In Shanghai’s most iconic location, overlooking the Bund and the Huangpu River and with a panoramic view of the Pudong skyline, the newest hotel of the Edition brand, a chain of boutique hotels offering a modern interpretation of the standards of luxury and comfort, has been inaugurated.
Times change, along with people and culture, and hotels are no longer just somewhere to spend the night, but rather have transformed into social hubs that welcome and connect people, in which meetings and commercial trade take place, and in which guests come to work, live, and play.
This is the pioneering and innovative vision of the EDITION brand’s creator, American Ian Schrager, who, in partnership with Marriott International, sees the hotel as a city within a city, a place in which to offer stratified experiences. After those in London, New York, Sanya, China, and Miami Beach, The Shanghai EDITION, a modern oasis of comfort which reflects a society that seeks luxury without ostentation while remaining attentive to the details, adheres to Schrager’s dictates, providing a hotel that offers entertainment, relationship, and services developed according to the various needs of the day. It has chosen for its home the historic 1929 Art Deco building, former headquarters of the Shanghai Power Company (the city’s electrical supply company), restored for the purpose and combined with a new architectural element, for a multi-dimensional visual impact.
The functions are equally distributed between the two bodies of the hotel, creating synergy. The historic portion houses extensive public areas, including the large lobby, the Michelin-starred restaurant, the spa, the Shanghai Tavern, the bar, the night club, the terrace, and the event and meeting spaces; while the new portion encompasses the 145 rooms and suites as well as the Japanese restaurant on the 27th floor and the hanging garden with bar which offers a 360° view of the city. The coexistence of historic pedigree and renovation and the general dichotomy between new and old are definitely another foundation of Schrager’s concept, visible in The Shanghai EDITION not only in its external structure, but also in its interiors which bring together contemporary and vernacular design.
For example, the majestic lighting fixture custom-designed by architect and designer Eric Schmitt – a luminous sphere ‘grasped’ by iron hooks – accompanied by a series of discrete and ‘silent’ LED light sources distributed around the perimeter of the lobby, whose 9-meter high grey stone walls give a sense of grandeur and solidity to the space, contrasting with the warm walnut details. The rooms are no exception, with the latest generation of beds ‘dressed’ in precious linens by Anichini and meticulously selected fabrics, and bathrooms that create a visual contrast of white marble and black metal. It must be seen to be believed.
