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VERTIGINOUS lobbies, rooftop bars with Jacuzzis, bathtubs in living rooms, evening ‘unwind’ rituals – Shanghai’s hotels are going to extreme lengths to distinguish themselves in an increasingly competitive market. Before the 2010 Shanghai World Expo more of the world’s top hotel names – Peninsula, Park Hyatt, W Hotels, Jumeirah, Banyan Tree, and the list goes on and on – will open in the city, while existing five-stars like the Shangri-La and Portman Ritz-Carlton will unveil second properties on the opposite bank of the Huangpu River. Added to this, boutique hotels are finally catching on, offering intimate, funky alternatives often in landmark buildings.
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Everyone from fashion designers to movie directors seems to have their sights set on opening one of these in Shanghai in the future. The budget sector is equally robust, with chains like Motel 168 proliferating throughout the city (and country), providing rooms for as little as Rmb168 without sacrificing a sense of service or style (think free WiFi and flat screen TVs in some cases). And as for Shanghai’s most legendary property: The much-faded Peace Hotel built in 1929 by Victor Sassoon closed its doors in 2007 for a massive overhaul. It will reopen in 2010 as the Fairmont Peace Hotel Shanghai ready to cater to a new generation of pleasured travelers whooping it up in the Paris of the East.
Pudong
Airport Arrival and Departure
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| Hyatt on the Bund/ photo: hotel |
While a host of international carriers serve Shanghai, Dragonair and no-frills China Eastern are two useful choices. Dragonair’s Airbus A-330 aircraft from Hong Kong offer a bit more style and service (but without inflight video). On the A-330, rows 22 and 35 are “bulkhead” seats with exit row 35 offering a bit more legroom. Pick aisle seats 35C or 35H as the window seats on this row are squeezed somewhat by the protruding bulk of the door.
Pudong Airport has streamlined its arrival procedure in recent years with the only major bottlenecks remaining at immigration and the taxi queue. Overall, the airport seems to work and, if you arrived at a central gate, there’s not too much walking involved. The high-profile Maglev (magnetic levitation) train makes an eight-minute, 430kmph dash between Pudong Airport and Longyang Road Station (out in the Pudong suburbs). Trains run daily between 7am and 9.30pm at 20-minute intervals. A one-way ticket costs Rmb50 or Rmb100 (VIP), and travellers with a current plane ticket (but not an e-ticket) get a 20 percent discount. From the station it is a 12-minute subway ride to Pudong’s exhibition centre or 25 minutes downtown. A taxi from Pudong airport to Puxi (on the other side of the Huangpu river) costs Rmb150 for a 50-minute ride along a crisp, four-lane highway. The renminbi (“people’s money”) is just a little weaker than the Hong Kong dollar (US$1 = Rmb7.4).
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The handy Watsons store that made a brief appearance by the check-in counters has been removed so that the thirsty are now forced to pay Rmb20 for a little bottle of Evian at the sprinkling of restaurants or gift stores under monopoly management. Save your caffeine fix until you pass through immigration. Not only is the coffee better, but you’ll need both hands (and maybe a sharp elbow at times) for the form-filling and queuing as you pass through quarantine, customs and immigration.
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| JIA Shanghai / photo: hotel |
Duty-free is anything but, and a Ferragamo tie will cost Rmb855 or more. Alcohol is more in line with Asian airport prices. One impressive new addition to the departure lounge is Voyager Bar. This European-style espresso bar forms an island oasis of black marble and leather bar stools amidst the drab duty free counters near Gate 16.
Getting
around Shanghai
Taxis are plentiful in Shanghai. The Dazhong and Ba Shi companies tend to be most reliable, and three little red stars on the windshield indicate exemplary drivers (or at least those who won’t speak on their mobile phones, spit out the window or run red lights). Always have your destination written in characters and ask hotel doormen to explain directions in Chinese. An average taxi ride within the city centre is Rmb10-20.
