Accommodation

1. What are the hotels in Shanghai like?
As Shanghai's economy and tourism develops, new hotels are founded almost every day. Many of these hotels are rated as 3-star or above (according to international standards). Most of the hotels have comfortable and convenient facilities.
Services offered by hotels (3-star or above) usually include:
All rooms are air-conditioned, equipped with a color TV, telephone, refrigerator and a double curtain.
All rooms are equipped with a private bathroom, disinfected towels, glasses, soap, bath cream, shampoo, toilet paper, tooth brushes and sometimes razors.
All employees wear uniforms to indicate their respective jobs and positions.
Bedrooms consist of one or two beds, a wardrobe, a dressing table, ceiling lamps, bedside lamps and a button for room service
All rooms offer around-the-clock room service
Additional facilities include Shanghai and Western restaurants, coffee shops, bars, banqueting halls, conference rooms, multi-function halls, ballrooms, beauty parlors, massage rooms, saunas, clinics and ticket booking offices. Sometimes bowling alleys and swimming pools are available.
Sometimes shopping malls, banks and post offices are also available 

Do the hotel staff speak English?
In the 4 or 5 star hotels, the staff is well trained in speaking English, especially at the reception. These upper class hotels also provide an English description of the hotel in your room.
In the big Shanghai cities also the staff of 3-star hotels is able to speak English.
In smaller cities they speak only simple English.
If you face some communication problems during your stay, please contact the assistant manager in the lobby or our local tour guide first.
If they can not help you either, please do not hesitate to contact Shanghaitraveldesigner directly. We will offer the contact information for every client who has booked our service. 

Is the tap water in Shanghai hotels drinkable?
It is unwise to risk your health by drinking the tap water, although some luxury hotels claim that their tap water is purified and safe to drink. Usually all rooms in the hotels are equipped with water heaters or thermos bottles. Boiled water will be offered by the hotel free of charge. Some hotels provide bottled water daily free of charge. Bottled water is also widely available in stores, restaurants and street kiosks.

What kind of laundry arrangements do hotels have?
Generally laundry service is offered in all hotels. The laundry handed in the morning is returned the next day. Extra fees are charged if you ask for an express service. 

When can I check-in & check-out at the hotel? What are the procedures?
Usually the check-in time is after 14:00 and the check-out time is before 12:00, but these times are subject to the management of the specific hotels. We advise that you contact the hotel or your agent if you need an early check-in or a late check-out, as it may incur an extra fee.
When checking in, you will need to present your passport and fill in a form. The hotels also normally require a small amount of deposit.
Check out will usually take some time as the hotel will check the room and perform a few administrative tasks. When checking out, the hotel will return the deposit you have paid if there is no damage or loss in your room and charge you for any additional services used (room service, phone, etc). 

What are hotel rates for children?
A child under 12 years old, if sharing a room with his parents and not occupying an extra bed, only needs to pay for the breakfast charge; if occupying an extra bed, a child needs to pay for the extra beds as well. For a child under 2 years, a baby cot will be provided by the hotel free of charge and the breakfasts are usually free; Children older than 12 years will be charged as adults.
The rules may vary in different hotels. If any surcharges occur, they must be paid directly to the hotel. 

What types of rooms can I reserve?
Single Room - Includes one queen-size bed, accommodating one person.
Twin Room - Includes two single beds, accommodating two people.
Double Room - The room includes one double bed (or king-size bed), accommodating two people.
Triple Room - Includes three single beds, accommodating three people.
Suite - Includes a sitting room and one or more bedrooms. 

Do service fees included in the prices?
Generally, the breakfast, tax and service charge is included in the price. 

What's the cancellation policy?
If your reservation has been guaranteed or the room rate has been prepaid during the peak season, the hotel will charge you accordingly. The cancellation policies vary from hotel to hotel.

Will Shanghai Hotels ask for a deposit when I check in?
All Shanghai hotels will ask for a deposit upon check in. The amount required will vary depending on the hotel. The deposit should range from RMB 100 a night to RMB 800 per night. The deposit can be paid in cash or by credit card. The deposit is to cover mini bar usage or similar usage of chargeable item in the room or damage to the room.

