The St. Regis Shanghai Jingan, Photo Credit: The St. Regis Shanghai Jingan
Hotel openings in Shanghai come in waves and, this summer, there’s been a refreshing surge of new places to stay all around China’s capital of all things cosmopolitan.
We’ve rounded up five of the city’s newest addresses, each in a different neighborhood. So, whether you’re staying in Jing’an, near Hongqiao airport or in the French Concession, there’s a just-opened high-end hotel to rest your head.
The St. Regis Shanghai Jingan
The 491-room St. Regis is smack-bang in the middle of the buzzing Jing’an neighborhood, surrounded by restaurants, cafés, stores and several metro lines.
The rooms are bright and beautifully decorated — the creamy white 300-thread-count sheets, settee and gleaming side tables reflecting the sunlight pouring in create quite the chic mood.
Pops of color come from yellow throw pillows; in China, yellow is an imperial hue, and, indeed, you’ll feel like royalty in the hotel’s comfortable confines. In the bathroom are deep soaking tubs, rainforest showerheads and, for news junkies, 17-inch televisions within the mirrors.
There are dozens of great restaurants within 10 minutes’ walk, but the hotel, too, has tempting venues. Seek out Seki-Tei for ultra-fresh sushi and sashimi. Head to Yan Ting for Cantonese classics. Experience one of Jing’an’s most sophisticated lounges when you grab a seat at The St. Regis Bar, where it’s slinging more than 50 cocktails every night, including the signature Blood Mary, invented at the original St. Regis in New York.
Capella Shanghai, Jian Ye Li, Photo Credit: Capella Shanghai, Jian Ye Li
Capella Shanghai, Jian Ye Li
On a leafy street in Shanghai’s comparatively tranquil French Concession sits the urban resort Capella Shanghai, Jian Ye Li. The hotel is one of Shanghai’s most architecturally interesting, composed of 1930s-era shikumen (“stone gate” houses), the French Concession’s largest remaining group of such homes. These townhouse-style structures are uniquely Shanghainese, built to combine both Western and Chinese design elements.
The property provides visitors to Shanghai with a rare treat: sleeping inside these beautifully restored historic homes. Book a stay in one of the 55 villas, and you’ll feel as though you’ve stepped back in time to the city’s Golden Age.
The hotel’s facilities are rounded out with a library, spa, shopping gallery, brasserie, bar and Le Comptoir de Pierre Gagnaire, a bakery from the lauded French chef.
Bellagio Shanghai
Just north of the Bund, where Suzhou Creek meets the Yangtze River, the 162-room Bellagio Shanghai will open its doors during the fourth quarter of this year. The luxury hotel will be in good company, too; its neighbors include Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star The Peninsula Shanghai and Otto e Mezze Bombana Shanghai.
The rooms will start at an ample 645 square feet, and all have views of either Suzhou Creek or the glittering Lujiazui skyline across the Huangpu River. The scenes from the 23 suites will be even more expansive, offering a 180-degree view of the Bund’s historic buildings; towering looks at Lujiazui structures; and a sweeping vista of Shanghai old and new, separated by the Huangpu.
Much like the hotel’s beloved sister property in Las Vegas, rooms here will be appointed with plush carpets and beds, recessed ceilings, walk-in closets and gleaming marble bathrooms with rainforest showers.
The property will have three restaurants: Cantonese and Shanghainese eatery Mansion on One, the art-deco-inspired Café Bellagio for all-day American-style dining and Italian restaurant Lago, from award-winning Spanish-American chef Julian Serrano.
W Shanghai-The Bund, Photo Credit: W Shanghai-The Bund
W Shanghai-The Bund
Shanghai’s first W hotel has opened in the Zhabei district, north of the Bund and Bellagio Shanghai, but still within walking distance to the iconic riverfront stretch of 52 handsome heritage buildings.
The hotel’s 374 rooms are done up in blond wood anchored by sumptuous beds dressed in crisp white linens that are topped with whatever type of pillow you order from the menu. Each accommodation is kitted out with cheeky accessories such as throw pillows shaped like chopsticks and xiaolongbao (soup dumplings).
The spacious bathrooms have deep-soaking tubs, double sinks and W’s signature Bliss products.
Although the property is a little removed from downtown, it boasts something no other Shanghai hotel can: an outdoor pool with views of the Pudong skyline so clear that the buildings are reflected in the refreshing water.
Cordis, Shanghai, Hongqiao
You’ve arrived at Shanghai’s newest luxury airport hotel. Situated just behind Hongqiao International Airport terminal 2 and Hongqiao Railway Station is this nearly 400-room property, a welcoming (and surprisingly quiet) respite for weary travelers.
Hotel beds in China can be a bit on the firm side, but Cordis’ king-sized mattresses are supremely comfortable, so much so that you’ll be tempted to linger rather than head to the airport.
In addition to the well-appointed rooms — oversized flat-screen TVs, USB charging ports, floor-to-ceiling windows — the hotel has two solid restaurants: C Market, the all-day dining venue serving a plethora of Asian and Western foods, and Shanghainese-Cantonese eatery Ming Court.
