Sol Melia Swings Into Shanghai

European hotel and resort chain Sol Melia has announced that it has been appointed to manage its first hotel in China: the five-star Gran Melia Shanghai which is schedule to open in 2009.

The new Gran Melia Shanghai, a deluxe five-star hotel, will be located in the main Pudong District within the Lujiazui Financial and Trade Zone area and within walking distance of the Oriental Pearl Tower and Shanghai Ocean Aquarium.

Owned by Shanghai Suncuba, a joint venture between the Chinese group Suntime and the Cuban group Cubabacan, the 686 room hotel is centrally located on Lujiazui Financial and Trade Zone within the city' s central business district and with easy access to the city' s many cultural, entertainment, tourist and shopping attractions.

Targeting at the business traveler, each room will be fully equipped with a separate working desk IDD and fax lines with printer, computer connection points and voice mail access, iPod connection, high speed Internet access with WIFI accessibly.

Gran Melia Shanghai will offer a range of meeting and convention facilities, including a pillar-less grand ballroom that has a seating capacity of up to 800 people and can be subdivided into four sections. In addition, there are 17 function rooms that can accommodate from 50 to 150 people.

The hotel will have a fully equipped business center offering secretarial and translation services, facsimile and email access as well as two meeting rooms for up to 10 people.

Gran Melia Shanghai' s other facilities will include four restaurants and three bars, including a panoramic bar located on the 27th Floor and overlooking the Huangpu River and Puxi.