The Hyatt on the Bund, which grand opened on November 16, is not really on the Bund, strictly speaking. It’s in the historic Hongkou district, north of Suzhou Creek, which is about 15 minutes’ walk from the Bund and soon, home to a state-of-the-art cruise ship terminal. But the hotel does have fantastic views of the Bund, and of Pudong too, thanks to its creative architecture.
The hotel’s twin towers are set at angles to the Huangpu River, which means that every room above the 11th floor has either a bird’s eye view of the iconic Bund, with its graceful old buildings, or breathtaking views of Pudong, with its gaudy new buildings. The suites, which sit on the very corners, provide views of both. This dramatic layout is the hotel’s finest feature.
It may be called a Hyatt, but the new property is really a Grand Hyatt, a full-on five-star experience with wonderful F&B, beautiful room layouts, and outside elevators that whisk guests high up into the tender air of Shanghai. But Hyatt only allows one Grand Hyatt per city, and there is already one in Pudong, so this one is just called a Hyatt. The 631 guestrooms are superb, with unique open bathrooms and other cutting-edge bells and whistles, along with fine views.
Xindalu China Kitchen has, among other things, a wood-fired Peking duck oven, while Aroma boasts live cooking stations scattered about the dining room. But the real F&B gem is Vue Restaurant and Bar on the top four floors of the West Tower. Don’t miss the open-air hot tub and lounge bar at the very top – trust us on this.
And while it’s not literally on the Bund, the Hyatt has a great location nonetheless, in the colourful Hongkou district, Shanghai's hottest “hood”, where buildings are getting lavish upgrades.
Brent Hannon
