Da Zhong Pudong Airport Hotel Shanghai

“Convenient for transit”

I had to spend a night in Shanghai to make a connection back home to the US. So I searched for airport hotels near the Pudong airport. I am a nervous (though seasoned) traveler and wanted to find a place that was easy to locate, preferably not reliant on the use of an airport shuttle, and reasona... more

I had to spend a night in Shanghai to make a connection back home to the US. So I searched for airport hotels near the Pudong airport. I am a nervous (though seasoned) traveler and wanted to find a place that was easy to locate, preferably not reliant on the use of an airport shuttle, and reasonably priced. I was a bit concerned because I do not speak a word of Mandarin and generally get very flustered in foreign environments. I was landing in Shanghai after midnight, so that added an additional layer of anxiety for me. The first hit in Google was of course for the Da Zhong hotel. They have an English website which is bit quaint but it was easy enough to book a night’s stay. I should mention here that my travel plans changed after I had completed the reservation (tuned out I had to return a day early). But it was not a problem at all, and a single email fixed everything to my satisfaction. If you are wondering how to get to the hotel from the arrival area in Pudong, here is some info. The hotel is reachable from inside the airport except for the last part where you take a couple of steps to land in the hotel foyer. Once you exit the arrival area (don’t leave the airport!), follow directions to the “other” terminal. So if you land in terminal 1, follow the directions for terminal 2 and vice-versa. There will be touts offering taxi service etc. but you should just avoid them. There is a long pathway connecting the two terminals, and the hotel is located mid-way. You will notice a large pillar labelled with the sign airport hotel. Near this pillar is an elevator which will take you one floor up to the hotel area. Follow directions to Maglev and/or airport hotel (the sign airport hotel apparently refers to the Da Zhong airport hotel). Once you exit the elevator you can turn either way to enter the north or the south wing. Your reservation confirmation will tell you which wing you are allocated, so choose your turn wisely. I booked a King-bed room. It was quite spacious, and mostly clean. The bed was fine though some may find it a bit hard (by some I mean, ahem, my fellow Americans). Like many Chinese hotels, they provide a dental kit and a comb but no shaving paraphernalia. You get slippers too, and the shampoo/bath gel/conditioner appeared more than adequate. Apparently they have breakfast but I did not try it. The room does not have coffee but there was a bag each of black and green tea. The room was stocked with four bottles of water. I got a good five hours of sleep and indulged in a long shower before my long trip stateside, so I was quite happy. It is important to book in advance. The day I landed, the hotel was fully booked, and they were turning back paying customers.

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“Perfectly OK for a night and reasonable value”

The hotel is between T1 and T2. You can walk to it under cover from either terrminal. If arriving by car, it is easy to miss the turning. It is basic but clean and quiet. In UK terms, it's on a par with Travel Lodge. It looks a bit tired but for one night, who cares? I'd stay there in fut... more

The hotel is between T1 and T2. You can walk to it under cover from either terrminal. If arriving by car, it is easy to miss the turning. It is basic but clean and quiet. In UK terms, it's on a par with Travel Lodge. It looks a bit tired but for one night, who cares? I'd stay there in future.

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“Immigration or transit procedure?”

This is a question. Next week we will arrive from Bangkok, sleep in Da Zhong an leave to Amsterdam. When arriving, what to do? Which procedure to follow? Do we go for the desk with "entrance to China" and ask for a short visum? Or do we not pass immigration and stay in the "transit area? Two we... more

This is a question. Next week we will arrive from Bangkok, sleep in Da Zhong an leave to Amsterdam. When arriving, what to do? Which procedure to follow? Do we go for the desk with "entrance to China" and ask for a short visum? Or do we not pass immigration and stay in the "transit area? Two weeks ago we arrived in Pudong from Amsterdam. We had a 4 hour stopover and depart to Bangkok. That was a terrible experience. After leaving the plane we were directed to the airport train that brought us from (not sure) terminal 1 to another terminal. After leaving the train we came in a very long queue of approx 500 people waiting for a closed door. Now and then, the door was opened, 10 people could proceed to 4 passport check desks. We have been standing in this line for 4 hours and almost missed our connecting plane to Bangkok. I fear a similar horror scenario for our return flight next week. Any advice is very welcome!

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