Shanghai

China’s cosmopolitan powerhouse sees new hotel and cruise development

As Beijing prepares for the 2008 Summer Olympics, the rest of China is getting ready for the overflow. With an estimated 550,000 overseas tourists and 2.58 million domestic visitors streaming into the capital, there is bound to be a huge number of travelers adding components to their trips. One of the major add-ons is sure to be a visit to the cutting-edge city of Shanghai.

Shanghai is well known for its rapid, though measured, development. One hotel opening on the horizon includes The Peninsula Shanghai, which is scheduled to welcome its first guests in September 2009. The hotel will front the historic Bund area within the exclusive Waitan Yuan, with views of the Huangpu River, Pudong and the former British Consulate Gardens. Also, Banyan Tree announced that it has secured the management of a new, exclusive waterfront boutique hotel. The property, which is scheduled to open in 2010, will rest on one of the last available waterfront sites along the Shanghai Bund.

A new cruise terminal is nearing completion on the Huangpu River in downtown Shanghai, which is scheduled to open for business later in 2008. Construction of the cruise terminal, on a 541,339-square-foot site, began in 2004. The annual capacity of the terminal will be 1 million passengers, and three mid-sized cruise ships will be able to berth simultaneously. The terminal occupies an ideal position opposite the Lujiazui financial center and is about a thousand feet from the Bund, which provides the terminal with a great location, convenient transport links and easy access to surrounding tourist attractions. International cruise ships started visiting Shanghai in 2000, and the city is gung-ho on developing its cruise business. In 2007, 47 ships and nearly 100,000 domestic and foreign cruise passengers passed through Shanghai. This month, Royal Caribbean Cruises started operating cruises from Shanghai, using its 2,400-passenger ship Rhapsody of the Seas. Shanghai currently has a facility for larger cruise vessels at the Waigaoqiao Terminal, 18 miles from the city.

Meanwhile, Shanghai currently offers plenty of top hotels. The Grand Hyatt Shanghai has been singled out in the 2000 Millennium edition of the Guinness Book of Records as being the tallest hotel in the world. The hotel crowns the 88-story Jin Mao Tower, commencing on the 53rd floor and rising to the 87th. The property’s 12 Grand Deluxe Riverview Rooms are popular with guests. These have floor-to-ceiling windows with 180-degree vistas, which include the Bund, the Huangpu River, and the Shanghai Oriental TV Pearl Tower (the city’s iconic landmark). These rooms also have oversized double-sided closets with access from both the bathroom and bedroom. Grand Riverview Deluxe Room 6015 has particularly exceptional Bund views.

The Grand Riverview Suites have all of the elements of the Grand Deluxe Riverview Rooms, with the addition of spacious living rooms and separate work areas.

The hotel has a total of 226 connecting rooms. If you have a large family traveling together, consider booking them into a connecting Grand Suite and Grand Room Twin room. This will give the family a living room, bedroom with a king or queen bed for the parents, bedroom with a twin bed for the kids and three separate bathrooms.

The hotel’s spa, Club Oasis, has nine treatment rooms. Deep Tissue Body Massage is considered the spa’s signature treatment, and Ms. Wei holds the title of most popular masseuse. For advance spa reservations, contact Champion Fang, assistant manager of Club Oasis (86-21-5049-1234, ext. 8947, champion.fang@hyatt.com).

The hotel has 11 food and beverage outlets serving various types of cuisine, including Japanese, Italian, Canton, American Grill and Shanghai. Of these, Club Jin Mao-Shanghai Cuisine Restaurant, on the 86th floor, offers authentic Shanghai cuisine and 360-degree city views. For those unfamiliar with Shanghai cuisine, it typically consists of fish, eel, crab and chicken combined with alcoholic spirits and then lightly steamed or served raw.

The general manager for the hotel is Peter Chau (86-21-5049-1234, ext. 8630, info.ghshanghai@hyatt.com); however, agents with special requests are directed to contact the reservation desk (86-21-5049-1234, info.ghshanghai@hyattintl.com).

1 2 3