Chateau Star River Hotel Shanghai Minhang

Never have I found myself so searching for words to describe a hotel. As if the name Chateau Star River weren't enough to tickle one's delight, the experience continues that to a point of stupefaction. While what I experienced is far from being among the best hotels at which I've stayed and while there was no shortage of uncanniness, I should start off saying that I enjoyed the place. Now, on with the review... Chateau Star River is the kind of place that I expected in China in the two-thousand-aughts: an overindulgent facsimile of Western luxury with a name that fails to translate back into the languages of the cultures being mimicked. But this place is alive and well in 2019. While many of Shanghai's finest hotels eschew Chinese style for international upscale trends, they manage to assimilate well into Shanghai. CSR does not. The hotel is located in a planned community, meaning it fits into its immediate surrounds. But the chateau tower blocks in China have always bemused me. This puzzlement continues entering into the lobby of the hotel. Resort lobbies can easily be larger but, in terms of relative scale, this has to be the most overblown lobby I have ever seen. The central atrium portion is about four stories tall and is cased by four gigantic pillars, each about two meters across. The entirety is done up in marble (or its simulacrum) and this theme continues throughout. The decor isn't exactly classical European nor is it exactly modern. It is extravagant, lavish, gauche, gaudy. The grounds are both grand and labyrinth. Getting to different areas on the main level may require taking less-than direct routes. The fitness center and spa, however, have to be my favorite, as they involve traversing a 50-meter hallway completely devoid of any other diversions. (The fitness center and pool were absolutely fine.) Guest rooms get interesting. Going up the tower and getting off the elevator, guests enter a hallway that doesn't match the rest of the hotel. Here, instead of stone surfaces, guests are surrounded by dark, chic, plush floors, walls, and ceiling. Room doors blend seamlessly into the walls but, entering a room, it's back to marble and metal. Rooms and bathrooms are well-appointed and oversized. The bed was comfortable. The coffee, acceptable. A little more before I wrap this up: though spartan, staff was attentive and friendly. I didn't try the dining but the morning buffet looked and smelled great. The pools were gigantic, as to be expected and everything about the active facilities was great. While I spent only one night at Chateau Star River, it will be an unforgettable one.