Capella Shanghai, Jian Ye Li

The staff was very professional, internationally trained, but a little stiff. The bedding is comfortable. Good for families due to separate floor spaces.

Being an expensive property with good critical write ups and traveler reviews, Capella turned out to be surprisingly disappointing. The idea sounds well and good, a hotel made from Shikumen restoration, and we chose this place primarily for its historical lineage. Unfortunately the design failed to realize this story. The restoration itself, as another reviewer has mentioned, feels like a movie set - pristine, perfect, unfeeling. I don't know exactly what was lost in translation, but whatever was unique is now perfect identical rows. The villa themselves are very vertical and narrow, and with five floors of it a little claustrophobic. I'm sure this honors the original houses, but the combination of the small space with a very conservative grand interior design doesn't help the small intimate space (marble bathroom typical of expensive Chinese properties). It feels like they were designing for a standard five star hotel instead of using a much bolder, thoughtful design tailored to the difficult space, or just combine the two villas if you're going for grandiose. If the design couldn't tell the story, I was hoping to get it from the library or other places in the hotel that would point to the history, but not a single book or some subtle exhibit is featured. When I mentioned this to the staff in the end when asked for feedback, one is gracious enough to give me a book on Shikumen. Ironically, it is a photography book, which while interesting, doesn't have much content. Money was thrown in on this project, but not a loving hand and respect to an interesting past. This makes other small things like bad coffee at the restaurant, an ok breakfast, and rough bathroom towels somewhat elementary mistakes for a luxury hotel. Perhaps more time is need for the Capella to find its voice.