views of the Huangpu River and the futuristic architecture of Pudong just outside the window.
Looking out from one of the hotel's deluxe rooms through the French windows, the Bund is a shifting picture. The meandering Huangpu River unfolds in front of you like a painting. Boats cruise slowly along the river, adding to splashes of movement to the canvas. And there is no need to stand by the window to enjoy the stunning views. Guests can get the whole picture while lying in bed.
James YJ Kim, general manager of the hotel, says the best time to catch views of the Huangpu River and beyond from the 39-floor hotel are at night. When the buildings on the Bund and in Pudong switch on their lights in the early evening, views are even more spectacular.
"I was standing in a hotel room to watch the fireworks for the opening of the Expo. Behind the colorful (Yangpu) bridge, there were the high-rise buildings of the Lujiazui area, and behind them, there were stunning fireworks," Kim says. "It was a once-in-a-life experience.
"You really feel like you're somewhere else - like in San Francisco - when the Yangpu Bridge turns red at night during the Expo. It looks just like the Golden Gate Bridge," he says.
Apart from the view, rooms at the Wyndham Grand Plaza Royale Oriental Shanghai will surpass guests' expectations with their high-tech sophistication. With a click of a button, the milk-white glass wall between bathroom and hotel bed becomes transparent. Guests can lie in a warm bath while enjoying the gorgeous views outside.
"I think our owner really wanted to have hotel rooms that would wow the guests," Kim says. "Each of our hotel rooms has a different kind of chandelier and a television in the bathroom."
The remote control for the television in the bathroom is waterproof just in case a guest accidentally drops it in the bathtub - perhaps when they are distracted by the breathtaking views.
Despite the luxury views and high-tech guestrooms, the hotel remains affordable. Rates at Wyndham Grand Plaza are lower than those of five-star hotels downtown.
"We know we're bit further from central business district, but with attractive rates of about 30 percent less than those hotels, we're a more cost-effective option," Kim says.