The Shanghai Hengshan Group Moller Villa Hotel (Shanghai Hengshan Male Bieshu Fandian) is a castle-like villa hotel located at the intersection of Shaanxi Road and Yan'an Road in Shanghai. It was founded in 1927, completed in 1936 and served as the residence for merchant Prince, Eric Moller. Legend has it that Moller commissioned this unique northern European Norwegian style villa to be built after his daughter had a dream where she saw a castle like those in Hans Andersen fairy tales and sketched it. As it turns out, this is not true, Moller was a wealthy Sweedish British businessman who took over the family shipping business and built the house for his family of six and their pets.After the Mollers left Shanghai in 1950, the villa was occupied by the Japanese, an espionage agency, was used as the site for a corruption investigation and on and off as a hotel. In 2009 it was re-opened again to guests.This Shanghai hotel has 43 authentic European-style luxury rooms and suites that come well-equipped with satellite TVs, high-speed Internet access and mini bars. The restaurant and bar offer excellent Western, Chinese and Japanese food and the coffee shop offers drinks and great views of the 2,000 sq m (2,392 sq yd) garden. Guests can find in the garden bronze statues of Moller's race horse, Blonic Hill (said to have made him a lot of money), and his dog.The banquet hall and conference rooms have various services making them a sound choice for business receptions and meetings. A business center is also available, along with free parking and a ticket office.When it comes time to relax, guests at this Shanghai hotel can use the fitness facilities, get a massage or venture to the nearby commercial centers, the Bund or other parts of the city via the convenient metro stations.
"Facilities: Although it seems like an older building, the facilities are actually quite new. It's not new in the sense of being unused, but rather impeccably clean to the point even someone as particular about cleanliness as me found it acceptable. While some furniture shows normal wear and tear, it actually adds a vintage charm.
Cleanliness: I found the cleanliness to be excellent. There were no strange odors, and the carpet in the room looked visibly clean, which I really appreciate.
Ambiance: I was drawn to this place by the castle-like model, and I absolutely love the ambiance and decor. I'd definitely like to come back, perhaps in winter to experience it with snow, although it rarely snows in Shanghai.
Service: The service was also great! Luggage assistance was available, and the front desk was always happy to provide anything I needed. When I asked for a room upgrade, they went above and beyond. I had booked a double room and they upgraded me to a business room, which I absolutely loved. The bathroom was green, and the counter was also green. I couldn't hear any noise while I slept; I didn't even want to wake up! The only thing that got me out of bed was the breakfast, haha. While the breakfast selection was a bit limited, it was incredibly good and you could tell they put a lot of thought into it."