Jing An Shangri-La West Shanghai

In case you’re not already familiar with the Shangri-La brand, here’s a hint: it’s all in the name. Asia’s über-luxurious five-star hotels feel, indeed, like some sort of earthly paradise. Provided that you’re not a “less is more” type — because here, more is always more. This is as true in the brand’s original landmark, built in Singapore in 1971, as it is in its opulent contemporary outposts, including the Jing An Shangri-La West Shanghai.

Though the neighborhood of Jing’an is an old one, famed for its Chinese Buddhist temples and Art Deco architecture, you wouldn’t guess it from the imposing steel skyline — it’s one of Shanghai’s primary business districts. Jing An Shangri-La is at the very heart of it, housed high above retail shops and offices on the 30th-59th floors of Shanghai’s contemporary Jing An Kerry Centre. The sleek lobby is a fitting introduction to the hotel itself — it appears, at first, to be partly surrounded by a soaring wall of water. The hotel contains more than five hundred guest rooms and suites; the look is impeccably modern. Standard features include marble bathrooms with heated floors and LCD televisions built into the mirrors, and, in the room itself, floor-to-ceiling windows that might awaken your dormant fear of heights. Suites are lavish, with silver mosaic walls, separate living rooms, and extra amenities from Nespresso machines to Bulgari bath products.

On other levels of the hotel, there’s a state-of-the-art health club, a striking lap pool topped with a sky dome, and Shangri-La’s signature spa, CHI. Dining options include Café Liang, the 1515 West Chophouse, the glass-encased Calypso, and Summer Palace, with a design inspired by Chinese ink paintings. The Horizon Club Lounge on the 55th floor offers the hotel’s most impressive panoramic view of the glittering nighttime lights of the city. But if you want to relive Shanghai’s glory days, head straight for the classic cocktail bar at 1515 West. Kick back on a chesterfield sofa, order a drink, and ask the bartender to point out Chairman Mao’s one-time home, off in the distance.