Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund

What it is

The hotel opened in 2010 and has two parts. The Heritage Building is the Shanghai Club Building, a neoclassical structure on the Bund, with three floors in the hotel. Beside it stands the Waldorf Astoria Tower, with 24 floors. Together they hold 252 rooms and 20 suites.

The page we read gives no history of the Shanghai Club Building and does not mention a long bar or an architect, so we do not repeat claims about them here. What it does say is that the hotel is run by Hilton Worldwide under the Waldorf Astoria name.

Heritage Building or Tower

The choice between the two parts is the one to make carefully. The Heritage Building has three floors in the hotel and the Tower has 24, so the two are very different in scale.

If the old building is the reason you are booking, ask for a room in it and ask what category is available. If a room in the Tower is what is on offer, it is a different stay.

Where it sits

The hotel is on the Bund, at No. 2 Zhongshan East 1st Road, the waterfront street that looks across the Huangpu River to Pudong. The river walk starts at the door, and the view across to Pudong is the one on every postcard of the city.

Rooms and the rate

The rate in our China itinerary is CNY 3,500 a night, which a Shanghai tourism guide gives as the starting point for this hotel. The listing is a from price, not a quote, and categories above the entry room cost more.

Who it suits

It suits first visits to Shanghai, for travellers who want the Bund and a hotel with some history. Three nights give time for the old town, the former French Concession and a day trip.

It is less suited to travellers who want a quiet residential area or a small boutique hotel: the Bund is among the most visited parts of the city. Our China itinerary also names Capella Shanghai, built within restored lane houses in the former French Concession, which is a different kind of stay.