IHG hotels we stayed at in China: Shanghai and Hangzhou, paid with points

Quick answers

How we paid: IHG points, not cash

We are IHG Diamond Elite members. Over about two years we collected IHG points, and we used them to book every hotel in this post. Nothing here was paid in cash, so the numbers below are points, and I put IHG's own money figure next to them where the account showed one.

IHG changes the points price by date, so nightly prices move. The table shows what our account listed for our dates, not a price list. I have kept our booking numbers and card details off this page on purpose.

The figures come from the Stays and Points pages of our own IHG account. They are what we saw for our dates, so check the IHG site for yours.

Where the hotels are

Open each hotel on a map before you go. These links use the hotel name and street address: Open InterContinental Shanghai Pudong in Google Maps · Open Crowne Plaza Shanghai Nanjing Road in Google Maps · Open voco Shanghai Hongqiao Hub in Google Maps · Open InterContinental Hangzhou ICC in Google Maps.

Google Maps can be slow or blocked in China. Use Amap or Apple Maps on the ground, and show your driver the address in Chinese from the hotel's booking email.

InterContinental Shanghai Pudong: the suite upgrade

• Stayed: 23 to 28 December 2025, 5 nights
• Room: Diplomatic Suite, 68 to 72 sq m, 1 king bed, on a higher floor
• Area: Lujiazui financial district, Pudong
• Breakfast: free, in the top floor club lounge
• Our verdict: the one that felt special

This was our first hotel in China, over Christmas 2025. We booked a normal room with points and then used a confirmable suite upgrade, so we ended up in the Diplomatic Suite. The upgrade cost 0 points on our account.

It was a higher floor with a great view. The living room has a TV and a huge open window, and the bedroom is separate, so you are not sleeping next to your suitcase. The toilet is separate, and there is a big shower and a bathtub. The cleaning service was great.

Diamond status, in real life

At reception they recognised our Diamond status straight away, and their English was good. Breakfast was free in the lounge on the top floor, cooked to order, with a small buffet as well. Lounge access also came with a free drink, plus cakes, snacks and fruit. We used the lounge one or two days.

Parcels

I contacted the hotel before we arrived about my Taobao orders. They received almost 60-something parcels. The staff put them on a baggage cart, sorted them, counted them and covered them for us. I wrote about how I do this in the Taobao guide.

Getting there

• From Pudong airport: I took the maglev, then the metro. The maglev runs to Longyang Road in about 8 minutes, and the listed ticket price is ¥50. From there, Line 2 takes you into Lujiazui.
• Nearest big metro station: Century Avenue, where Lines 2, 4, 6 and 9 meet. The hotel's address is 777 Zhangyang Road. I walked about 10 minutes from the metro with luggage, but I do not remember which station it was, so check the walking route on your map before you leave.
• The area: the hotel is in Lujiazui, the financial district, which is well placed for the metro.

Would we book it again? Yes. The suite, the lounge breakfast and the way they handled my parcels made it a great start to our first China trip.

Crowne Plaza Shanghai Nanjing Road: right on the walking street

• Stayed: 28 December 2025 to 2 January 2026, 5 nights
• Room: older style, smaller, one small window, top floor
• Area: literally on Nanjing Road
• Breakfast: free, and one of my favourites in China
• Our verdict: for the location, yes

We spent New Year here, and the location is the whole point. The hotel is literally on Nanjing Road. It is an older building, and our room was in the older style: smaller, with one small window, on the top floor. I tried for the upgrade, but there was nothing available because of the holiday.

The bed was comfortable and the cleaning was very good. Breakfast was free and it was one of my favourite breakfasts in China: a huge choice and always fresh. There were many foreign tourists, because it was Christmas and New Year.

We had few deliveries here, and the hotel received them without trouble. We had no luggage issues. As Diamond members we could have used the lounge, but we did not use it.

