33 Best Hotels in Shanghai, China

Set in a former warehouse that was transformed using recycled materials, Shanghai's first carbon-netural hotel has a superb design and well-trained staffers who make you feel at home the moment you enter the tree-shaded courtyard. They're also happy to arrange interesting activities, from Chinese cooking or calligraphy classes to tai chi and yoga sessions. Or you can just head to the quiet, secluded rooftop bar for a little down time.

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.

Although it's not the newest or most high-tech hotel, it still attracts both business and leisure travelers with its breathtaking views, white-glove service, spacious rooms, and prime location—overlooking the Huangpu River, opposite the Bund, and near the Pearl Tower. With two towers containing 10 dining options and almost 1,000 guest rooms, this is also the city's largest luxury hotel. Although rooms in Tower 2, behind the original hotel, have amenities like generously sized plasma TVs, many guests prefer Tower 1 rooms for their unobstructed views of the Bund.

Although conveniently situated two blocks from the Hengshan Road nightlife district, the Anting Villa Hotel is a surprisingly quiet, side-street retreat with cedar-shaded grounds and basic rooms. Superior rooms in the 10-story tower are comfortable, although the decor could use some sprucing up, and the beds, in traditional Chinese style, are on the hard side. It's worth it to pay a little extra for a garden-view room overlooking the namesake 1932 Spanish-style villa. Although their English is quite limited, the hotel's staffers seem eager to please.

Just off the frenzied shopping street of Huaihai Lu is one of Shanghai's best-preserved hotels from the city's 1920s heyday, with grand rooms in the older guesthouse annex and newer but plainer (and more geared to business travelers) main-building rooms. The location is unbeatable, putting you right in the middle of the Former French Concession, so you have easy access to lots of restaurants and boutiques. Beds throughout the hotel are on the hard side.

Amid bustling downtown Puxi, this 37-story luxury hotel is an elegant oasis, with a lobby that has palm trees, fountains, and golden-hue marble as warm as sunshine, and with spacious rooms (just 12 or 15 to a floor) that have a chic gold palette. Although it caters to a largely business clientele, it's still a good choice for leisure travelers thanks to impeccable service, a glass-enclosed indoor pool, and a spa that offers traditional treatments. Though a bit dated, rooms are well-appointed, with flat-screen TVs, DVD/CD players, safes big enough for laptops, and bathrooms that have marble showers and tubs. Nanjing Road is within a 10-minute walk, and metro Line 2 is just down the block.

The Pudong outpost of the Four Seasons is flashier and hipper than its older sister in Jing'an, but style doesn't diminish substance: the service is polished, and the beds are sublime. The clientele is an interesting mix, skewing heavily toward young, wealthy Chinese and business travelers. Get away from it all in the hotel's infinity pool, which offers sweeping views of the neighboring Jin Mao, Oriental Pearl, and Shanghai World Financial towers.

Views, views, views are what this hotel is all about—occupying floors 53 through 87 of the spectacular Jin Mao Tower, the Grand Hyatt's interior is defined by contemporary lines juxtaposed with Space Age grillwork. The 33-story central atrium is a marvel in itself: a seemingly endless cylinder with an otherworldly aura. The views are spectacular; corner rooms have two walls of pure glass for endless panoramas of the Oriental Pearl Tower and the city below. Rooms on the upper floors put you literally in the clouds and at the mercy of the often-foggy weather.

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.

Although this property has two newer buildings, the beautifully restored Morris Estate villas showcase how opulently Shanghai's tai-pan (expatriate millionaire businessmen) once lived; rooms here have plush beds, cozy reading areas, and art deco–inspired decor. And the history at this hotel didn't stop in the 1920s and '30s: after 1949, when it was a government-owned guesthouse, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, and Richard Nixon all slept here. Large, safely fenced-in grounds and an indoor pool make this a good option for families.

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.

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.

Since it opened, The Langham Shanghai, Xintiandi has been receiving nothing but praise for service that's impeccable without being intrusive and rooms that are big and plush. Its location is fantastic, in the middle of Xintiandi, a stone's throw from shopping along Huaihai Lu and two subway lines, yet minutes from the surprisingly tranquil Lake Taipingqiao.

When it opened, Le Royal Meridien, which dominates the foot of pedestrian-only Nanjing Dong Lu, changed the face of Puxi hospitality with its attentive staff, excellent amenities, and stately rooms. Ask for a room that overlooks the neighboring People's Park. The opulent weekend brunch is another selling point.

A parklike setting in the heart of the Former French Concession makes this 33-story tower set on the grounds of the old French Club a favorite retreat, especially among Japanese travelers familiar with the Okura name. The first three floors, which were once old Shanghai's French Club, have been restored, with cascading chandeliers, colorful frescoes, and period-perfect details at every turn. The romantic third-floor terrace bar overlooks the 2-acre garden, and the Japanese and French restaurants serve decent high-priced food. From the large windows on the 33rd floor, take in the sweeping views of downtown Shanghai. The standard rooms are simply furnished with silk wallpaper and European-style furniture, but overall feel dated. Wi-Fi is available but, as with many older hotels, it's rather slow.

It's hard to beat the Portman Ritz-Carlton's prime Shanghai Centre location or its family-friendly facilities, which include a large fitness center, basketball courts, a playground, and a trampoline. The 50-story hotel attracts business travelers as well as families with four floors of executive club rooms. The lobby is a popular networking spot that exudes cool refinement with its ebony, marble, and chrome touches. In addition to the Shanghai Centre's surrounding shops and restaurants, the hotel has its own top-notch restaurants.

A prominent skyline landmark—topped by a revolving, 45th-floor restaurant in what looks like a flying saucer—this hotel caters primarily to business travelers with lower Park Tower rooms that face People's Square and higher City Tower rooms. Suites have huge living rooms, kitchen/dining rooms, and spacious baths that make them convenient for families, though, and there are deep discounts for weekend stays.

The Ritz-Carlton Pudong has a 55th-floor spa with staggering views of the Huangpu River and the entire downtown skyline, an impressive Italian restaurant, and a rooftop bar that's such a good lookout point you may never want to leave. The service is impeccable, with prices to match. Rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows and streamlined, art deco–inspired furnishings.