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Blessed by location, Le Royal M\u00e9ridien Shanghai sits on 789 Nanjing Road, a location most hotels would kill for. Surrounded by shops, malls, restaurants, banks and almost anything any guest could wish for, the hotel itself is the warm slice of homely heaven, Aylmer and his team have crafted it into. <\/span><\/p>\n No fuss but crystal clear personalized service one gets at a swift check-in. The doors open to a junior suite that would stand up to the harshest housekeeping test. Crisp sheets, understated colours, well-appointed amenities and all the hotel\u2019s 761 guest rooms \u2014 including 132 suites \u2014 feature floor-to-ceiling windows that frame dazzling views of the Bund and the city\u2019s skyline. <\/span><\/p>\n Now, for a first taste of the hotel\u2019s famed hospitality, one-on-one.<\/span><\/p>\n On the 44th floor of the hotel, basking in the morning sun is the spacious Le Royal Club Lounge. It becomes your \u2018personal space\u2019. Get a freshly brewed coffee, fire up the laptop and from thereon, its just you and your work \u2013 if you can keep from the spectacular view of the city and resist the tantalizing temptations served at the breakfast buffet. <\/span><\/p>\n Courteous staff call you by name. It makes a difference. The quality and range of food and beverage leaves little to be desired. Service is spotless.<\/span><\/p>\n Now, why is this amazing? Isn\u2019t all this expected from a five star hotel? <\/span><\/p>\n For someone who has inspected more than 2000 hotels in a career span of 20+ years, I\u2019d say, this is pretty amazing, particulary in this day and age and even more so in a competitive city like China\u2019s jewel — Shanghai.<\/span><\/p>\n Challenged by a talent crunch, rising costs of soft and hard-ware, rapidly mounting competition, narrowing travel-trade margins, rising costs of insurance, staff-poaching issues, demanding owners, lack of quality staff-training options and of course, the biggest of all challenges\u2026the increasingly demanding guest, one wonders what must make the irrepressible General Manager, Daniel Aylmer, tick. No stranger to challenge, one recalls his deft handling of The Westin Beijing Chaoyang where staff till date recall with fondness his patience, attention to detail and his leadership skills. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOur spirit makes us rise to the challenge, I guess,\u201d says Aylmer, agreeing that the industry, particularly in Shanghai is growing fiercely competitive. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to innovate, inspire and empower. It\u2019s not easy, but there isn\u2019t a silver bullet. The Internet serves the industry well as both, a watchdog and a window. Helpful sites like TripAdvisor put service providers in the court of public opinion and the industry needs mirrors like these to provide us with constant feedback. At\u00a0the end of the day, we would not exist were it not for the customer. Here at the Le Royal M\u00e9ridien Shanghai we work hard to create a customer experience that is good enough to make our guests want to return.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe serve a mix of the luxury leisure and Meeting, Incentive, Convention and Exhibition (M.I.C.E) market that\u2019s grown increasingly demanding and more sophisticated in its needs. The trick is to provide that seamless quality from start to end, regardless of how complicated the requests get. Here we believe the true art of hospitality beats to provide guests with what they need, not just with what you have to offer. This calls for extreme flexibility, which you can only achieve if there is a strong team spirit. We pool our resources together and serve with one heart. That\u2019s the way forward for any hotel serious about earning repeat business. \u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Spoilt for choice, Aylmer\u2019s guests must have what no other hotel provides. Among his hotel\u2019s many strengths is the popular French restaurant Allure. <\/span><\/p>\n Drawing upon classic French and Mediterranean dishes, the signature restaurant reinvents the traditional with a focus on simpler, healthier ingredients and a modern presentation style that strikes a sophisticated yet approachable note.<\/span><\/p>\nSpotless Service <\/span><\/h3>\n
\u201cNo Silver Bullet\u201d <\/span><\/h3>\n
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<\/h3>\nThe \u201cWOW\u201d Factor <\/span><\/h3>\n
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