The Peninsula Shanghai

Character and identity

Anchoring the northern end of the Bund, this 235-room Art Deco landmark opened in 2009 as the strip's first new-build in sixty years, and it plays its period setting with confidence: a celadon-and-black-marble lobby, Busby Berkeley scale, and a quiet 1920s register in the bedrooms that stops well short of pastiche. Rooms are tech-laden (one-touch baths, drapes, radio) but understated in feel. Dining runs deep, with two-Michelin-starred Yi Long Court for Cantonese, Sir Elly's and its 14th-floor terrace for Western fine dining and skyline views, and Salon de Ning for cocktails in the basement. The ESPA spa, with heated treatment floors, completes the picture. Service is the headline act: polished, English-fluent, genuinely warm.

Who's it for

Bottom line

What sets this property apart is the combination of concierge service that genuinely problem-solves and a dining lineup strong enough to anchor a trip on its own. Book a Deluxe Bund View room or higher (lesser orientations miss the Pudong light show that is half the point), and prioritise dinner at Yi Long Court and a drink on Sir Elly's terrace.