I know this post was put up much after the last of the park detail posts, but here is the last of the series of the grand opening adventure at the resort! The Toy Story Hotel is one of the opening day hotels at the Shanghai Disneyland Resort. Themed to the iconic film series, it may seem like a “kids hotel,” but it’s far from that. With very thematic elements that double as functional pieces, and an amazing architectural construction, this is actually an elegant hotel in its own way.
Pulling Up
The way I got to the hotel was by Resort bus, which had a station nearby the Shanghai Disneyland entrance. It was night, so there was not a lot of view of the building, but it was breathtaking nonetheless. Out the window I could see the famous Pixar ball sitting at the bottom of the driveway. Beyond it was this grand, reflective building that showcased a simplistic design, but I knew it held some colorful details inside. I could see the shapes of the wings of the hotel. Having seen drawings of the building, I had been curious how an enormous hotel could just be laid out in two wings that circled back on itself…so to speak. It’s a figure eight design that looks a bit like an infinity symbol. This, of course, conjures the line “To infinity and beyond!” It was quite the purposeful layout, but still an architectural feat.
The Lobby
Inside was a colorful lobby with building blocks for posts, tinker toy signs, and several of the Toy Story characters. I will say there was a bit of a line to check-in since I had chosen the park closing as the time to do so. With that, I recommend taking a break from the park to do the check-in if you need to. But, back to the details. Artwork with the characters denoted the appropriate wings. On one end is the Woody and Jessie wing, and the other is the Buzz themed one. The way the hotel doesn’t make you have to walk clear from one end to the other to find rooms is that it’s divided between these two arms of the hotel, with a set of elevators in the middle of each branch. Cast members directed me to the Woody wing, as that was where my room was located…
The Room
Before getting to the room, I took note of the atmosphere as I went on my way. The elevators spoke the floors, both in Chinese and English. Jessie narrated this wing’s elevator. The hallway had earthy brown tone to it, which fit the sienna based cowboy color palette of Woody and Jessie. Door numbers were located on sheriff stars. Kid print horseshoes and stars were on the carpet. It wasn’t too child-like, but very child-friendly to get to the room.
In the room was what I hoped for: A hotel suite fit for Andy and his toys! There were so many parts that payed homage to the franchise. The main light had Slinky Dog running around it. The nightstand was a Rubik’s cube. The bedding looked like what Andy would have. Shower curtains displayed sketches of the famous characters from the movie. And, the wallpaper was the famous blue sky with clouds. It was a fun and dynamic room!
Some of the nice amenities included lights on the headboards. And, there was a nice light the shot up the wallpaper to make it look like a sunrise or sunset depending on the time of day you have it on. Complimentary toiletries, like toothbrushes, were in a miniature Buzz lunchbox. These were all nice touches that made the room sparkle.
Eating and Shopping and Atmosphere
Outside on some courtyards of the hotel were a few great features. First, you get a good glimpse of the design of the hotel. Though it’s reflective, you can clearly see the painted clouds that sit in the shimmering blue. Then there’s actual grass on the roofs. Or, at least, the “ramp downs” had them which made me think it goes all the way around. Then there’s the giant statues of Woody and Bullseye, and Buzz. For having two courtyards that looked almost identical, these helped identify where you were at. In the Woody courtyard was where the characters would appear and pose for photos. In the Buzz area was a small water tower playground with the LGM’s.
The only shop in the area was Lotso Shop. Not much theming after the bear, but it did contain some treasures with the Toy Story Hotel logo. In addition were some key items that were also found in the park. It was nice to see that some of the grand opening merch made its way here.
There are two places to grab food and drinks at the hotel. One is the Sunnyside Cafe, and the other is the Sunnyside Market. It may seem like these are one and the same, but the only thing in common is proximity. The Market has pastries as the main items, and a great selection of drinks. It’s more the grab and go for snack options, though a few meal items. The Cafe is the food court type option. It has meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Both seemed to share an area to sit down and enjoy the food, but there were more appropriate seats for the Market across from it. Lots of artwork sat on the walls of the dining rooms. Much of it were concept sketches from the films. Overhead were beautiful kites depicting Slinky Dog, an LGM, and a few others from the movies. It was quite colorful and playful for an eating establishment.
The Verdict
I know the question comes up: Was it worth staying at? Yes and no. It’s not a cheap hotel, so don’t expect it to be that much less than the very posh Shanghai Disneyland Hotel. It’s very kid friendly, so it’s great for families. But, there are much cheaper and still nice options within the city of Shanghai. For a lot of convenience, this is a good option. It’s especially convenient since trains don’t run in Shanghai very late. Messages actually play within the park to pay attention to train schedules. With this in mind, it’s nice to not worry about jumping on the last train as everyone else. It’s a very beautiful hotel with a very fun theme. I’d say stay one or two nights, but not a whole vacation in Shanghai. It’s still a very great place to visit, even to relax. During the late morning there were not many people around, so it was nice to enjoy a pastry and see the environment. In all, it’s a great original hotel that has been created for a unique resort!