Shanghai is a vast metropolis, straddling both sides of the Huangpu River. Pudong, the newer and brasher business area, is literally “East of the Pu (river)”. “Dong” means east. Puxi, the stately and lived-in Shanghai heartland, is west of the river (“xi” means west). First-timers to Shanghai will need time to digest it all. This is a city in rapid transition. The skyline ranges from awesome to awful with “show off” architecture ensuring no two buildings are alike. The glorious stone buildings along The Bund are a journey back in time while, across the river, the Pearl Oriental Tower with its fat, spherical bulbs and spindly legs is particularly taxing to the eye. Just behind it, the gleaming 88-storey Jinmao Tower (which houses the Grand Hyatt) and the new Shanghai World Financial Centre, which tops it with 101-storeys and a soon to be opened Park Hyatt soar gracefully side-by-side. At night the entire city (including highways) is lit up in gaudy green, blue and red like a karaoke parlour. Shanghai is brash, bold and, in older side lanes, beautiful – all at once. And it has trees. Lots of them. But on to those gleaming Shanghai business hotels, and some quirky options. Puxi first.
Shanghai
Business Hotels, Puxi
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| JW
Marriott room/ photo: hotel |
Opened in 2003, the JW Marriott Shanghai at Tomorrow Square is the chain’s China flagship. Opposite People’s Square and the Shanghai Art Museum, the award-winning hotel is set in a space-age, crystal-shaped structure on top of a tall tower like a frankfurter on a stick, but considerably more elegant. The lobby is on the 38th floor and the hotel runs to the 60th floor, home to the world’s highest library-cum-exclusive boardroom. There is an executive apartment complex too. The wraparound views from here take in the entire city. All rooms feature massive picture windows, the Marriott’s new “Revive” beds, and an inroom safe large enough to handle a laptop.
Broadband is available in rooms for Rmb120 a day and there’s free WiFi in public spaces. Other excellent on-site facilities include a luxurious Shanghai-styled Mandara Spa, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a funky 24-hour fitness centre. High-tea in the lobby lounge or bubbly at the 40th floor Champagne Bar are two of the city’s finest choices to kick back in style and drink in the vertiginous views.
A new Shanghai boutique hotel with strong historical overtones is the China Mansion Hotel on Xin Le Road in the heart of the old French Concession. Originally built in 1932 for “infamous Shanghai syndicate boss Du Yue Sheng” the villa has since hosted various less notorious luminaries. The place will please heritage hotel buffs with its classical lines and décor, the 32 rooms each featuring 15ft ceilings with unique layouts. Expect king-size beds, plush armchairs, ottomans, and gas fireplaces, along with all the usual mod-cons associated with the frenetic 21st Century – Bose iPOD docks, 42-inch flat-screen satellite TVs with a broad selection of channels including CNN and BBC, printer/scanner/fax, CD/radio, free high speed WiFi, Jacuzzis and even Japanese-style bidets that spray, squirt and blow-dry. The sprawling 150sq m Mansion Suites come with private stone terraces overlooking the onion domes of the Russian Orthodox Church and bathtubs the size of small swimming pools. And for small corporate meetings and private events there are seven function rooms to choose from. The China Mansion Hotel is the sort of place where you can be utterly wired or gloriously disconnected. Just pick your century.
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| China Mansion Hotel / photo: hotel |
For the executive elite, the boutique 88 Xintiandi offers style and technological savvy in its 53 exquisite “residences” in the popular Xintiandi precinct. The design is spare and mod, with touches of traditional Asian whimsy. All rooms feature lake or plaza views, iron and ironing board, complimentary Broadband and kitchens equipped with a microwave, fridge and dining ware. A recent revamp saw the addition of a private gym, spa and indoor swimming pool. Guests have access to the private clubhouse across the street and to the Alexander fitness club. There are countless bars, restaurants and shopping outlets right at your doorstep in this jazzy historic quarter.
