The Long Bar at the Shanghai Club Reopens

At the height of Empire, the Shanghai Club took pride of place along the Bund, not far from the old headquarters of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, the most imposing stone edifice along the prestigious waterfront strip. Constructed by the British, it was an "old boys' club"  (as the British would say), and the most …

Hotel Review: the Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai

Following a three year restoration project, the Peace Hotel in Shanghai reopened on 28 July 2011 as the Fairmont Peace Hotel. Built in the late 1920s, the grande dame of Shanghai originally opened in 1929. It was known as the Cathay Hotel until 1950, when it was renamed the Peace Hotel. Following the Communist conquest of …

Shanghai: Peace Hotel, Here We Come!

  Michael Taylor toured the Peace Hotel during his first visit to Shanghai several years ago - but he didn't actually stay there. He visted its public areas, and the place was dripping with what he thinks of as "shabby chic". Michael had dinner at the Peace Hotel's Chinese restaurant with friends he met on the trip. Then …

Waldorf Astoria: Shanghai Club Reopens as Five Star Hotel

The former Shanghai Club has been fully restored and will henceforth be known as the Waldorf Astoria Club, the first of two buildings that will comprise the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai. The Waldorf Astoria on the Bund in Shanghai is the first hotel in Asia under Hilton Worldwide’s luxury hotel label, modeled after the legendary Waldorf-Astoria …

Waldorf Astoria: the Long Bar in Shanghai Gets a New Lease of Life

When Richard Nixon visited the Great Wall during his historic visit to China in 1972, he famously commented, “This is a great wall!” You cannot help but wonder what he would have said if he been shown the Long Bar in the Shanghai Club on the Bund in Shanghai. I'm not sure what exactly became …

China: Peace Hotel (a.k.a. Cathay Hotel) Reopens as Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai

Peace Hotel Hotel Reopens as Fairmont Peace Hotel on Bund in Shanghai, China.