Shanghai

Shanghai: Hotel reviews

Shanghai Insider

Pudong Shangri-la

Whether you're looking to splash out or keep to a budget, our Insider has the best unbiased Shanghai hotel info out there.

The Portman Ritz-Carlton

A downtown city doyen, the R-C is the grand dame of Shanghai. The central location, slick and smiling service, recently upgraded rooms and Shanghai's most-revered concierges attract visiting politicians,(recently including President Obama), celebs, and other important people not given to studying the contents of their bill at check-out.

Pudong Shangri-la

Sitting on the east bank of the Huangpu River, Shangri-La's rather nondescript exterior houses Pudong's best, and priciest, business hotel. The vast lobby sets the upscale tone, with fresh-cut flowers, an open-cast mine quantity of marble and scores of greeting staff. Selling points are its extensive conference facilities and a fine suite of restaurants.

The Peninsula

Occupying the first new-build on The Bund since the 1930s, The Peninsula takes edgy room facilities off the chart. Alongside wifi, flatscreen TV and Nespresso maker are a 1000-channel internet radio, spa-effect lighting/music in the bathroom, and a Valet Box for depositing and collecting laundry at six hours notice. The vast terrace at Sir Elly's bar/restaurant overlooking the Bund, river and Pudong is destined to be a stylish summer hotspot.

JIA

The name means 'home' in Mandarin, but not too many of us live in a super-swank designer pad like this. Easily Shanghai's hottest boutique hotel, JIA occupies a revamped 1920s townhouse and blends the feel of a glossy magazine fashion shoot with some seriously smart in-room technology and amenities.

Old House Inn

Though the global travel mags have tried hard to promote its style credentials, this small 1920s-themed hotel is more 'home-style' and 'good-value' than 'boutique'. Tucked away down a narrow lane, the converted house features small, time-warp rooms with antique furnishings, four-poster beds, art deco motifs and an obligatory scarlet Chinese lantern or two.

JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai

JW's rocketship tower rises beside People's Square, the city's central hub for traffic, trains and people. However, it's blissfully removed from the rabble, with the lobby located on the 38th floor. There's a great 24-hour techno-gym for fitness buffs, a Mandara Spa for massage fans, and a 40th floor cocktail bar with a fine view over downtown.

Park Hyatt Shanghai

Stealing the crown of the world's tallest hotel from its sister property Grand Hyatt next door, the Park Hyatt stretches from the 79th to 93rd floors of the 492-meter Shanghai World Financial Center in Pudong. All 174 rooms come with high-level perks like espresso machines, Japanese-style auto-toilets and monsoon rainshowers. It's high, very high.

Pei Mansion Hotel

Opened in early 2010, this 1930s throwback is rich in period detailing — though with a raft of 21st century 'New China' extravagances. The 25 heritage-style rooms occupy a building once owned by the family of world-renowned architect I.M. Pei. Whether he'd approve of the elaborate interior design is a matter of conjecture, but this is an appealing addition to Shanghai's burgeoning boutique hotel sector.

Urbn

Occupying a former post office, this eco-aware design hotel is aimed squarely at style-conscious travelers. The 26 rooms are encased in hardwoods, slate and reconditioned bricks from old Shanghai buildings, with bamboo prevalent in the public spaces. Neat in-room touches include free wifi, underfloor bathroom heating and iPod docks.

The PuLi Hotel & Spa

Described as an Urban Resort, this super-chic hotel just off Nanjing Road blends Chinese and Southeast Asian design aesthetics. The 229 rooms are beautifully styled and feature a suite of high-tech amenities. There is also an Anantara Spa, a palatial lobby with natural lighting and myriad faux-ancient furnishings and artefacts and Jing'An restaurant, which serves up inventive comfort cuisine by highly commended New Zealand-born chef Dane Clouston.

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