Occupying the tallest building in Puxi, marked by two throbbing antennae, Starwood’s 66-floor Le Royal Meridien Shanghai is the brand’s Asia flagship. Opened right above People’s Square metro station in September 2006, the glam contemporary behemoth is a popular choice for visiting celebs, from Christina Aguilera to Linkin Park. Its 770 rooms come with full floor-to-ceiling windows to enjoy the cityscapes, glass bathrooms, 42-inch plasma TVs that you can spin around 360 degrees, DVD and CD player, and Broadband Internet access for Rmb120 per day. Meetings facilities cover anything from small board meetings to large conferences in two light-filled grand ballrooms, while its food and beverage options include a good French haute restaurant and popular three-storey bar 789 across the uppermost levels. In keeping with Le Meridien’s new focus on the ‘creative individual’, its artist-designed room keys can also be used to ‘unlock’ a local contemporary cultural experience – in Shanghai this translates to free admission at the nearby MOCA Shanghai.
Along People’s Square the tall building that looks as if a spaceship landed on top of it stood empty for years before the Radisson Hotel Shanghai New World. The interiors are exuberant and – in the spirit of the eastern end of this infamous strip – tacky and inexplicably popular. There is an enormous safe and free Broadband in the rooms, and Wi-Fi in public areas. But the best thing about this hotel is its super central location.
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| Le Royal Meridien Shanghai / photo: hotel |
West of the city centre, the Shanghai Marriott Hotel Hongqiao is part of a large business centre block and close to the Shanghai Mart. This is an exhibitions area. While the international role of the nearby Hongqiao Airport has diminished, most domestic flights still land here and a ring road (and upcoming rail link) provides reasonably quick access to Pudong. Executive rooms offer a steam iron and a notebook-size safe. Being a long-time expat enclave, the area is also well serviced with global restaurants, cafes and supermarkets.
Moving back towards town you’ll find the “rebranded” Renaissance Yangtze Shanghai Hotel. Club Rooms feature lots of pinewood and burgundy. The rooms are bright but a tad small. High-speed Internet is available at Rmb120 per day, and free for executive floor guests. The safe can accommodate a small laptop and there is a steam iron with board.
Right around the corner is the Sheraton Shanghai Hongqiao Hotel (formerly known as Sheraton Grand Tai Ping Yang Hotel), which draws its looks from the Westin stable (very similar to the semi-circular Chosun in Seoul). The interior is extravagantly old world. Grand marble pillars, burgundy carpets, chandeliers and Chinese artefacts adorn the lobby. All rooms have gold pinewood floors with lush woven carpets and period furniture. There is Broadband in the rooms at Rmb120 for the day and wireless in public areas. The bathroom is pretty compact (with a tub) but makes up for lack of space with a funky shower curtain and glass basin and rack.
Just outside the city centre, Club Rooms at the Crowne Plaza Shanghai are bold and spacious with a flat-screen TV, and a very solid safe that, alas, is not laptop size. The club lounge is split-level with meeting rooms along with a business centre. Broadband is Rmb2 per minute or Rmb120 per day. Club Room guests are entitled to complimentary garment pressing and free beer and soft drinks from the mini-bar. Drink up.
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| Regal
International/ photo: hotel |
The new Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai, Daning is in the city’s northern Zhabei district, around 20 minutes by cab from the CBD. The hotel makes up part of a young integrated complex called the Daning Life Hub, and boasts plentiful business facilities. Among these are vast swathes of meeting space, 7 function rooms, a business centre, a Grand Ballroom … and a rainforest shower in each bathroom.
