Amara Signature Shanghai

We loved the rooms, super spacious and the bath was pure luxury. The outdoor pool was an inner city oasis. The breakfast was a super relaxing experience and the staff were friendly and accommodating.

The only food we ate at the property was the breakfast. I had read reviews that it wasn’t very western/vegan/vegetarian friendly so I was fully aware of that when I booked (I’m a vegetarian) but travelling with a young family it is always the better the option. The options, although limited, were delicious and there is so many food options/meituan (food lockers at the hotel) there is lots to choose from.

The room & location and staff were great.

On checking in, we were informed that the pool was closed. This should have been communicated to us sooner, we may then have changed our booking. The breakfast was not as good as when we stayed here in 2021. (Perhaps this has to do with the current economic environment) However, it was somewhat disappointing.

The location, breakfast, and room service There are two restaurants including a Thai restaurant and a Starbucks coffee shop.

The check-in staff and housekeeping staff didn't know what they are doing. We were checked into a small room even though we booked a twin room with 2 adults and 2 children. The front desk staff did not speak any English and was not interested in helping. They took RMB 3000 advance from my credit card and we had to change to three different rooms before they can get us to the correct room. The housekeeping staff didn't clean the rooms and we had to ask for the towels every day as they only left two towels in the room. At the end of our stay when we asked for fapiao and gave them the information to create a fapiao for my employer, the front desk staff ignored everything and created a fapiao for a different company. I had to send the document and still not sure if they can send the correct fapiao for me.

The hotel was very nice and clean. Beds were very comfortable.

I don't know if it was just me who realised this only but in the evenings there were "young girls" and pimps moving around the hotel. They definitely didn't look like hotel guests to me. If the hotel accepts this kind of sleazy business perhaps they should consider asking them to use the service lift instead of the passenger lifts.

The Hotel was ideally situated. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. Overall the stay was a excellent experience.

The best part about the property was that the bed was very comfortable. Outstanding! The bathtub was also a nice size. The property was in a great location for the many places that I like to go and visit.

There were many things that I didn’t like about this hotel. The first thing is the executive lounge. It is closed which is understandable due to pandemic control. However, it was advertised that it was open and functioning as normal so it was a big let down when we arrived and it didn’t offer any benefits (part of the reason we booked a more expensive room). The staff working the “1st of loot lobby area for happy hour was also very rude!) Also, the pool was crazy packed and there were no amenities in the locker room. The locker room was the size of a toddler room with maybe 6 lockers. It was noted that only hotel guest would be allowed to use the pool but we’ve seen and talked to many who stayed that they were only there for the pool. The next thing was the smell in the air vents. Every morning we were woken up to a disgusting smell of sewage throughout our room that would linger for many hours. The hotel food is very misleading as well. They only offer a few options off of their menu which they don’t tell you about until you go to order your food. The last thing that was very displeasing was the front desk staff. There was a new shift manager that was working ( I’m pretty sure his name was Issac). He was kind the first day and gave us these nice offers due to the misleading information that was provided but he failed to follow through with any of these offers. Even though we checked back with him. All in all, I will not be back to this hotel. Very disappointed with my stay.

Location is well done

We’ve been asked for change the room,because it wasn’t clean and they did

I’ve stayed at Amara multiple times over the last few months. The staff are very accommodating and responsive to any needs. The bed is super comfortable and I always sleep very well. The bathroom is much nicer than most hotels at this price point, very modern with a nice shower and very large separate tub. I had a mix up with one of my meals, but they quickly remedied it and went extra to make up for it. Lunch from the Thai restaurant is tasty and a good value.

Heat still can’t be adjusted in the winter, but they seem to be addressing this with engineering. It’s more comfortable now and the windows can be opened to help as well. I can sleep comfortably. Standard American breakfast is rather pricey for what you get