Truly superior in every way, definitely surpassing the two 5-star hotels in Tokyo that we stayed in before and after our journey to Shanghai.
The room was spacious and well-furnished, with a big comfortable bed and great noise insulation. Even though we ended up with a room by the elevator, noise was never a problem. The bathroom was a spacious and beautiful marble chamber. Impressively, the room was wonderful down to even small but useful details, like the charging station built into the nightstand drawer, and the nail polish dryer at the makeup station in the walk-in closet.
The common areas are opulent Art-deco styled, with a nice selection of bars and restaurants, plus a luxury shopping mall. The Michelin-starred restaurant lived up to expectations, and the other restaurants provided completely satisfying food as well. The view from the rooftop bar is quite impressive, probably the best view on the Bund side of the river, which means the Shanghai (Lujiazui, really) skyline is front and center.
The location is excellent, being a convenient walking distance to the rest of the Bund and Nanjing road. Though not too near metro stations, getting around by taxi is easy and still inexpensive in Shanghai, and the hotel's bell captains were able to have taxis show up within minutes of asking.
The staff to guest ratio was as good as could be expected. The service was courteous and efficient, highlighted by thoroughly helpful concierges and bell clerks.