Just after the Barcelona Edition opened its doors, Ian Schrager has done it again. The Shanghai Edition opened earlier this month with creative direction by Schrager and interior design by Neri & Hu.
The property includes the refurbishment of the Art Deco former headquarters of Shanghai Power Company on Nanjing Road, which was built in 1929. The historic building is now home to the public areas and amenities of the hotel, including the restaurants, bars, rooftops, spa, and meeting and events areas. The Power Building was fused to a new skyscraper, which houses the 145 guestrooms of the hotel.
The lobby and main entrance to The Shanghai Edition has a centerpiece light custom designed by the French architectural and decorative designer Eric Schmitt. The glowing sphere, held in the grasp of gently curved metal prongs, hangs in the center of the lobby. The space also has a programmable LED feature on the underside of a cantilevered canopy, which welcomes guests in from the cobblestone driveway.
The lobby also has 9.5-meter-high Greystone walls that contrast with walnut fittings. The Lobby Bar, one of nine in the hotel, has a bespoke plaster relief artwork inspired by carvings typically observed on Shikumen (stone-gated) housing in Shanghai.
The 145 rooms and suites in the new tower have views of the Bund seen through slanted windows. The walls and floor of the bedroom and living areas are clad in light oak. Meanwhile, the bathrooms are finished in white marble, detailed in contrasting black metal.
Jason Atherton’s HIYA, a Japanese lzakaya-inspired restaurant designed by Neri & Hu, is located on the 27th floor of the skyscraper. Other restaurants, bars and entertainment include: Shanghai Tavern, also by Atherton’s; Punch Room, a cocktail lounge; Canton Disco, a traditional Cantonese restaurant concept with a contemporary update; The Club Room, a gentleman’s club-inspired lounge area; and Electric Circus, a club with VIP lounge and nightclub on level 7.
Communal spaces include a series of modular meeting and event floors, a landscaped tropical Roof Garden on level 8, and equipped with a bar and cinema; and the Urban Lobby, the threshold that connects the heritage building and the postmodern tower.
On level 5, the swimming pool was modelled as though carved from a solid mass of Pietra Serena from an ancient Roman mountainside and overlooking the urban landscape. There is a gym on level 7; and the indoor gym opens onto an outdoor terrace.
The spa at The Shanghai Edition on level 6. It has six treatment rooms and suites, manicure and pedicure services, sauna, a relaxation area with bar, and a retail boutique.