The Regal International East Asia Hotel is an athlete’s dream. It features eight outdoor tennis courts (Rmb100-120 per hour) and two indoor courts (Rmb250 per hour). There’s also billiards, a gym, vast fitness facilities, a 12-lane bowling centre, simulated golf driving range and squash. If you’d rather work on your beer belly than your six-pack, there’s the infamous Hengshan Lu bar strip below. And in case you have any time left for business, there’s the Regal Club Lounge and Business Center on its fourth and fifth floors. Refurbished Regal Club Rooms have been styled just for ladies with a "feminine touch" in the decor and special amenities including satin hangers, humidifier, hair-curler and manicure set. (Regal International East Asia Hotel is showcased in our exclusive Top Asian Hotels Collection, featuring the best Asian hotels, resorts and spas in a printable A4 page with stunning visuals.)
Farther away is its sister property, the four-star Regal Shanghai East Asia Hotel, which is actually “within” the Shanghai Stadium. No kidding. This may be too much for some but the Sports Bar does in fact overlook the stadium, which is a novel way to end the day.
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| Szechuan at Hilton/ photo: hotel |
Located in the central Puxi area, the Hilton Shanghai is one of the city’s pioneering international five-star business hotels and has a loyal following and welcoming feel. There’s Broadband in all rooms and the 40th-floor “Top of the Hilton” is a totally chic meetings area with funky hidden lighting, curving glass walls, a spiral chrome staircase and bright red-and-black chairs in the conference room. The executive rooms are in light pastels with three-pin plugs. And there is now a handy ATM in the lobby. For a good rubdown or something more exotic try the 3,000sq m Spa at the Hilton. Breathe in the “ozone-enriched bio-climatised air”. I’ll bet you’ve never done that before. Right next door is a large pink slab called the Hotel Equatorial, with a lobby plaque announcing, “The best hotel for exterior design.” You be the judge. Its rates are a lot more affordable than its neighbour’s.
The Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai is very much a Four Seasons, with “corporate” stamped all over it. While it doesn’t quite compare with its sister properties in other parts of the world, it still ranked top hotel in the Shanghai Zagat Survey. Situated on a side street near Nanjing Lu, the property has a plush, airy lobby plastered with paintings, lampshades and something that has invaded Shanghai in a big way: palm trees. There’s no Club Room here; you simply have rooms with various pricing structures. An additional Rmb500 plus 15 percent gives guests use of the Executive Club Lounge, including an hour’s free use of a meeting room. If you’re four guests, you get four hours’ free use. Of course, the Four Seasons is no slouch on the room rates front. There is a convenient ATM that takes Visa in the lobby. This is a good Shanghai business hotel choice.
The Deluxe Rooms are bright and sumptuous with pale yellow walls, cherry wood headboards and pale-gold satin drapes. There is a multi-plug setup at the table with two-pin and three-pin “chicken feet” connections. There are also three-pin square plug points. Broadband is in all rooms at Rmb100 for the day.
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| Comfy Four Seasons/ photo: hotel |
For those who like their accommodation with attitude, boutique residence JIA Shanghai is housed in a Twenties-era neoclassical building just one block from the Four Seasons. Behind dark glass doors, JIA sets a standard in terms of refined designer lodging in a city eagerly jumping on the boutique bandwagon. The 55 “quietly theatrical” guestrooms range from 35-160sq m and feature dark timber floors, Bisazza mosaic bathrooms and signature pieces by the likes of Knoll, Minotti and Hans Wegner. A techno kit supplies free Broadband and VGA cables so you can link your computer to the TV. There’s also 42-inch flat screen TVs with DVDs, Nintendo and WiFi games, MP3 link-ups to a surround sound speaker system and, if all that sounds too techno, a stash of old-fashioned board games. Kitchenettes come stocked with refrigerator, electric stove, microwave and dining ware, while a trendy Italian restaurant serves some of Shanghai’s best pizza. Guests also have access to a small business centre, gym and JIA’s trademark residential lounge, where the trendy clientele mingles over breakfast, afternoon cake and evening wines.
