WiFi

I’m not sure how often I will or need to do a blog. But I’ll do it when something catches my interest or is worth sharing. That’s probably pretty regularly in China ! So this morning it was my checkout experience at Mandarin Oriental, in Pudong, Shanghai. Now I do like this hotel. Rooms & beds are big. Normally with good views of the river. The staff are friendly but classy at the same time.

They care about details. But my checkout was a pure China moment.

I saw that Mandarin Oriental now has a ‘Friends of MO’ program. This is new - one of the few big, quality chains that didn’t have a reward program. Now as I stay here regularly I thought I’d join. I scan the QR code - this is pretty much how everything is accessed in China. The website starts to load - but that’s it. So I show the reception manager. I point out that a website that won’t load so I can join - is not much use.

We check - yes I’m on WiFi. He then goes on to tell me - and this is the China moment - that because this is a Global site - it’s got access problems. Just like Google and Facebook! So I try to point out that advertising a site & plan that can’t actually be accessed in China is not a clever idea. His answer - and he was Chinese - that’s what it’s like here in China. Do you have a VPN ? Any foreigner and probably most Chinese have VPN’s to allow access to sites outside China. Not just Facebook & Google, but YouTube, some news sites etc. - but I’m not convinced that MO would set a site that needs a VPN to use but in China. So - turn off the WiFi. Go to 4G. Try again - success!!

So - I show the manager - his response - ‘Oh, the WiFi is slow - there must be a government event’. Complete acceptance that this is normal - which it is by the way.

So - checked out - off to Hongqiao Railway Station for my return trip to Nanchang. `

#Hotel #WiFi