When the Himalayas Centre in Pudong, Shanghai opens in 2010 in time for the Shanghai World Expo, it will be home to two hotels catering to completely different customer groups.
For business travellers, there is the 14-storey Zendai Art Hotel with 300 rooms and suites and all the requisite corporate amenities like Wi-Fi connectivity. Its 864-square-metre ballroom and six private function rooms will cater for all types of conventions and meetings.
Leisure seekers may opt for the boutique-style Zendai Hotel Yin. Stacked on top of the Zendai Art Hotel, it spans four storeys and has 78 guestrooms, complete with 24-hour butler service.
Zendai Hotel Yin intends to capitalise on Chinese culture as its main point of appeal. The teahouse will provide the stage for traditional art performances; the library will be the repository for books and materials on Chinese history and civilisation; and the spa will offer a range of time-tested therapies, including from the Himalayas.
Behind the design of the mixed-use development, located opposite the New International Expo Centre, is Arata Isozaki, renowned for his work on the Barcelona Olympics Stadium and Los Angeles Museum of Modern Art. It is 15 minutes away from Pudong CBD and 10 minutes away from the high-speed Maglev Train, providing seven-minute transfers to the airport. Developed at a cost of US$362 million by the Zendai Group, the Himalayas Centre also consists of the 1,600-seat Daguan Theatre, a shopping mall, a museum and a metro station.
For more details, visit www.zendaihimalayas.com.
He Ruiming