Dominating the Western end of Nanjing Lu, right next to the Plaza 66 shopping mall with its designer brands, is the Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai. The hotel is tucked away in the Shanghai Centre – an expat haven incorporating a foreign supermarket, consulates, restaurants, bars and cafes – and offers a boutique feel from its entrance archways right down to its little hideaway spaces and rich décor. Club Rooms have a lot of dark rosewood and large mirrors with salmon-gold quilted bedcovers. Internet access is at Rmb1.60 per minute or Rmb96 per day. Along with the 32-inch LCD TV there’s a CD and tape player. The middle two Club Floors are connected by a convenient spiral staircase that saves the bother of calling a lift to move up or down one floor. The gymnasium and business centre run 24 hours, the lounge serves free food and drinks throughout the day and if your laptop spaghetti wires have you tied up in knots, just call the “technology butler”. The Palladio restaurant is one of the city’s finest Italians. All in, a fine spot for executives. You won’t find 15 persons in your room at the Ritz. Club Floor English is impeccable.
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| Ritz-Carlton Club Room/ photo: hotel |
Across Nanjing Road, the Singapore-run Shanghai JC Mandarin has just completed a 12-month overhaul. It now features a spanking-new lobby with lots of white marble and pleasant guestrooms. In-room Broadband costs Rmb5 per minute and Rmb120 per day, while in the business centre its Rmb40 for the first 15 minutes and Rmb2 per minute after that. The hotel is well located for shopping and quick access to business areas, and there is a gem of a wine and tapas bar on the third floor. The Wellness Spa is a luxurious place to escape the city stresses – try the golden body wrap and massage using gold powder.
Not too far from here, the neoclassical Okura Garden Hotel Shanghai stands in a green garden compound with little pathways and fountains. This hotel was a private French Club in the 1930s before becoming Chairman Mao’s revolutionary headquarters. It’s now an elegant Japanese-run hotel with spacious, newly-renovated rooms and a popular Japanese restaurant, Yamazoto. High-speed Internet access costs Rmb120 per day. The highlight of the bathroom is a Japanese-style potty with all the trimmings – press-button bidet, spray and all manner of devices to keep your bottom shipshape. The safe can handle a camera, but no more.
The neighbouring Jin Jiang Hotel (not the tower) is a gem with its historic red-brick structure and white-frame bay windows. The hotel is spread across five classical buildings in manicured grounds. Past room renovations have been less than sympathetic, though many of the original details are intact and there are plans to restore the hotel to its full glory. The rating is five stars (local) and it doesn’t come cheap. Within the grounds, Gourmet Street offers several dining options, most notably Yin, which serves MSG-free Chinese downstairs and authentic Japanese on the second floor. This is a nice part of Maoming Lu with lots of boutique shopping (unfortunately at Japanese prices).
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| The spacious Okura/ photo: hotel |
For Disneyland-meets-Gothic-horror-gabled-mansion, look no further than the Heng Shan Moller Villa. The story has it that an expatriate businessman built it exactly as his daughter saw it in a dream. The daughter clearly had a splendid imagination. The ensuing construction is alternatively pleasing, astonishing and spooky. It offers a boutique alternative to larger, modern establishments and also has extensive gardens. As would be expected, the interiors are overblown with a heady mix of styles, largely European. The deluxe bedroom has a canopy with satin drapes, parquet flooring and woven carpets. The club rooms are called “Business Affairs” rooms. Pick your style – French, Italian or Spanish – but don’t expect everything to work. For those on the go there is a modern building next door, imaginatively named Building No 2, with none of the camp fun of the original. Be sure to book ahead for this one. The hotel is popular with government officials who often book it out for months at a time.
The Radisson Plaza Xing Guo is set in 15 acres of garden in the former French Concession. It’s a smart choice, with ample business facilities, a pool, squash court and bowling alley. Its sibling is the underwhelming Radisson Plaza SAS Lansheng.
Not far from Xintiandi, the Taiwanese owners of Shanghai restaurant and rustic ceramic tableware brand Lapis Lazuli have refreshed a natty old hotel into 18 individually designed rooms. Though small, the rooms at Lapis Casa boast a touch of 1920s Shanghai decadence in the club chairs, candelabra and green jade sinks. Numbers 81-84 offer leafy views over Huaihai Park, and Internet is free.
