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Shanghai · Hotel shortlist

The best 3 star hotels in Shanghai

Ellie Brandt

Ellie Brandt Southeast Asia

Updated 1 September 2026 · 23 Shanghai hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Shanghai, out of the 23 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.8 down to 4.3.

Jinjiang Metropolo Shanghai Xintiandi Hotel is the one I would book myself.

Jinjiang Metropolo Shanghai Xintiandi Hotel

Highest rated of the five

Jinjiang Metropolo Shanghai Xintiandi Hotel

★★★★★4.8 from 40 reviews

Jinjiang Metropolo Shanghai Xintiandi Hotel comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.8 from 40 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 3 star property, found under the business district and around $77 a night on the dates we checked.

23 hotels in Shanghai qualified for this list and five made it. Campanile Shanghai Bund Hotel is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Family roomscots and larger rooms rather than a squeeze

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All five, ranked

  1. Jinjiang Metropolo Shanghai Xintiandi Hotel1

    Jinjiang Metropolo Shanghai Xintiandi Hotel

    ★★★★★4.8 from 40 reviews

    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning

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  2. Campanile Shanghai Bund Hotel2

    Campanile Shanghai Bund Hotel

    ★★★★★4.3 from 539 reviews

    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning

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  3. SSAW Boutique Hotel Shanghai Bund3

    SSAW Boutique Hotel Shanghai Bund

    ★★★★★4.3 from 250 reviews

    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning

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  4. Hanting Express Shanghai Plaza 664

    Hanting Express Shanghai Plaza 66

    ★★★★★4.3 from 147 reviews

    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning

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  5. Campanile Shanghai Natural History Museum Hotel5

    Campanile Shanghai Natural History Museum Hotel

    ★★★★★4.3 from 117 reviews

    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning

    Check rates Read more

How this list was put together

23 Shanghai hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

Ellie Brandt

Ellie Brandt Southeast Asia

Works weekends at an animal shelter and saves the pay for off-season flights. Hostels, night buses, and volunteering at animal sanctuaries for a bunk. Six countries in three years.

Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.