China: Mandarin’s artful Shanghai hotel opens

Art gallery or hotel?

Mandarin Oriental has just opened its eighth property in China, this one in Shanghai, and the hotel houses 4,000 original artworks.

The art collection at Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai, can be seen throughout the hotel, where it hangs in public spaces and guestrooms. The debut last week drew well-known Chinese artists as well as faculty from the Fine Arts College at Shanghai University, who praised the hotel.

“It provides a stunning backdrop to showcase some of China’s most exciting artworks,” said Li Xiao Feng of Shanghai University.

The 362-room hotel, on the east bank of the Huangpu River in the Lujiazui financial district, has six restaurants and bars, a spa, indoor pool and fitness center. Chef Richard Ekkebus of the two-Michelin-starred Amber at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, will preside at the hotel’s Fifty 8° Grill.

The hotel also houses what may be the largest presidential suite in Shanghai, with nearly 8,400 square feet of space and a skylight garden.

Jill Kluge, hotel spokeswoman, said the Shanghai facility “is poised to become the city’s most desirable address,” based on its location and the hotel’s tradition of service and facilities.

“The opening of Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai, and Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou, earlier this year, further enhances the brand in mainland China, which is the group’s second source of business after the U.S.”

She said the group is continuing to expand its portfolio of hotels in China, with developments in Beijing and Chengdu scheduled to open in the next few years.

To celebrate the opening of the Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai, the group is offering two nights for the price of one through September. Rates start at $584 a night, double occupancy.

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