Review: Pullman Shanghai Central – my first Pullman, and a good one

Last September, I had a free night to use from Accor Plus 2.0, Accor's China-only subscription. I actually wanted to use it at a nicer hotel like a Sofitel, but there was no availability on my dates.

So I booked Pullman Shanghai Central instead. It used to be called Pullman Shanghai Skyway, and Google Maps sometimes still shows the old name.

This stay was during my 20-night Hyatt Globalist Fast Track, and I was chasing Accor Platinum on the side. After a night at ibis Styles Tokyo Ginza East, I'd just earned it at Mercure Shanghai Xuhui Caohejing.

So I went to see what Platinum is like. That part didn't go to plan, but the hotel itself actually impressed me.

Booking (September 2026)

I booked one night with the free night voucher, so the room came to CNY 0. From what I remember, the cash rate that night was around $200 (CAD).

The voucher is valid for a year, but it only works in China, so I wanted to use it up while I was travelling there.

Accor Plus 2.0 comes in three tiers, from ¥499 to ¥2,688 a year, and the top two include a free night and an Executive Lounge voucher. Mine was Premium (¥1,488), which also comes with 20 status nights.

You can only sign up through WeChat, so I'll cover it properly in a separate post. The voucher can only be used through Accor's WeChat version too, which is why my confirmation email came in Chinese.

Accor's customer support told me a free night earns no points, which I expected, and no status nights, which I doubted. The status night actually posted a week later.

Location

The hotel is at 15 Dapu Road in Huangpu, close to Xintiandi and Tianzifang. Accor lists a Line 9 metro station about 100 m away, and the Bund and People's Square about 15 minutes by car.

I just took a DiDi to get there, which is very affordable in China. By car, Accor puts the airports at:

• Hongqiao Airport: about 20 minutes
• Pudong Airport: about 45 minutes

Here's the Google Map, but once you're in mainland China, use Amap (高德地图) instead. Google Maps doesn't work well there.

Lobby & Check-in

Lobby

The lobby has tall windows looking out onto the trees, and there's a Lavazza café on the same floor.

1 / 2

Check-in

Check-in was very smooth: the staff scanned my passport and gave me a quick rundown of the hotel.

The problem was my status. My Mercure stay still hadn't posted, so I checked in as Gold instead of Platinum.

The Mercure is managed by HuaZhu Group, which uses a different property system, and the staff here struggled to get a folio from them. They were really nice and friendly about it and kept trying, but they couldn't fix it in the end.

The stay finally posted around midnight that same night, a week after I'd checked out of the Mercure. Just a little too late 🥲 From what I've seen, slow-posting elite nights are a common problem with stays in China.

Luckily, they still offered me an upgrade to a very spacious room, room 1812 on the 18th floor.

The check-in pack came with a free welcome drink at SU Lounge 24 (for ALL Silver members and up, 8:30pm to 2:30am) and a ¥200 coupon for Yan Spa on the 5th floor.

Room (Superior Room, 1 King Bed)

The room was very spacious, with windows along the bedroom side and a marble bathroom.

Foyer

Upon entering, there's a short hallway with a mirrored closet.

Bed

The king bed has a tufted bench at its foot, and there wasn't much noise at night.

1 / 3

View

From the 18th floor, the view is mostly apartment towers, with older low-rise blocks and some trees below.

Sitting Area

By the window there's an armchair with a small side table, and a round glass table with a chair.

1 / 2

Desk Area

The desk is an oval glass table under the TV, with a phone and a lamp.

Bathroom

The bathroom is all marble, with a vanity, a toilet with a bidet panel, a glass-walled shower and a bathtub. The tub has a window looking into the bedroom.

The toiletries are C.O. Bigelow (shower gel, shampoo and conditioner) in big wall-mounted bottles. There was also a vanity kit by the sink and a bathrobe.

1 / 8

Executive Lounge

The Executive Lounge is on the 24th floor and goes by SU Lounge 24. Accor says it has city views, free Wi-Fi, complimentary drinks and snacks, and a happy hour every day.

Gold doesn't get lounge access, but my Accor Plus card came with an Executive Lounge voucher, so I used it here. With Platinum I get lounge access anyway, so the voucher is really only useful when you book two rooms, since the second room gets no status benefits.

The Lounge

At the entrance, there's a wall of Compass Box whiskies. Inside, there are sofas, window tables and a bar in the middle.

1 / 7

The drinks station has a wine dispenser, glasses and a fridge with soft drinks and beer.

Afternoon

When I went up around 2pm, right after check-in, there was already a spread out: small desserts, cookies in jars and fresh fruit.

1 / 4

Evening Hour

There's an evening hour too. When I came back around 6:30pm, the counter by the bar was a full buffet.

There were two soups, fried noodles, greens, spring rolls, steamed buns, salmon and pork. On the cold side, there were salads, cold cuts and cheese, bread, desserts and fruit.

1 / 15

SU Lounge 24 at Night

From 8:30pm to 2:30am, the same space runs as a bar, and that's where the welcome drink voucher works. I used mine around 11pm, about an hour before my Platinum finally posted.

I was back in the lounge the next afternoon too, thanks to the late checkout.

Breakfast

Breakfast is at Taste Garden, the hotel's restaurant, and it was free with my Gold status.

That's thanks to Accor's member offer for mainland China (in Chinese). At participating hotels, Gold members get a free breakfast for one in the all-day restaurant, and Platinum members and up get breakfast for two, for stays until December 31, 2026.

Accor says the buffet offers "over 150 international cuisines", with Shanghai specialties.

1 / 2

Bakery

The bakery had egg tarts, waffles, pancakes, croissants, pastries, pretzels and cinnamon rolls. There were also plated waffles with cream and berries, and an ice cream cart from Ryan's Original.

1 / 7

Shanghai Breakfast

There's a whole Shanghai breakfast section. It had youtiao (fried dough sticks), Shanghai-style flatbread, spring rolls, silken tofu with toppings and soy milk.

Next to it, a wok station had fried noodles, fried rice and stir-fried greens, with pickles and condiments on the side.

1 / 6

Noodle Station

The noodle station had scallion oil noodles, mini wontons and even Shin Ramyun.

1 / 2

Hot Dishes

The hot section had bacon, sausages, hash browns, roasted cherry tomatoes, baked beans, corn, sautéed mushrooms and eggs.

1 / 6

Salad Bar

On the cold side, there were cold cuts and cheese, a salad bar, yogurts, cereals, juices and plenty of fruit.

1 / 8

My Breakfast

I had fried noodles, a fried egg and an egg tart, then a bowl of Shin Ramyun from the noodle station. It was slightly modified to Chinese taste, which was interesting, and I ate it all.

Overall, breakfast was great, with a decent spread. It lacked some meat options, though, other than the bacon and sausages.

1 / 2

Amenities

Pool

The indoor pool is on the 5th floor. It's a little bit dated, but there's a sauna. Like many pools in Asia, it requires a swim cap.

1 / 2

Gym

The gym, which Accor calls the Fit Lounge, is also on the 5th floor. It has treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, weight machines and free weights.

1 / 2

Garden

Outside Taste Garden, there's a terrace by a pond with a rock waterfall and koi. Beyond it, there's a lawn and garden paths, with a basketball hoop tucked into the trees.

1 / 7

Final Thoughts

This was my first Pullman, and it actually impressed me. The lounge was great, and I also got a late checkout.

I'll have to try Pullman hotels in other countries to see whether the standard is the same everywhere. Overall, though, it was very impressive, and I wouldn't mind coming back.

If you've stayed at a Pullman outside China, let me know in the comments how it compared!