JI Hotel (Shanghai Hongqiao Gubei Fortune Center)

We have stayed here several times and the service we received from the staff at the front desk on the evening shift was the worst yet. Usually it is straightforward and professional, this time the staff told us that we had to have a room with no external windows or pay extra for an upgrade. I explained we paid for a room with windows, but they insisted we need to pay an extra 280 rmb if we wanted this “upgrade”. This went on in a circle for a long time, they said it would be harder for us to cancel and find another room, and there would be a slight discount paying by WeChat. Another staff member helpfully shouted the same thing as her colleague behind her at us, in case she thought we couldn’t hear her properly. It was getting late and we were tired and it was clear this staff member was just repeating. So we paid (219 rmb on WeChat). A friend staying at the same hotel checked in the next morning, they had booked exactly the same room as us and was not charged more money for “an upgrade” with windows. It seems that this depends who is on duty and if you check in later, you may need to pay more. The pricing of the rooms do not seem transparent. The cheapest option can be identical to the other options, again, dependent on their room availability or who is at the front desk. You can pay more, as we have in the past, and get a smaller room. Or you could be asked to pay more for having windows in your room. I’m not sure if this is reflective of new company policy, or if this is just individual staff. It’s a shame because this experience has made us really hesitate to book here again or indeed recommend this hotel to friends in the future. There are other hotels nearby which offer excellent service for the same prices or less.