Getting there

• Two entrances. One is on Nanjing Road and one is on the other side, on Jiujiang Road. Didi and taxis can only come to one side, so check which entrance you are being taken to. The address on the booking is 719 Nanjing East Road.
• Metro: the metro and Didi connections are good. People's Square station is a short walk away, and East Nanjing Road station is a bit further towards the river.
• The Bund is at the other end of the walking street. We have a guide for the Nanjing Road walk and for the Bund at night.

Would we book it again? For New Year on Nanjing Road, yes.

voco Shanghai Hongqiao Hub: the one we would not repeat

• Stayed: April 2026
• Room: a big, beautiful room with two toilets and a huge bathroom
• Area: outside the town centre, little to see nearby
• Breakfast: very limited, mostly for Chinese guests
• Our verdict: not again

I am going to be honest here. The room itself was lovely: big and beautiful, with two toilets and a huge bathroom. Deliveries were accepted without any problems.

What went wrong

• The smart toilet. On the first use it would not flush. The service team came, but their English was limited, and it failed again, so we used the other toilet.
• The smell. There was a constant smell of sulfur in the room. I think it came from the sewage pipes or the air conditioning. We reported it multiple times. Sometimes it was fine and sometimes it was very bad.
• We did not ask for another room. Even with Diamond status, we never asked to move. That was our own fault. If this happens to you, ask for a new room straight away.
• Getting ill. We went to Hangzhou for a few days. On our last 2 days at the voco we got sick with vomiting and diarrhoea. I think the smell caused it, but I cannot prove that. By then it was too late to complain.
• The review. I left a negative review on the IHG site and nobody contacted us.

Breakfast was very limited and mostly for Chinese guests. We did use the lounge. It was ok, but nothing special: a few drinks, some fruit and pastries, and a view over the water. The dessert plate and the view in the pictures are from there.

Getting there

• The area: it is outside the centre. There is little to see around the hotel, so plan on using the metro.
• Metro: the nearest station is West Jinshajiang Road on Line 13. Listings say 7 to 13 minutes on foot. It felt like about 15 minutes to me with bags.
• The address: No. 1 Lane 958 Jinshajiang West Road. Save it in Chinese for your driver.

Would we book it again? No. We will not be choosing voco again, or, if we did, we would ask for a room change straight away.

InterContinental Hangzhou ICC: five stars from us

• Stayed: 3 to 5 April 2026, 2 nights
• Room: no upgrade, because it was a one night booking
• Area: next to the metro, with the golden globe building
• Breakfast: free
• Our verdict: 5 stars for us

We booked one night, and it rained. The hotel was so good that we extended for one more night with points, so we stayed 2 nights in all. The second night cost 51,000 points on our account, which is more than the first (34,850), so it is worth knowing that extending can cost more.

Check-in was great, and they recognised our Diamond status. There was no upgrade, because it was a one night booking when we arrived. Breakfast was free, the service was great and the view was great. At night there is a light show.

Getting there

• Metro: Civic Center station, on Lines 4 and 7, is a few steps from the hotel. That is what makes it such an easy base.
• The address: No. 2 Jiefang East Road, Hangzhou.

Would we book it again? Yes, without thinking about it.

The four side by side

What I would tell you before you book with points

• Check the status perks on the day. Diamond was recognised at both InterContinentals. An upgrade depends on what is free: it worked at Pudong, not at the Crowne Plaza over New Year, and not on a one night booking in Hangzhou.
• Write to the hotel before you arrive if you are sending parcels, and read the Taobao guide first.
• If something is wrong in the room, ask to move on day one. I waited, and I would not do that again.
• Check the metro walk on a map, not just the hotel's description.

Is this sponsored?

No. We booked these stays ourselves with our own IHG points, and I have no affiliate link for IHG, so there is no link on this page that earns me money. If that ever changes, I will say so here and on the affiliate disclosure page.

Sources

• IHG Hotels and Resorts (official) (official)
• Shanghai Metro (official) (official)