Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel Shanghai
Shanghai, China
Pudong
Vibe
A sixteen-meter lobby pairs thousands of illuminated Chinese characters with an animated LED ceiling, creating an energetic modern temple atmosphere.
“Calligraphic jade monument”
A glowing jade-inspired cube featuring a soaring lobby with illuminated calligraphy and a central fourteen-story atrium.
Rooms feature custom dark-wood furnishings, traditional Chinese tea sets, and semi-open bathrooms with deep soaking tubs.
Shanghainese dining at Shang-High Cuisine alongside feng shui architectural cues and traditional Chinese wellness therapies.
In Pudong opposite the international expo centre, with direct metro links under the Himalayas Center.
“The cube of the hotel surrounds an enormous cylindrical 14-story atrium, which means that some of the interior views are as dramatic as the exterior ones.”
Rooms
Dark-wood furnishings and traditional tea sets ground the spaces, while semi-open bathrooms feature deep soaking tubs beside glass rainfall showers.
“The 40-foot-tall lobby—part tiki bar, part Ming-style ancestral hall—has a thousand backlit Chinese characters on the walls and an LED screen on the ceiling.”
Wellness
A daylight-lit heated indoor pool anchors the fitness floor alongside hot yoga studios, dry saunas, and traditional Chinese bodywork suites.
Backstory
Pritzker-winning architect Arata Isozaki envisioned the building as an enormous carved piece of jade, shaped by traditional feng shui principles.
Eat & drink
Shang-High Cuisine serves regional Jiangnan specialties behind carved timber screens, complemented by all-day international dining at Arte Café.
The neighborhood
Direct metro links connect underneath the complex, sitting directly across from the international expo center and minutes from Century Park.
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The app
This is one hotel. The app has every one we rate, in your pocket, for the whole trip.
Our shorthand
What makes a hotel special, how well they pull it off, and what it feels like outside the door.
How well they pull it off
Extremely rare. Sets the global standard.
Brilliant execution. And we’re picky.
They did this well. You’ll notice.
A defining trait. Makes the hotel what it is.
The eight vibes
Architecture and interiors lead. There’s a creative vision at work.
The guest is conspicuously well cared for. Requests met before they’re made.
Rooted in place. Local character runs through the whole stay.
Energy and scene. Where the city goes out, whether or not it’s sleeping here.
A building with history. The story of the place is part of the stay.
Built around feeling better. Rest, sweat, soak, spa.
A hotel the city grew up with. Same rituals, same regulars.
A world of its own. No reason to leave the property.
Scene — what’s outside the door
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
A place apart: the property is the destination.