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LEFT JAN 2010: Sheraton Suzhou, China [Master Thread]

LEFT JAN 2010: Sheraton Suzhou, China [Master Thread]

 
Old Oct 22, 2000, 7:37 am
  #1  
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Arrow LEFT JAN 2010: Sheraton Suzhou, China [Master Thread]

Just thought I'd pop a note in here -- I had the good fortune to be booked in at the Sheraton in Suzhou, China a few months ago, and let me say that it is the most amazing hotel I've ever stayed at.

Modelled on the Forbidden City, it was built in 1997 I believe. All the intricate details of the Chinese architecture are combined with absolute five star luxury. Without being a member of the Starwood program, I was upgraded to a preferred guest room, and just thinking about it now makes me feel relaxed. I cannot fault this hotel, and if any of you are in China, it's worth taking a side trip to Suzhou just to stay there!

--L
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Old Dec 3, 2004, 11:37 pm
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Update wanted

Are there any more recent reports on the Sheraton Suzhou? How central is the hotel for sightseeing?

Have you rented a taxi at PVG to go to the hotel? Have you booked a hotel car? How expensive was it?
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Old Dec 4, 2004, 12:01 am
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I haven't stayed at the Sheraton there, but I have visited Suzhou and enjoyed it quite a bit.. For anybody interested, I have an extensive set of pictures from Shanghai and Suzhou on my website... Link Here

I did stay at the St. Regis in Shanghai and was pampered like a king. I highly recommend it.
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Old Jun 3, 2005, 7:48 am
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Question PVG to Sheraton Suzhou

How expensive would be a taxi from PVG to Sheraton Suzhou?
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Old Sep 21, 2005, 7:00 pm
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Originally Posted by micheno
How expensive would be a taxi from PVG to Sheraton Suzhou?
I've consistently paid around 350-400 Reminbi (or just less than US$50) for a taxi from PVG to the Sheraton.
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Old Sep 23, 2005, 9:16 pm
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Just paid RMB 400 for a large taxi to the Sheraton Shuzhou from the Westin Shanghai (including tolls and a small tip). From Shuzhou to PVG it was a bit more. In general, avoid the hotel cars and ask the concierge to call a taxi. You will probably pay a little bit more than for a normal taxi, but not very much and it will be more comfortable.
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Old Sep 28, 2005, 9:51 am
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Question

Are the taxi drivers at PVG familiar enough with the Sheraton Suzhou that I could manage without much explaining? Do you negotiate the fare or go by the meter? Is there a different taxi stand for rides outside Shanghai?
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Old Sep 28, 2005, 4:45 pm
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Originally Posted by micheno
Are the taxi drivers at PVG familiar enough with the Sheraton Suzhou that I could manage without much explaining? Do you negotiate the fare or go by the meter? Is there a different taxi stand for rides outside Shanghai?
I went from Sheraton Shuzhou to PVG, not the other way. But there are plenty of taxis at PVG and there is a Sheraton booth after you come out of customs (turn to the left; it's after the Westin booth). Just ask the Sheraton people to help you. My trip from Shuzhou to PVG was the only one I did by negotiation (with the hotel concierge). All the rest were by the meter, but you do have to pay road toll charges both ways in addition. If I remeber correctly, I paid RMB 500 total from Shuzhou to PVG.
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Old Nov 23, 2005, 7:15 am
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Originally Posted by mario33
Any update on the Sheraton Suzhou ?
I stayed a couple of nights there last week and was impressed with the hotel.

The location is not the most central, though Suzhou is a small city and the tourist sites are spread out in any case (the main street, Ren Min Road, is not very attractive in any event!). I took (inexpensive and plentiful) taxis some of the time and walked for the rest.

The location is next to the former city walls and the hotel is modelled to fit in with the gates and gardens that survive there. There is even an impressive Pagoda round the corner from the hotel that you are allowed to explore (with some good views). Definitely an impressive building.

Suzhou itself is definitely worth visiting for the gardens and its relatively human scale - a real contrast to nearby Shanghai though Suzhou also seems to be a place with plenty of money and industry. The hotel clearly has a fair few business guests.

