Oriental Riverside Bund View Hotel

Oriental River Hotel is a conferencing facility which I used to take part in the debates about China’s development future. I used Suite 611. I found the suite pleasant on many fronts, but notably that it is spacious, modern and thoughtfully designed. The lounge area is well appointed with a work and dining area, a lounge seating facing a large Phillips television and a large window facing the busy Yangtze river. The bedroom, adorned with a king sized bed with clean white sheets has even larger windows looking to the river and the Bund. A beautiful walk-in wardrobe is a welcome amenity. The bathroom is equally spacious spotting a white bath, granite-walled shower with a large head and simple controls, and warmed toilet. The bathroom is some ways also a lounging area. You do not want to close shower once you start. Standard bathroom amenities were supplied. Electrical connections are amply provided just about everywhere you may need them. They come with amply provided USB-A sockets in the lounge and bedroom. Regrettably, it appears it will take some time for USB C to replace USB A. European and US plugs are thoughtfully provided for in the Asian wall sockets. The Hotel is situated next to the tunnel that takes you by “baby” rail to the Bund which hosts the highest density of pedestrians and shopping on Nanjin road and waterfront which is akin to New York’s Time Square. It is also next to the Oriental Pearl Tower the three tallest buildings in Shanghai. My experience with internet was amusing and it has nothing to do with the hotel per se. As I prepared for travel I listened to online advice that I should install a VPN and I chose Express VPN at about $100 annual subscription. I learned the hard way that the Google suite be it YouTube, search engine, and maps were simply not working, with and without the VPN. Many other websites did not work at all and one told me it is blocked. Those that worked—WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram did in a manner that presents such a frustrating experience that ensures you hate them for good. Luckily my bank apps worked well. I discovered that brandishing a credit card while it worked in some establishments, it was a backward thing as most payments are platformed on WeChat. I pulled out my Huawei Pay (backed up by my card) on my phone and the attendant told me they had never heard of Huawei Pay! Go figure. All in my Visa cards worked well for ATM and swipe transactions. Shanghai is an international city much like Tokyo, London, New York, Rio, and Johannesburg, etc. Like them, it is expensive.