We spent 3 nights at the Traders at the beginning of our Myanmar trip, and then 1 night in the end. It i an absolutely fantastic hotel.

Good:
* The rooms are large, immaculately clean, well presented and very comfortable. The bathrooms are sufficiently large and well stocked with toiletries. The rooms are overall extremely pleasant and well above what we expected we would find in Myanmar.

* Service. The service at the Traders is simply world-class and is up there with what I have received at Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons properties. The staff remember you, greet you by name and are always smiling and will do what it takes to satisfy you. For example, when you arrive back at the hotel the door man smiles and says welcome back. I asked at the front desk where is the business center, and the girl actually walkedwith me up to the third floor to make sure I found it. Another example, the gift shop was closed but I wanted to buy a magnet for my girlfriend. The recptionist contacted the duty manager and opened up the store for me. I could go on with more examples but you get the point. Absolutely floorless service from start to finish.

* Restaurants. The food on offer at the main restaurant is excellent and very well priced. The breakfast buffet was superb. The dinner buffet was also excellent and at only US$16 including a glass of wine - tremendous value. There is a cake sore in the lobby which makes up the most divine cakes - and at only US$ 2 per cake, also great value.

* Location. Right in the heart of Yangon and within an easy walk to anywhere in the city - great location.

* Why stay at the Strand? We went into the Strand for a beer. This hotel is 4 times the price of the Traders. It did not seem very grand at all - we were very glad we did not stay at the Strand.

Bad:
* No real bad points to report at the Traders.

Conclusion:
One of the best hotel experiences I have had anywhere in the world. If I ever go back to Yangon I would stay at the Traders - if it were full - I wouldn't go at all!

We booked this because of the reviews on tripadvisor and were pleased with our choice.

The hotel is in a high rise building in the centre of downtown Yangon. We stayed twice for one night each. The first time, we arrived jetlagged and expected a standard business hotel. But the service was excellent (they even told us where to change money on the black market). Our room had an amazing view, was large and very comfortable. Its a Shangri-La so the toiletries are brilliant too!

We had an early flight the next morning - so had to leave at 4.30, but they managed to get us a good breakfast, and did not charge us extra for the room service.

On our second stay, one of the staff took very good care of us. She got us a room with a view of Schwegadon Pagoda and everytime we came in and out of the hotel, she always asked us how we were and what she could do to help.

Normally hotels like this are a little impersonal, but the Traders wasn't at all. We would recommend it very highly...The only downside was that the bar was empty early in the evening - but we went across the road to Sakura tower which has an amazing bar with great views across the entire city!

Stayed 4 nights altogether at the Traders and cannot but say that it is a very fine hotel with very attentive, polite and professional staff. We were at the Club level, which we always find very convenient when travelling in Asia because it allows you to have a very pleasant retreat, if needed, with free drinks and all the rest throughout the day and evening.
Also the location is excellent being near Scotts Market and many of the highlights of Yangon.
They have also a very efficient and reliable tour desk
which took care of most of our bookings giving us better prices than those published on internet. When in Yangon, we will certainly return to the Traders again.

Not much to add to the earlier reviews, but can corroborate what has been said. It's a fine hotel in a great location, just around the corner from Scott Market. Try to get a high floor; we were up on the club level because the hotel was almost full, and enjoyed the view of the pagodas (see photo). We were quite happy with the room and the food. We were glad to have the confidence of booking into a Shangri-La property, and it was not misplaced.

However, despite what other reviews and the Lonely Planet guide said, we were charged for laundry. (Rates were high for Burma but low for western hotels.) So if free laundry is important for you, better check when you make your reservation.