Front desk staff and concierge were very helpful. As Gold I got allocated a Preferred Guest room which was in a wing close to reception, retaurants, etc and had a nice view of the pool.

Bar staff were generally helpful but were not very proactive (i.e. if you want a drink, go up to the bar and order). I did not eat anything other than breakfast in the hotel but the restaurant looked to be of a good standard.

Rooms very nice, good size and have both CNN and BBC on the TV as well as Pay-TV. There are also broadband ethernet connections in the rooms (I had to pay extra to use this if I recall correctly).

There were a couple of nice touches. For example they have produced a pocket map and guide booklet to the major sites (complete with names in Mandarin for showing to taxi drivers).

In all I would not hesitate to stay again.
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Old Nov 23, 2005, 9:23 am
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I stayed there a little over a year ago - and thought it was a very nice hotel, and (for points) an excellent value. It's clearly the best hotel in Suzhou - so it has a mix of business travelers and tourists. As others have noted, it's quite a beautiful. The food service in the restaurants is fine.

It's not a 5-star hotel, but it's a very, very pleasant way to see Suzhou.
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Old Nov 23, 2005, 10:44 am
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If you need an onward train ticket, the concierge will send someone to the train station to buy it for you. There is a very nominal sum for this service, perhaps $1 or so. It was well worth it to be able to go to the train station and get directly on the train.
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Old Nov 23, 2005, 11:40 am
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Originally Posted by SanDiego1K
If you need an onward train ticket, the concierge will send someone to the train station to buy it for you. There is a very nominal sum for this service, perhaps $1 or so. It was well worth it to be able to go to the train station and get directly on the train.
Absolutely - the soft seat (First Class) ticket office at Suzhou is not exactly in an obvious location, and trains can sell out several hours ahead of time.

Even better (if this is an excursion from Shanghai) would be to buy the round trip in Shanghai before leaving - the staff at the soft seat ticket office there speak passable English.
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Old Feb 18, 2006, 8:18 am
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Question

Originally Posted by House
Absolutely - the soft seat (First Class) ticket office at Suzhou is not exactly in an obvious location, and trains can sell out several hours ahead of time.

Even better (if this is an excursion from Shanghai) would be to buy the round trip in Shanghai before leaving - the staff at the soft seat ticket office there speak passable English.
We need recommedations on driving in China!


My wife and I are planning to go to China in the late spring, flying into PVG from ORD. Based on the advice on this board, we decided to go onto Suzhou as well, and a few FTers discussed taking the train. However, we found two other Starwood properties nearby at Wuxi and Nanjing, and wondered about traveling to these properties.

All 4 of the hotels that we considered staying at (Nanjing, Wuxi, Suzhou and Shanghai) have maps with driving directions, so we wondered if any of you have had experience driving in China, which would be a new experience for me. Currently we live in NYC, so that driving is easier even in Rome, and I've driven in Japan and Egypt where I couldn't understand any of the road signs, and had little trouble with Mrs. Life_Platinum as navigator. We also have been to China previously, so that we won't be unfamilar with the customs and bicycles.

Do any of you have experience driving in China, and if so, would you recommend it?
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Old Feb 18, 2006, 10:39 am
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Originally Posted by Life_Platinum
Do any of you have experience driving in China, and if so, would you recommend it?
Driving itself isn't nearly as bad as the horror stories would have you believe, but I can't imagine you'll find too many people interested in renting you a car unless you can snag a local license in the meantime (and that is an annoying and time consuming process).

Of course, if you really want to drive, you could always find a Chinese person to rent for you or bribe a taxi driver to give you a turn at the wheel, but both of these ideas are quite illegal.
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Old Feb 18, 2006, 7:01 pm
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Originally Posted by moondog
Driving itself isn't nearly as bad as the horror stories would have you believe, but I can't imagine you'll find too many people interested in renting you a car unless you can snag a local license in the meantime (and that is an annoying and time consuming process).

Of course, if you really want to drive, you could always find a Chinese person to rent for you or bribe a taxi driver to give you a turn at the wheel, but both of these ideas are quite illegal.
Hertz has two locations in Shanghai, so it appears that renting a car will not be a problem. I also have an International Drivers license.
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