There are several JI HOTEL locations near Nanjing East Road, so blog reviews can sometimes be confusing as to which branch they're referring to. This review is for the Shanghai People's Square branch. Gaode Map search: 全家酒店(上海人民广场店) (JI Hotel (Shanghai People's Square)).
It's right next to the No. 1 Department Store (第一百货商店) where Xian Jiu Yi Qian (现九一千) is located, and the nearest station is People's Square Station (人民广场站) on lines 1/2/8, which is about a 5-minute walk away. If you enter the New World City (新世界城) across the street and use the passage towards the underground food court, it's directly connected to Exit 19. It's hot, so take advantage of the air conditioning as much as possible.
As rumored, they offered an upgrade for an additional fee at check-in, but I declined.
There's a window that doesn't open, and instead of an outside view, it looks out onto a courtyard-like area connected to the opposite hallway. It seems that rooms labeled "INNER" are of this type. They cleaned the room every day, and when I ordered delivery, a robot came to deliver it to the door, which was amazing and convenient. The lobby on the 9th floor also lends out umbrellas, and they don't check the room number, so you can just use one and put it back. I booked a room for around 100,000 KRW per night, including the weekend during the peak summer season, so I felt it was a good value for the price. The convenience store on the first floor is only open until 10 PM, so please keep that in mind.