Radisson Hyland vs. Grand Central: Two East Nanjing Road Hotels Compared

Why these two hotels come up together

When you search for Shanghai hotels, these two always come up together.

Both are near East Nanjing Road in Huangpu District.

Both give you a route of walking East Nanjing Road by day, seeing the Bund night view in the evening, and walking back.

Why this area is easy for a first trip to Shanghai is written separately in First trip to Shanghai? Why to stay near East Nanjing Road Station.

Since the locations are similar, the way to choose lies elsewhere.

Radisson is about location and view; Grand Central is about room size and facilities.

Radisson Collection Hyland

Radisson Collection Hyland Shanghai is at 505 East Nanjing Road.

Step out on the 1st floor and you're right on East Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street.

Convenience stores and Miniso are close too.

The front desk is on the 2nd floor, so you check in on the 2nd floor.

It's in the middle of the busy area, so it's good for wandering late at night.

There are amenities and restaurants all around, so it's an easy area even staying with two kids.

It's about an 11-minute walk to East Nanjing Road Station and about 10 minutes to Yuyuan Garden Station.

It's about an 18-minute walk to the Shanghai Museum and about 19 minutes to Yu Garden.

This hotel has a good view.

If you're assigned a high floor, you see the Oriental Pearl Tower head-on.

If you get a room with an Oriental Pearl Tower view, you can enjoy the scenery your whole stay.

The view looking down from the 20th floor is good too.

Breakfast is eaten at seats overlooking East Nanjing Road.

The photos of the restaurant's private room also show seats with Lujiazui outside the window.

However, getting a room with an Oriental Pearl Tower view depends on assignment luck.

So it's good to be sure to write high floor in your requests.

How to write it is in Does writing "high floor, Oriental Pearl Tower view" in your booking request work?.

From the room photos, there are king rooms with city views through floor-to-ceiling windows, king rooms with a window-side desk, and twin rooms.

There's also a king room with a painted mural on the wall.

There are bathrooms with a tub and sink, and bathrooms with a glass shower booth.

Comments that the bathtub is nice come up often.

Rooms have a minibar, bathrobes, and slippers.

There's also a hair dryer, safe, and electric kettle.

Room service is available 24 hours.

It's handy when you come back late and want a simple meal in the room.

Sometimes the front-desk manager connects via WeChat to sort out payment problems.

The downsides are clear too.

The standard rooms are on the small side.

The building is a bit old.

The rooms are worn, but the view is good.

There's not a single shelf in the bathroom, so there's no good place to put toiletries.

If you have a lot of luggage, it's best to book the Family Suite with a sofa bed.

The sofa-bed room is also handy for a trip of three.

There are 383 rooms.

There's a fitness center, spa, and sauna.

A pool isn't on the facilities list.

Grand Central Hotel

Grand Central Hotel Shanghai is at 505 Jiujiang Road.

Its Chinese name is 上海大酒店.

It's about a 10-minute walk to East Nanjing Road Station and about 9 minutes to Yuyuan Garden Station.

The Shanghai Museum and Yu Garden are both about a 17-minute walk.

There's almost no difference in distance from Radisson.

This hotel has spacious rooms.

They're rooms that aren't cramped even for a family of four.

For trips with parents or a big family, there's nothing like it.

The Deluxe Business Twin Room has two double beds and sleeps up to three adults.

The Luxury Business King Room also sleeps up to three adults.

The room photos show a king room with a sofa and desk, a king room under a domed ceiling, and a suite bedroom with purple chairs.

There's a marble bathroom with two sinks, so it's easy for several people to wash up in the morning.

There's also a shower booth with a rain shower.

The bedding is comfortable.

There are 353 rooms.

There's an indoor pool.

There's no extra charge for the indoor pool.

There's also a spa, sauna, and steam room.

There's even a billiards table and a hair salon.

There's a Chinese restaurant and an international restaurant.

The breakfast buffet has dim sum, Chinese dishes, and pastries together.

There's also an atrium lounge with palm trees and a courtyard with open parasols.

It's easy to come and go too.

When getting in and out of a DiDi, you can do it comfortably at the entrance.

When you go with parents, this matters more than you'd think.

They take good care of luggage storage.

There's a dedicated spot for holding delivery food.

Delivery in China is so cheap that this matters more than you'd think.

There's plenty to eat nearby.

The housekeeping staff are thorough and friendly.

At check-out, if there are no issues, they cancel the deposit authorization on your card right away.

Grand Central gets almost no mention of the view from the room.

It's right to think of it as a hotel where you walk out to the Bund to see the night view rather than expecting it from the room.

The walk to the Bund is summarized in Walking from an East Nanjing Road hotel to the Bund.

With kids, the age rules differ

The two hotels have slightly different rules for children.

At Radisson, children 12 and under stay free when sharing existing beds.

From age 13, they count as adults.

At Radisson, breakfast is free for children 5 and under.

At Grand Central, up to 11 and under stay free.

From age 12, they count as adults.

At Grand Central, breakfast rates are divided not by age but by a height of 1.4 meters.

If you have a 12-year-old, be sure to check this difference before booking.

At both hotels, breakfast is paid separately at the property.

Radisson breakfast is 06:30~10:30 on weekdays and 06:30~11:00 on weekends.

If you want to sleep in on the weekend, Radisson gives you 30 extra minutes.

Grand Central breakfast is 06:30~10:30.

At both, check-in is after 14h and check-out is before 12h.

Both hotels have paid parking, and pets are not allowed.

By situation

If you stay just 1 night before moving on to the next city, Radisson is easier.

The 1st floor opens right onto the pedestrian street, so you can drop your bags and head straight out to East Nanjing Road and the Bund.

If you stay more than 3 nights, Grand Central is easier.

The room is spacious enough to spread out your luggage, and you can have evenings relaxing at the pool.

If you arrive late at night, both hotels have 24-hour front desks, so there's less to worry about.

If you're going with parents, Grand Central, where getting in and out of cars is easy, is the one.

If you're going alone and want to be out late, Radisson is the one.

What to check when booking

If you choose Radisson, take care of the floor before the room name.

Write "high floor, room with an Oriental Pearl Tower view" in your requests.

If you have a lot of luggage or are a group of three, look at the Family Suite with a sofa bed.

At check-in, enter through the 1st-floor entrance and go up to the 2nd-floor front desk.

If you choose Grand Central, start by matching the number of guests.

For three, look at the Deluxe Business Twin Room or the Luxury Business King Room, which take up to three adults.

If your child is 12, they count as an adult, so enter them as an adult in the guest count.

If you plan to use the pool, pack a swimsuit.

At both hotels, breakfast is paid separately at the property, so also check on the booking screen whether breakfast is included.

Other questions

Which is closer to the airport?

Both hotels are about 15 km in a straight line to Hongqiao International Airport and about 33 km to Pudong International Airport.

How to get here from Pudong Airport is summarized in From Pudong Airport to a Bund hotel.

What if I really want to see the Oriental Pearl Tower from the room?

In that case, a North Bund hotel facing the Oriental Pearl Tower head-on suits you better than these two hotels.

See how to choose a room in Hyatt On The Bund: why to ask for the West Tower.

Choose like this

If you want the one with a chance of seeing the Oriental Pearl Tower from the room, it's Radisson.

Radisson also suits people who want to be out late in the middle of the pedestrian street.

On the other hand, you have to accept that the rooms are small and old.

If you're going as four with parents or kids, it's Grand Central.

With spacious rooms and a pool, downtime is comfortable.

Family schedules are also covered in Shanghai with parents and kids.

Prices change by date, so check them for your own dates.