We'd booked a studio at JIA for three nights as part of a trip round China. The hotel is a bit tricky to find, but get a good map and you'll be ok. It's right by West Nanjing Road metro station and that's how we got there from the airport, after a ride on Shanghai's superfast maglev train (recommended).

From the moment we arrived at the hotel we were made to feel welcome. Checking in took minutes and then we were shown our studio on the fifth floor.

The room was compact but beautifully designed. This isn't a hotel that pays lip-service to the idea of design. From the well thought out bathroom to the multi-region plugs, entertainment system, cleverly integrated kitchenette and countless other details, you can tell that someone's spent a serious amount of time designing the room to look great and function well as a place to stay.

Oh - the bed was very comfortable and the bathroom toiletries really nice. And the free broadband is really fast and reliable.

We did, however, have one major problem. Shortly after we checked in, we noticed a strange, drain-like smell. I'm not sure where this was coming from; possibly from the air-con unit or the kitchenette extractor fan. We put up with it on the first night, but when it didn't get any better, complained to the front desk.

They responded admirably, checking out the smell then moving us to a suite (no other studios were available). I can safely say the enormous suite was the most impressive hotel room I've every stayed in, with a huge living area and lovely stone balcony. I assume the problem itself was a one-off - and we really appreciated the excellent service to get it sorted quickly.

There are lots of other nice touches at this hotel too. The complimentary afternoon tea and cake and evening drinks in the lobby are a good way to start your evening in Shanghai. And the breakfast is fantastic; we were expected a buffet but it's actually now a full waiter service breakfast cooked to a really high standard.

Location? You're moments from a metro stop and there are lots of posh shops and restaurants around. For something more down to earth, hit the food street round the corner and try Yang's Dumplings in particular. They're something of a local institution, so someone will point you the way.

The bad points? Well, there was no information about the hotel in either of the rooms we stayed in. I think they want you to call reception for information on everything from room service to check out time, but a bit of information to hand would've been useful.

And obviously, there was the issue we had with our first room. But really, that's it for negatives. Assuming the issue we had was a one-off, I honestly don't see how you could do better with a hotel in Shanghai.