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| The futuristic Westin |
Another boutique property that’s too cool for spelling is Urbn. Claiming to be China's first carbon neutral hotel, the 26-room property near Jing’an Temple uses eco-friendly solutions like passive solar shades and rain water retention basins. It tracks the energy it consumes and purchases United Nations-approved credits to neutralise its carbon footprint by investing in green energy development and emission reduction projects in China. Hotel guests can also choose to purchase carbon credits from the program to offset their flights. The contemporary Asian styled hotel wins points for design and amenities too – free WiFi, iPod ports, in-room spa treatments and Mandarin lessons are some of the little luxuries offered.
The Renaissance Yuyuan Shanghai opened in the city’s famed Yu Gardens in 2007, with Bill Marriott himself cutting the ribbon on the four-star brand’s trendy flagship, specifically designed to appeal to 25-to-40-year-olds. The 341-room hotel designed by Czech glass artist Borek Sipek, is decked out in bold carpets and quirky blown glass, and rooms feature glass bathrooms and tubs in the living area in some cases. Its two-storey Quan Spa is shaded in vibrant hues of aqua, mauve and lime, with petrified palm trees, Vichy showers and views over the winged roofline of Yuyuan. There’s also a rooftop indoor pool with a terrifying glass infinity wall. Another new-look Renaissance will open in Zhongshan Park in 2008.
The Regent occupies a rather lackluster location, up against the Yan’an elevated highway. Although hardly tourist central, it’s right next door to the growing business district of Zhongshan Park and just a short drive to both Nanjing Lu or Hongqiao. Besides, it’s well worth going out of your way for. Reflecting its surrounds, the Regent Shanghai moves away from the stately ambience for which the brand is known worldwide, and goes for a more contemporary look. The 53-storey building boasts a cutting-edge design with an easily recognisable electric blue stripe running down the outside, an airy lobby, funky white pod chairs and sleek cherry woods.
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| Sofitel Hyland/ photo: hotel |
All rooms feature 42-inch plasma TVs and many of the bathrooms have retractable glass walls or floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the city lights. There is free Wi-Fi in public spaces (except the business lounge) and complimentary Broadband in all rooms. There’s also a L’Institut de Guerlain spa and 30-metre infinity pool.
Directly opposite The Regent, but worlds away in character, is the Howard Johnson All Suites Hotel. Though it aims upmarket, it’s easy to see through the gaudy gold veneer of this newly built highrise, to cheap materials and workmanship. The small, serviced apartments cater to long-stay business travellers, with kitchenettes featuring a single burner (you’ll have to ask reception to open the gas), a microwave, bar fridge and kettle. There are glasses but no cutlery or crockery, so be prepared to slurp.
An excellent Shanghai business hotel close to the Bund is the tiara-topped Westin Bund Centre Shanghai, now accompanied by the hi-tech 269-room Grand Tower. The expanded Westin Shanghai is futuristic, fun and functional. And for good measure the atrium lobby is crammed with Hirsch Bedner designer palm trees surrounding a red blown-glass centrepiece. Underlit glass staircases (not see-through, sorry) climb up a few floors to function areas. The Executive Club Floor rooms feature a concealed fax, multi-plug panels and fancy toilets with rainforest showers and some bathtubs with a city view. The ubiquitous “Heavenly Bed” is always beckoning. There are dual-line phones, Broadband for Rmb120 per day (the city standard), a DVD player with flat-screen TV and a just-right business chair. The safe can handle a small notebook. This is a feature that cannot be over-emphasised. And yes, there is a steam iron and ironing board. A Banyan Tree Spa offers after-hours de-stressing.
Also in the Bund area is the 23-storey, five-star Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel. The comfortably appointed hotel is close to shopping and the metro and offers high-speed Internet access in its rooms, along with standard amenities.
