The Sukhothai Shanghai Review: Nanjing West Rd With a Baby
We travel abroad with our little one pretty often, but this was our first trip to Shanghai, China. Here’s our Sukhothai Shanghai review, with a focus on what its location was like with a baby.
Choosing where to stay in Shanghai took some thought. If you’re planning your first visit, you’ll probably start by looking around Nanjing East Road or the Bund.
For our four-night, five-day trip, we split our hotel stays between Nanjing West Road and Nanjing East Road, spending two nights in each area. That gave us a chance to experience both neighborhoods.
My takeaway? Both have clear advantages for sightseeing, but on this trip with our 17-month-old, Nanjing West Roadfelt a little calmer and easier to manage.
Our hotel there was The Sukhothai Shanghai.
1. Sukhothai Shanghai Review: Rooms and Design
The Sukhothai Shanghai is a five-star hotel in the Nanjing West Road area of Jing’an District, Shanghai, China.
It’s the Shanghai property of the Thai luxury hotel brand Sukhothai, blending Thai-inspired design with contemporary details. From the lobby to the rooms, everything feels calm and polished. Rather than a distinctly Chinese aesthetic, it reminded me of an upscale resort in Southeast Asia.
We stayed as a family of three with our 17-month-old. I booked a Premier Room, but thanks to my GHA DISCOVERY Titanium-tier equivalent—Diamond status—we received an upgrade to a suite.
You don’t need a suite to have plenty of room here, though. Entry-level rooms measure 45 m², Premier Rooms are 47 m², and Studio Rooms are 55 m². Even a regular room gives you breathing space to open your suitcases and settle in with a baby.
I also saw plenty of reviews from families who said the hotel assigned them regular rooms with more convenient layouts or extra usable space after they mentioned they were bringing a baby. That will depend on availability, of course, but it’s worth adding a request after you book.
Check Room Rates at The Sukhothai Shanghai
2. Staying Near Nanjing West Road, Shanghai
We stayed at The Sukhothai first, then moved to the Fairmont Peace Hotel near Nanjing East Road.
Having stayed in both areas, I can see why Nanjing East Road is so popular for a Shanghai sightseeing trip. The Bund is right outside, and the Nanjing East Road pedestrian street is nearby, making it easy to walk to major attractions.
That said, I preferred Nanjing West Road for a stay with a baby.
Fairmont Peace Hotel Near Nanjing East Road
Nanjing East Road was constantly busy with tourists. Around The Sukhothai on Nanjing West Road, we still had plenty of malls, restaurants, and cafés, but getting around felt more relaxed. It was easier to take a quick stroller walk or pop back to the hotel whenever our little one needed a break.
Another thing I realized: when choosing a Shanghai hotel, I wouldn’t get too hung up on its distance from every tourist attraction.
Traveling with a baby meant we used DiDi, China’s ride-hailing app, quite often anyway. Getting to the main sights from Nanjing West Road wasn’t difficult.
For popular places like Xintiandi, Yu Garden, and the Bund, you can take a DiDi. There’s also plenty to explore on foot around the hotel.
Starbucks Reserve Roastery Shanghai, Zhangyuan, and Louis Vuitton’s The Louis are all within walking distance of The Sukhothai. When we didn’t have enough time for a bigger outing, we could simply explore the neighborhood, which made it much easier to work around our baby’s schedule.
3. Direct Access to HKRI Taikoo Hui Mall
One of the most convenient things about staying at The Sukhothai Shanghai with a baby was HKRI Taikoo Hui mallbeing directly connected to the hotel. A skybridge on the hotel’s second floor takes you straight into the mall.
We didn’t have to head far outside to reach it, and the basement level had plenty of restaurants. There were cafés and dessert shops, too, so picking up something quick was easy. We bought drinks from Ama Shouzuo and enjoyed some leisurely window-shopping.
When you travel with a baby, naps and mealtimes can suddenly change your plans. Having somewhere right next door where we could eat, grab coffee, and shop—without committing to a separate outing—turned out to be more useful than I expected.
You don’t have to go out looking for restaurants, either. Food delivery is incredibly convenient in China, and receiving outside deliveries at The Sukhothai was easy.
If you don’t feel like heading back out after putting your baby to bed, or a restaurant visit just isn’t practical that day, you can order food to the hotel. We had both fruit and meals delivered to our room.
4. Things to See Near The Sukhothai Shanghai
There are plenty of places nearby that work well for a short outing.
One of the closest is Starbucks Reserve Roastery Shanghai. This enormous location is a popular stop on Shanghai itineraries, but because we could walk there from The Sukhothai, we didn’t need to plan a separate excursion.
Zhangyuan is close, too. Luxury brands, cafés, and shops now sit among its historic shikumen buildings—Shanghai’s traditional stone-gate houses—making it a popular neighborhood to explore. It has a different feel by day and after dark, and we enjoyed strolling through.
You can also walk to The Louis, Louis Vuitton’s ship-shaped building on Nanjing West Road. It’s so large that you’ll spot it easily while walking nearby. It makes sense to combine it with Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Zhangyuan in one outing.
5. Our Experience Staying With a Baby
To wrap up this Sukhothai Shanghai review, the staff all spoke English well, so communication was easy. More importantly, they were genuinely warm and kind to our little one. Breakfast was delicious, the hotel had a good range of facilities, and I can see us staying here again on our next Shanghai trip.
The baby amenities we requested in advance were ready when we arrived. Our room also had wood flooring rather than carpet, which made me feel more comfortable letting our little one wander around barefoot. In so many ways, it was a great hotel for a stay with a young child.
Next, I’ll share a detailed look at the Executive Suite we actually stayed in, including the crib, bed rail, and other details that matter when traveling with a baby. Separate posts on the hotel facilities and breakfast are coming, too—stay tuned!
Take a Closer Look at The Sukhothai Shanghai