Hong Kong And Shanghai Hotels Returns To Its Roots

Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels has returned to its Shanghai roots after an absence of 60 years with the recent opening of The Peninsula Shanghai, in the city where it once operated four of the city's premier hotels: The Kalee, Majestic, Palace, and Astor House.

The 235-room Peninsula Shanghai is built on the Bund in the style of a noble residence of the 1920s and 30s, harking back to when the city was known as "the Paris of the East", and is the first new building on the Bund in over 60 years. The hotel occupies a prime site on the Huangpu River beside the former British Consulate Gardens and the Suzhou Creek and the guestrooms include four themed suites with outdoor rooftop terraces giving views of the Bund and Pudong's futuristic skyline.

For meetings and events, there is the Rose Ballroom, which accommodates 450 guests for a banquet or 1,000 for a cocktail reception. Special features include an elevator large enough to deliver a limousine to the ballroom, a custom-made 1930s Schindler cage lift, and a full-scale replica of a 1930s seaplane in the Rosemonde Aviation Lounge. The MICE facilities are complemented by the 900 square meter Palace Suite wraparound rooftop terrace with panoramic views of the city, which is planned to become a venue for prestigious corporate events and social occasions.

For rest and recreation, Peninsula Spa by ESPA, offers nine treatment rooms, with a cool navy and white nautical theme, which complement the sauna, steam and relaxation rooms, and is just steps away from the 25-metre indoor swimming pool and fitness center.