Shanghai’s landmark Peace Hotel is undergoing a major restoration project, re-emerging next year as the Fairmont Peace Hotel.
The rebirth of the 12-storey hotel, where the cream of society used to gather during Shanghai’s heyday in the 1920s and 1930s, is being supervised by well known design firm, Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA).
“Architecturally, we are trying to retain as much as we possibly can,” said Ian Carr, who heads the team of 14 designers working on the project. “It is our intention to recreate the grandeur and majesty of this major Asian landmark and restore it to its rightful place as one of the world’s finest hotels.”
The glamorous restyling will enable the Bund-located property to stand alongside Fairmont’s impressive list of heritage hotels such as New York’s The Plaza and London’s Savoy.
“Peace Hotel is a world icon. We believe the renovation, its location, its style and history and new facilities will make it relevant to travellers all over the world,” Ian Wilson, hotel general manager and regional vice president-Asia at Fairmont. “The strength of our brand and our global presence, particularly, will assist in positioning and marketing the property well.”
In its new persona, Peace Hotel – which has seen several reincarnations – will offer 253 deluxe guestrooms and suites and a choice of six restaurants and lounges, including the beloved Jazz Bar as well as the Deli Café, a ground-floor lobby lounge, a mezzanine-level sushi, wine and cigar bar, a Chinese restaurant and the Peace Grill Restaurant on the eight floor.
On the same level, the famed sprung-timber dance floor will be retained, and several meeting rooms and a spacious outdoor terrace will be added. A low-rise extension to the rear of the hotel will house some guestrooms and a sky-lit swimming pool and spa. While travellers can expect Old World ambience to permeate every inch of the hotel, they can likewise look forward to 21st-century comforts with the back of the house boasting the latest mechanical and electrical systems for plumbing, heating and air ventilation.
For more information, visit www.fairmont.com
Gigi Onag
