Shanghai has dozens of 5-star luxury hotels and resorts offering everything your heart desires and more. But even among these stars, there are some which stand taller than the rest - offering unique accommodations in historic locations which simply cannot be matched.

Let’s take a look at these A-list hotels, each of which has at least one defining characteristic which sets it apart as Shanghai’s best.

The Best Suites in Shanghai:- If you’re the King of your world and visiting Shanghai, there are two hotels very much suitable for a person of your eminence and standing.

The first is the Jin Jiang Hotel near Huaihai Road, whose suites have been graced by more than 500 visiting heads of state and world leaders over the last 70 years.

The Jin Jiang Hotel’s 434 rooms and suites are spread over three historic landmark buildings surrounded by 10,000 metres of landscaped grounds and gardens.

The second is the Park Hyatt Shanghai, until recently the tallest hotel in the world, occupying floors 79-93 in the Shanghai World Financial Center, with sweeping panoramic Huangpu River views.

The Park Hyatt’s Chairman Suite offers 194 sq meters of plush luxury with heated floors, rain shower and a window-side deep soaking tub.

Top Spa Hotels in Shanghai:- Out of the top three hotel spas in Shanghai, at least one and possibly two are located within Hyatt properties. The third one is a specialty spa resort.

The first one on the list is the Water’s Edge Spa – the world’s highest spa located on the 85th floor of the aforementioned Park Hyatt Shanghai, with a 20-metre infinity swimming pool, whirlpool, tai chi courtyard, two treatment rooms and steam rooms.

The second one is the Club Oasis Spa in the Grand Hyatt Shanghai, which occupies floors 53-87 in the Jin Mao Tower adjacent to the SWFC and the Park Hyatt Shanghai . This spa’s massage rooms
boast of floor to ceiling sliding picture windows that provide unhindered vistas of city.

The third spa we recommend is the Anantara Spa in the Puli Hotel in JingAn District, which offers an ‘urban resort’ experience with wellness at its core.

A state of the art gymnasium, separate saunas for men and women, steam rooms, and jacuzzis complement the five treatment suites and lap infinity pool with views over Jing’An Park.

Shanghai Hotels with Style:- If you need a hotel which is more of a fashion statement than a place to rest, where seeing and being seen is part of the game, then we have a couple of exclusive and very stylish boutique hotels for you.

The most stylish hotel to open in Shanghai in the recent past is the JIA Hotel, housed in a building whose dated exterior harks back to the 1920s.

Once you step inside, you’re surrounded by a sleek and ultra-hip décor, with residential style rooms offering the style of a designer brand label and the warmth and comfort of a small boutique hotel with 55 rooms.

The other choice for style mavens is the URBN Hotel – Shanghai’s ultimate in eco-chic luxury lodgings.

In an age where being green and eco-friendly is seen as a lifestyle choice and a fashion statement, URBN fits in perfectly as China’s first carbon-neutral hotel. The hotel was built using 100% locally sourced material and recycled wood.

They offset their entire operational consumption, thus rendering your stay entirely harmless to the environment.

Sexiness:- Hard to define in a hotel and separate from style, beauty, etc., but the one name which immediately comes to mind is the Pudong Shangri-La.

The Shangri-La offers oodles of glamour, guest rooms and suites in two separate towers with breathtaking views of the Bund and the Huangpu River, and a romantic dining experience good enough for heavy dates and anniversaries.

There’s also another option close by the Shangri-La, right across Lujiazui Central Green Park – the new Gran Melia Hotel. The Gran Melia offers an exotic Spanish experience, with a Cuban music bar and dance floor, and a fusion cuisine restaurant.

With the red carpet treatment outside, heavy red boudoir decor inside, and the Super Brand Mall as its neighbor, the Gran Melia comes highly recommended for encounters of the Pretty Woman type.

Service:- It would be wrong to imply that some hotels offer better service than others – because every hotel mentioned so far in this page offers superlative service and fulfills guests’ every whim and fancy.

Even so, if you had to single out one Shanghai hotel as a poster child for good service, that would be the 5-star Okura Garden Hotel situated in a former French Club built in the 1920s.

Okura Garden offers plenty of old world charm and a laid-back atmosphere, with 30,000 sq metres of gardens and staff who  literally bend over whenever you snap your fingers.

Seclusion:- Again, there’s no shortage of hotels who understand that guests often need their privacy. And again, if you must name one specific hotel where discretion and seclusion are the rule rather than an exception, then that would be the DongJiao State Guest Hotel.

In their own words, it is “a sanctuary of quiet elegance and luxury.” Located in a sprawling enclave near Zhang Jiang Hi-Tech Park, this hotel offers the full VIP treatment, with views of the lake and mountain, and a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Here’s a nice review of the DongJiao State Guest Hotel, which explains in detail just how secluded and exclusive it is.

A more westernized place for an escape from the bedlam in Shanghai is the Le Meridien She Shan, ideal for a weekend getaway for business executives, and popular with families who come for the She Shan resort attractions.

If you prefer not to have kids screaming in your ears, avoid the buffet, pool and beach areas, and stick to the quieter sections like the Lake View restaurant. There is always the peace and quiet of the She Shan Cathedral.

Another reclusive getaway in the same mold as DongJiao is the Hong Qiao State Guest Hotel, also a 5-star hotel and very much secluded.