What should I do if I lose my belongings in the hotel?
If you find some of your personal property is missing, first check to make sure that you have indeed lost the item and have not just misplaced it. Then call your guide or travel advisor for help. If some of your valuables or important documents are lost, call the police immediately.

Dining

We specialized in Private Tour. We do not take tourists to the tourist's restaurant. We will take the tourists to the most popular restaurants which the local people like. You can always order other meals on the menu,and pay on your own. Then tourists can experience part of the the real life in shanghai.

What type of breakfast we are going to get during our tour in Shanghai?
Breakfast will be arranged in the hotels you stay. Sometimes American Buffet, sometimes Shanghai Buffet.

Do you provide vegetarian (including no chicken or seafood) meals?
Yes, we do provide vegetarian meals if required. Mentioned in the travel tips. 

How many famous dish systems in Shanghai?
There are mainly many dish systems in Shanghai, namely, Mainly Shanghai cuisine.Also you can enjoy different Chinese food.

Local famous dining food:

Nanxiang Steamed Stuffed Bun
Chinese name: ????? (nán xiáng xiao lóng bao); ?????? (nán xiáng xiao lóng mán tou) This snack is a famous and popular one originating from Nanxiang Town in the northern Jiading District of Shanghai

Crab-Yellow Pastry
Chinese name: ??? (xiè ké huáng) This round yellow pastry looks like the shell of a cooked crab, therefore it is named Crab-Yellow Pastry.

Fried Stuffed Bun
Chinese name: ???? (sheng jian mán tou) Fried Stuffed Bun with nearly 100 years' history is a typical indigenous snack of Shanghai.

Chop Rice Cake
Chinese name: ???? (pái gu nián gao) Chop Rice Cake is an economic and distinctive snack in Shanghai.

Shopping

What cautions should foreigners take when buying Shanghai antiques?
1. When buying expensive articles, you'd better choose the shops run by the state.
2. Make sure that the antiques you bought carry a wax seal indicating that it is authentic and is able to be exported from Shanghai.
3. Also need know that antiques dating before 1795 cannot be legally exported.
4. Keep the purchase receipts. They would be asked to produce by customs when leaving Shanghai. 

Will the tour guide allow us to decide whether or not we want to see any factories or stores?
It is you who decide whether shopping should be included in your program or not, not the tour guide. If you do not want any shopping, you just need to tell the guide. No shopping will be added without your permission. 

Could you give me some tips for shopping in Shanghai?
Shopping in Shanghai is both an interesting thing and a challenge. In each local city or town, you may have some shopping time. But buying or not is your own decision despite the suggestion or recommendation.

In some store you may bargain, in some stores the prices are fixed. Keep in mind that you should always ask for the receipt for what you paid.

Art/Antiques older than 120 years are not allowed without prior permission from the Ministry of Culture. If not sure, inquire with your tour guide prior to purchasing any items of great value. 

How should I bargain in Shanghai? 
Generally speaking, bargaining can help you to buy some good things at a low price in Shanghai, so learning how to bargain is very useful. Here are some suggestions. Before purchasing the goods, you should make a general survey at the market to get a common price of the same item. Then you will become confident when bargaining with the seller. If you take a fancy to one thing, you should try your best to find the flaws on it to get an excuse to discount the article. When bargaining, you should be insistent and friendly, always with smile on your face. If the seller doesn't make concessions on the offered price, you just walk away because in most cases, the seller will call you back to give in to you. Normally, you can get a 50% discount. When you bargain successfully, you should buy the article. If not, the seller will become angry with your impoliteness. Besides, generally, nearly all the sellers can speak a little English, so you never mind the language barrier. 

Where to shop in Shanghai?
Shanghai is an excellent shopping destination. It produces some of the best goods in the world market. Here you can purchase not only the local specialties but also the world famous products. When traveling to Shanghai, the following shopping places are worth visiting: local shopping markets, shopping streets, shopping malls, department stores, supermarkets, friendship stores, factories, etc.

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