Quintet Shanghai Bed & Breakfast Review

Quintet Shanghai courtyard

Quick Summary

Quintet Shanghai is a 5 room bed and breakfast in the center of the French Concession in Shanghai at Changshu Lu and Changle Lu. Fay Yen, the owner and “innkeeper”, makes your stay feel more like a stay at a local friend’s nicely appointed home, and she provides advice that is superior to what you would get at most hotel’s concierge desks.  The rooms are very tastefully decorated, with amenities like an in-room safe, boutique soaps and shampoos, and fluffy towels.  The only potential complaint is that the building is a typical, renovated older French Concession building and the walls and windows don’t provide the same sound insulation you would get in a high-rise 5* hotel building.  Rack rates range from RMB800 – RMB1100.  I recommend this B&B for a romantic getaway, a business trip that doesn’t require a business center or conference room.  I don’t recommend this B&B for families, for elderly people (it is a walk-up building without an elevator), or for sound-sensitive people who require an absolutely quiet hotel room.

Basic Information

Quintet Shanghai Bed and Breakfast – http://www.quintet-shanghai.com/

Address: 上海市静安区长乐路808号 – 808 Changle Road (near Changshu Road) – Maps & Directions

Inquire about rates and availability

How I found Quintet Shanghai

In Shanghai, I’ve stayed at a variety of hotels at various prices and quality:  St. Regis Pudong, Hongqiao State Guest House, JC Mandarin, Hengshan Picardie Hotel, Central View Suites, Asset Hotel, Tianci Service Apartment, Tianping Hotel, and others I’ve probably forgotten about.  But recently, I’ve mostly stayed in a Shanghai room rental arrangement through Fay’s Rooms, who has an informal room network in Shanghai.  And at around RMB250-300, it fits my entrepreneur budget and desire to localize my cost perspective in China rather than act like a wasteful tourist.  I usually stay at Fay’s Manhattan Place apartment at Xikang Lu and Xinzha Lu, walking distance to Plaza 66, CITIC, the Portman Ritz Carlton, and the area of Nanjing West Road where I invariably end up having meetings.

I was devastated to find out that my apartment was rented this last trip.  Somehow, after having stayed at the apartment several times a year, I had built up a sense of entitlement to the apartment, and the familiarity it imparted to my visits.

After lengthy negotiations where I pretended to be an indigent blogger, I convinced Fay to give me a discounted rate in return for free business advice (ha)  and pimping out my blog by writing this blog post. (Yes, that’s my disclosure!)

Location: 808 Changle Road near Changshu is a pretty ideal

Address: 上海市静安区长乐路161号 – 808 Changle Road (near Changshu Road)

I am very particular about location.  I like to have easy access to Line 2 Metro in case I have to go to Pudong.  I find that people like setting up meetings near Nanjing West Road.  With easy walking distance to Jing’an Temple station, and walking distance to Line 1 Metro and Huaihai Central Road, I found the 808 Changle Road location to be pretty ideal for a short trip.  The only criticism is that it feels like a very “Westernized” area of Shanghai…and is much less “local” than Xujiahui or other less touristy areas.

Here’s where it is on a map:

And Quintet Shanghai on Google Maps (larger map).

Neighborhood amenities

When you arrive, Fay will provide you with an exceptional handout with addresses in Chinese and English, to help you get to the places, restaurants and attractions that you want to go to.  On her website, she also has a great French Concession Neighborhood Map with a list of her recommended local restaurants and other amenities.

Private, hidden entrance

Unlike most hotels, Quintet Bed and Breakfast is hidden from the street.  Here is a picture of the street and the front door:

Closed Door: Exclusive, private restaurant in the lobby.

On the ground floor, is a reservation-only restaurant called the Closed Door.  Shanghaiist gave it this review:

Kelley Lee and Eduardo Vargas have teamed up again to give us Closed Door. Well, not exactly all of us. Their new little wine bar and Italian restaurant is willing to share its coziness with only those who call ahead and reserve a table at this purposefully tiny and hidden place. And they seem pretty serious about this initial round of exclusivity; prospective diners are queried first through a sliding peep-hole in their large, inconspicuous front gate….Closed Door – 808 Changle Lu near Changshu Lu (常乐路808号近常熟路) Tel: 6248-0098, Prices: 40-80 RMB for starters, 80-120 RMB for mains

SmartShanghai also has a review for the Closed Door.

This is exactly how you would approach the Quintet Shanghai as well.  Here’s some photos of the Closed Door restaurant/bar:

Room Details – Fleur de Shanghai

Fay gave me the room called Fleur de Shanghai. The room was small but charming.  I did not have one “you just don’t get it” experience where I felt that the hotel designers, the hotel, or the housekeeping staff didn’t conceptualize what Westerners wanted in a hotel room.  Fay shared that she has a 100-point checklist that her staff follows when making up the room, and they are fined 1 RMB when she finds something wrong.

Here are some pictures of the room:

Desk:

A great amenity you don’t always get at budget hotels:  an in-room safe.

Bathroom Details

What you see out the window in the front.

The glass building to the right of the picture is called The Center at 989 Changle Road which is a very prominent high-rise in the middle of older low-rise buildings.

More of my pictures are on flickr tagged quintetshanghai.

Summary

I’ve stayed at two other hotels that are around the 800 RMB price point.  The Hengshan Picardie Hotel is newly renovated and has some very nice rooms for the price, and is located on Hengshan Road and Xujiahui Park.  The location is less convenient but still close to Line 1 Metro, and close to Xujiahui which has a much more “authentic” Shanghai feel (and more Chinese food options).  However, it is a traditional business hotel and lacks the personal touch that Fay provides.  If you want to stay near Nanjing West Road, I’ve stayed at the Central View Suites which is walking distance to Plaza 66 and CITIC.  However, both of these quite acceptable hotels lack the creative feel, the personal concierge/innkeeper service, and the sense of “belonging” in Shanghai that you get by staying at Quintet Shanghai.  So if you don’t mind the level of street noise that you would get living in a renovated historic building or someone’s home, Quintet Shanghai is a great place to get a deeper experience of Shanghai and a much more memorable travel experience whether you are traveling for vacation or business.  I highly recommend this to visitors to Shanghai!  You will not regret passing up a generic Western business hotel (that could cost you RMB2000+) or a generic 5* Chinese business hotel (that could cost you RMB800-1200).