The Ji Hotel is a real top-class for budget hotels, even if the rooms are quite small. The beds are extra comfortable and the decoration is natural and muted, in bamboo and cream tones that gave it a vaguely Japanese/Taiwanese feel. It doesn't feel budget or compromising at all, and it’s exactly the right place to stay if you're visiting a big Asian metropolises for a city break: someplace just nice enough to feel comfortable but cheap enough that you could spend your money on other things. The hand spoap is CO Bigelow, don't you know. The only possible drawback is that the hotel’s location makes it a kind of a pain in the ass for taxi drivers coming from the west (it might be easier coming from Pudong airport), forcing you to either cross an overhead walkway or get dropped off on a seriously busy thoroughfare. Otherwise, transport is great. You’re split between the Line 10 Metro stations for Laoximen and Yuyuan, which are both just less than 1 km away from the hotel, and this would make a great base for exploring what’s left of the old town. There are also branches around the rest of the city, if you want to base yourself elsewhere.