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| Le Meridien She Shan guestroom |
Right on the pedestrian stretch of Nanjing Lu, the 401-room Sofitel Hyland Shanghai is a tad plain compared to the competition but location, facilities and friendly service are a huge plus. It offers complimentary usage of high-speed Internet and computers in the lounge. For business travellers it offers 180 smart Sofitel Club rooms, along with a gym, sauna, and health club. The hotel has been through major renovations and the Club Lounge on the 30th floor with sweeping views is a welcome addition. The Sofitel Hyland can competently manage a mid-size conference for up to 400. Completing the Bund selection is the 23-storey, five-star Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel. The comfortably appointed hotel is close to shopping and the Metro and offers high-speed Internet access in its rooms, along with standard amenities. Also consider the upscale Pudi Boutique Hotel Fuxing Park Shanghai near Xintiandi offering 52 generously sized rooms adorned with original works by contemporary Chinese artists. Nice touches here include in-room check-in, a pillow menu featuring green tea and buckwheat varieties, and a rooftop bar and Jacuzzi. Pudi is Shanghai’s only pet-friendly hotel, and party animals can head to Philippe Starck’s members-only club Volar downstairs.
Hyatt on the Bund is not quite – it’s actually around the bend of the Huangpu river in the upcoming North Bund development that will incorporate the new cruise ship terminal. Opened in 2007, the hotel smacks of contemporary design flair and latest mod-cons. The 631 rooms across two towers (the entire east wing is an Executive Tower) have each been angled to take full advantage of the hotel’s most outstanding asset – its gaping views straight down the Huangpu River, taking in both the east and west banks. Rooms feature iPod docks, open bathrooms and safes that allow you to store and charge a laptop. A Yuan Spa occupies 3,000sq m across the entire lower level. Dining options are typically strong, especially the part-alfresco Chinese restaurant specialising in Peking duck from its own custom-built clay oven, while a signature two-storey bar designed by SuperPotato comes with a rooftop Jacuzzi, daybeds and more knockout views.
Shanghai Business Hotels, Pudong
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| Inviting Grand Hyatt pool/ photo: hotel |
Crossing over to Pudong, and towering over everything, is the Jin Mao Tower, home to the world’s highest hotel, the Grand Hyatt Shanghai located on the 53rd to 87th floors. This 88-storey building almost redeems the blot on the landscape that is the Oriental Pearl Tower. An ear-popping elevator ride takes you up to the lobby from where you cross to the hotel lifts. The Grand Club rooms are spacious and light-filled with sweeping views of the river and the Bund on a clear day. Other times you can get lost in clouds, endlessly. A nice feature is the hand-engraved Tang Dynasty poem in the cherry wood headboard, while the table lamp comes on and off by just passing your palm over the controls. Plug points are two-pin and adaptors are provided. There are three-pin square outlets as well.
All rooms at the Grand Hyatt have Broadband, at Rmb120 per day. There is a nifty double-side wardrobe that can be accessed from bedroom and toilet. Bathtubs have great views and the shower cubicles sport side “massage” jets. The bathroom also offers dimmers for its lights in case you’re feeling romantic, in which case dump the Broadband and grab a blonde (not provided).
The riverfront Pudong Shangri-La is Shanghai’s biggest five-star. The extension is more sleek and sexy than the older areas, and features 375 additional luxury rooms and suites, a ballroom, an 800sq m CHI spa with over 35 specialist treatments, and 12 drinking and dining venues. Two standout restaurants have become destinations in their own right – the classy Japanese Nadaman and highly conceptual Jade on 36, by designer of the day Adam D Tihany and with avant-garde chef Paul Pairet in the kitchen. The 54sq m Premier Rooms are the largest in Shanghai and offer LCD flat screen TVs and great views of the Puxi skyline. There is Broadband in all rooms (Rmb120 per day) and Wireless in the public areas. Situated by the Pudong riverfront and next door to the mega shopping complex Super Brand Mall, the Shangri-La is one of the front-runners in our Shanghai business hotels review.
