W Hotels has announced the launch of the W Shanghai – the Bund. Overlooking the Huangpu River in the heart of the bustling Chinese city, the hotel sets the tone for Shanghai’s North Bund region with a bold, decadent design from global firm G.A Design.
Contrasting Shanghai’s past with its present, the design showcases a combination of historic and modern influences with Hai Pai (the art of mixing the old and the new as well as East and West). The hotel comprises 374 stylish guestrooms and suites including the Cloud on the Bund, which offers an LED wall and hanging bed. The signature Extreme Wow suite houses more than 4,000 square feet of living space as well as a hanging neon installation that resembles the lips of a dragon blowing smoke.
Neon light installations punctuate the arrival experience, with lighting crafted to mirror Shangai’s Lilong tradition of hanging wet laundry from lines stretched across narrow laneways. A kaleidoscope fixture is installed at reception to mimic the unending flow of guests through the space. Restroom walls are also designed with a Melting Qipao pattern representative of Shanghai’s status as a cultural melting pot.
Included among the five onsite social and dining venues are the interactive, New York bistro-inspired Kitchen Table; the Cantonese concept Yen; the clandestine speakeasy Liquid at Yen, which recalls 1920s Shanghai; the daytime lounge and evening cocktail bar Woobar; and the poolside Wet and Wet Bar.
In addition to the Away Spa and 24-hour fitness center, the hotel is also outfitted with nearly 64,580 square feet of meeting and event space. The 21,530-square-foot Great Room arrives as the largest hotel event space in western Shanghai, complete with 20-foot-high ceilings, oversized mirror collages, and a delicate Art Deco-style screen.
