7 Best Hotels in Shanghai, China
Shanghai's stature as China's business capital hasn’t stopped it from catering both to business and leisure travelers, especially with its handful of boutique hotels. Business hotels can be divided into two categories: modern Western-style properties, with all the latest amenities, and older hotels built during the city's glory days. The latter make up for a lack of service, modern fixtures, and convenient facilities with an abundance of charm, tradition, and history.
Judging by the number of international chain hotels in Shanghai, the city has proven just how much it has opened to the outside world. Many aren't merely hotels; they're landmarks on the Shanghai skyline. Even the historic properties feel the pressure to update their rooms and facilities.
Shanghai may have an excellent subway system and cheap, plentiful taxis, but if you want to take full advantage of the city's popular sights, restaurants, and nightlife, opt to stay in downtown Puxi, incorporating the quiet, leafy green Former French Concession, the historic Bund promenade, and the bustling shopping street of Nanjing Dong Lu. From these neighborhoods you'll have easy access to the rest of Shanghai.
Hyatt on the Bund
Near the banks of Suzhou Creek, the Hyatt on the Bund offers beautifully appointed rooms in an airy and modern building. This location will only improve as the city continues to modernize the northern end of the Bund, but for now the hotel is a little awkward on its own. However, the main Bund is just a short walk across the bridge, making this hotel reasonably accessible to most of the city. There are knockout views from the rooftop restaurant and bar.
Jing An Shangri-La, West Shanghai
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JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai at Tomorrow Square
Outside, this 60-story tower on the edge of People's Square turns heads with its futuristic design; inside, the decor follows more classic lines, with Chinese celadon vases, wedding boxes, and ornamental jades complementing soft green-and-yellow palettes and warm fiddleback woods in the spacious rooms. The largely business clientele appreciates the one-touch "At Your Service" call button, and the Mandara Spa, indoor and outdoor pools, excellent lounge and restaurants, and proximity to many of the top tourist attractions are big draws for leisure travelers.
Kerry Hotel, Pudong, Shanghai
This hotel is great if you're traveling with kids: not only is it across from Century Park, where tandem bikes and pleasure boats are available, but it also has an indoor play area with slides, climbing equipment, and a giant ball pit. Parents can take the edge off at The Brew, where the brewmaster churns out craft beers and delicious ciders. Rooms have clean lines and simple furnishings and are spacious and comfortable, especially the plush beds. Behind the hotel is a shopping complex with a slew of Western-style restaurants. The hotel is within easy driving distance of Pudong International Airport, and it's on top of metro Line 7 and a short walk to Line 2.
Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai
The PuLi Hotel & Spa
The cutting-edge, glass-and-steel PuLi lives up to its billing as an urban resort: with spalike guest rooms—as well as an actual spa, a stunning indoor pool, a garden terrace, and a library replete with fireplaces—it's truly an oasis of calm in Shanghai's bustling center, just off Nanjing Xi Lu. The mellow lobby has low-slung seating, modern porcelain pieces, and windows overlooking adjacent Jing'an Park. The 105-foot Long Bar is a popular place to gather for drinks and afternoon tea. The rooms are true havens, with perks like automated blackout curtains and bathrooms with rain-forest showers. What's more the Wi-Fi, items from the well-stocked minibar, and loaner cell phones are all complimentary. The hotel's PHÉNIX eatery & bar, a popular lunch spot, gained a Michelin star for its menu of contemporary French dishes; UR Spa gets a thumbs-up for its serene atmosphere.