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| Pudong Shangri-La/ photo: hotel |
If you’re heading into the Pudong heartlands, the first hotel to roll by will be the InterContinental Pudong Shanghai. The Club Floor rooms feature crisp white beds with China-red silk bed runners. There are traditional Chinese paintings and black wood cabinets. Some bedrooms and bathrooms (with Aigner toiletries) are separated by just a glass partition.
Five minutes from here is a three-hotel cluster. The Hotel Zhongyou International, formerly the Hotel Nikko Pudong Shanghai, is a clean and neat yet unexceptional place with Japanese trimmings. Rooms are spacious in light pastels. Next door, the Holiday Inn Pudong Shanghai offers some renovated facilities with Broadband available. (The Holiday Inn Downtown Shanghai is on the Puxi side with two wings, Great Wall and Plaza.) Also check out the Holiday Inn Vista.
Across the road, The St Regis Shanghai is an imposing building. Despite it sometimes being referred to locally by the name of the cigarette company that owns it, this is an all-business hotel, a custom-built dream for top-end travellers. The rooms are chic with funky opera-inspired touches, right down to velvet covers and satin drapes. The rooms are in darker corporate tones when compared to the brightly lit ensembles at many other establishments, and come with the St Regis signature 24-hour butler service for every guest. Executive touches extend to the Herman Miller mesh “Aeron Chair”. The complimentary Broadband is a nice touch and for unlimited coffee or tea just call the butler. Nothing quite so mundane as making it yourself here. The good news for road warriors is the roomy laptop-size safe and an ironing board with a steam iron. Bathrooms feature rainforest showers – and the transparent weighing machines make yet another appearance. Two floors are reserved exclusively for female travellers, complete with perfumed rooms, unpronounceable Bvlgari body products, fashion magazines and lady butlers.
For Accor aficionados there is the 446-room Sofitel Jin Jiang Oriental Pudong Shanghai with good facilities and smart rooms. The lobby is spacious with plenty of glass frontage to let in light. Executive floors have high-speed Broadband at standard rates. Expect good conference facilities (for up to 450 people), a health club, and spa.
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| Gleaming St Regis lobby/ photo: hotel |
A Radisson may not sound like the most appealing accommodation option, but the Radisson Hotel Pudong Century Park is quite a surprise. The 362-room hotel was actually conceived as an ‘art hotel’ complementing the neighbouring Zendai Museum of Modern Art by the same owners. The trendy white-on-white design by Australian firm Hassel provides a fantastic canvas for specially commissioned artworks and sculptures by high-profile Chinese artists. There are creative solutions for the business traveller too: some of the guestrooms adjoin private meeting rooms and there is free Broadband and WiFi in public spaces. Recreational options extend to an outdoor pool and tennis court. Radisson Hotel Pudong Century Park is miles from downtown but is part of the hip lifestyle and dining enclave of Thumb Plaza and the closest hotel to the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.
Another surprisingly good choice in Pudong is the Courtyard Shanghai Pudong by Marriott, offering exceptional service and amenities. It is a far cry from its US counterparts and can compete with the best in Shanghai. The Renaissance Shanghai Pudong Hotel is close to the New International Expo Centre and the Oriental Arts Centre, as is the Sheraton’s new addition to the neighbourhood, the Sheraton Shanghai Hotel & Residences, Pudong. The property has joined the Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai, Pudong on the same multi-purpose site (the You You International Plaza Complex) and offers 141 serviced 1-3 bedroom apartments as well as its rooms and suites. A comfortable alternative is The Ascott Pudong, which also offers short or long-term serviced residences for business travellers. Local calls are free and there’s a 10 percent discount on laundry, dry-cleaning and meetings facilities.
And that’s our Shanghai business hotels wrap.
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