A Cordis Hotel Experience in Shanghai

I recently had the pleasure of staying at a Cordis Hotel property in Shanghai, and to say I was blown away would be a major understatement. As it stands right now, Cordis has locations in Auckland, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, with six more planned to open, including four in China, one in Indonesia, and one in Thailand. Their brand is expanding, and for good reason! Let me explain why.

Cordis takes luxury and well-being to a level its competitors will struggle to attain. Their properties are more than a hotel experience, they’re a well-being experience. Cordis prides themselves on outstanding and genuine hospitality, which became obvious to me the moment I stepped into their property. I’ll touch on that just a bit later.

Cordis is able to hone in on the details of their guest’s stay to such a personal level that even the scents and sounds are specifically tailored and crafted to them. All five of your senses will be engaged, and you’ll be treated like a close friend rather than another cash cow coming through their door. The hospitality you receive certainly reflects that. I can’t say enough about how special and unforgettable my stay was. Cordis put their words into actions and proved that their hospitality is amongst the best in the world. 

My experience:

I got into Shanghai around 5:30 pm in early December. My driver had been arranged by Cordis, and was scheduled to pick me up at 6pm. After being held up at customs for two hours, my driver was still there waiting for me with a big smile. I apologized to guest relations at Cordis after the long and tiring delay and they told me not to sweat it!

Once I arrived, Cordis had two women out front with gorgeous bouquets of flowers, as well as the hotel manager himself out front to greet myself and a friend. It was one of the most special and memorable greetings I’ve ever had at a hotel. It almost felt like I was royalty for a moment! They had gone out of their way to do a small gesture that would put a smile on both my face, as well as my friends just minutes into our stay.

We met the lovely staff, and were then escorted into our beautiful suite, and OMG! The room was so large, and it was stocked up with amenities and snacks. There was another beautiful set of flowers, a Perrier Jouet bottle, which happens to be my favorite champagne, a red wine bottle with a personalized label of my documentary in progress which I fell in love with and will save forever, it’s currently sitting on a shelf in my room! They also gave us a cute dessert arrangement and fruit selection. The bedroom and bathroom were both massive. The bath tub had a jaw-dropping view of the city you have to see to believe. The shower was of amazing quality, and the toilet was heated and lit up which was awesome and something I had never seen before!

The hotel is truly immaculate, and the rooms were much bigger than I had anticipated. All of them had fantastic views. 

The next morning, we woke up after an amazing night’s sleep to go down to a very extensive breakfast! Every type of food you can imagine, you name it, it was there! Breakfast has always been my favorite meal of the day, and I admit I can be a bit of a diva when it comes to breakfasts in hotels, but this one checked off all my boxes! Not only delicious, but a myriad of options to choose from! The chef even made an awesome omelet and waffle with berries right from scratch in front of us. If anything was missing, a quick request to a hotel employee took care of it immediately. It was yet another way Cordis made sure to go above and beyond for us!

After breakfast, my friend Emily and I walked around the property and admired all the holiday decorations. They even had a lovely little “Alice in Wonderland” themed room and a gingerbread house collection. As you can imagine, we took plenty of photos and checked out their very chic Chinese restaurant. They also had a cute tea station we took some more photos at. The decoration and layout of the hotel was fantastic.

Let me circle back and talk about the staff once again, because they were the ones who made the trip so memorable, as they truly went above and beyond with all the little details. They are attentive, they care about attention to detail, and they were just plain sweet! They always had a smile on their face and were helpful no matter the circumstance. When we were leaving, my Uber app wasn’t working, so one of the employees offered to get us a car into Shanghai which was too kind. She also called the manager of the Waldorf and set us up there to leave our bags while we had lunch and explored the Bund, which everyone has to see while in Shanghai. If you ask me, it’s the coolest thing to see when you’re in the city. 

My short trip to Shanghai will be a special memory that stays with me for the rest of my life, and much of that is due to the hospitality of the Cordis hotel. I love China, and I can’t wait to check out some of their other properties, especially in Hong Kong and the future locations in Phuket and Bali. If you’re in New Zealand or China, you have to check out the Cordis Hotel group. They’re always in fantastic locations with superb restaurants and nearby shopping, easy access to nearby metro lines, and like I stated before, the food, hospitality, and experience is truly luxurious. They are the new hotel group to look out for, and that is coming form somebody who was worked with many of the five-star luxury hotel groups. Thank you Cordis, for such an amazing stay! I look forward to coming back, it was an experience Emily and I will never forget! 

 

About the Shanghai Cordis Location;

 

Located just a 10-minute drive from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport and

Hongqiao Railway Station, Cordis Shanghai Hongqiao offers city view in all rooms.

Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the property.

Cordis Shanghai Hongqiao is just a 11-minute drive from National Exhibition and

Convention Center. Shanghai Zoo is 16 minutes away by car. Shanghai Library is a

30-minute drive away, while Shanghai Grand Stage can be reached in 40 minutes’

car drive. Both Shanghai Museum and Yu Garden are within 50 minutes’ car

journey from Cordis Shanghai Hongqiao. Every room at this hotel is air conditioned and comes with a TV with satellite channels. All units come with a mini-bar, a hairdryer and an electric kettle.

Bathrobes, slippers and free toiletries are provided in the private bathroom attached.

There is 24-hour reception at the property. Assistance with luggage, tour

arrangements can be provided at the front desk. The hotel offers airport shuttle

and car hire service. Cordis Shanghai Hongqiao is also equipped with meeting

facilities suitable for MICE events.

There are 2 fine dining options on site. Ming Court offers authentic Chinese

cuisines, while international dishes and new creations can be enjoyed at C-

market. A wide selection of wine, cocktails and snacks is offered at the on-site bar

Connection 12. Buffet breakfast is provided daily. 

Minhang is a great choice for travelers interested in tourist attractions, city

walks and walking.

Cordis has a bar, spa, swimming pool, free Wi-Fi, two luxury restaurants, airport

shuttles, family rooms, and great multi-lingual staff.

 

Top things to do while in Shanghai

Here’s a list of the best things to see and the top things to do while in Shanghai. I will also add the best views of the bund in Shanghai.

1. Walk around the bund. Day view is great but the night and all the colors are on another level. Check it out!

2. Have dinner in one of the bund hotels with amazing views. Places with great views over the bund are Grand Hyatt, Hyatt on the Bund, The Ritz, and Peninsula.

3. If you aren’t keen to do dinner just check out the views from Jin Mao Tower, World Financial Center, Shanghai tower, or Oriental Pearl Tower, although I think it’s good to get the Oriental Pearl in your skyline photo of the bund.

4. Take a lovely stroll through the You Gardens. I didn’t do this because it was winter, but in the summer, it’s meant to be lush.

5. If you’re into shopping, check out and stroll down Nanjing Road.

6. If museums are your thing, then Shanghai Museum is a must do.

7. For history and cool photo ops, go to Longhau Temple. What a place. Temples in Asia are one of my favorite things to see.

8. If you only choose one temple, then check out Jade Buddha Temple.

9. As I stated before, go visit the Oriental Pearl Tower.

10. Take a river cruise to see the stunning skyline from all vantage points.

11. Have dinner at Flair, M, or for a cheaper option, check out authentic food stalls on Huanghe Road.

12. Try dim sum and some dumplings.

13. Take the trains! They’re pretty easy to navigate, and from Cordis, it’s very easy to take into the city.

14. Shanghai Science and Technology Museum is pretty epic.

15. Stroll around Qibao Ancient town and have some authentic and fun looking food.