Langham Xintiandi

Convenience is a major factor at this five-star hotel, located across the road from Shanghai’s popular Xintiandi complex.

• Floor-to-ceiling windows in the rooms making for spectacular views
• A fabulous pool, giving the hotel a resort-like vibe
• One of Shanghai’s best buffet breakfasts.

The Langham hotel, opened in 2010, is located right across the road from Shanghai’s popular Xintiandi complex near the former French Concession. Xintiandi (meaning “Heaven and Earth”) was opened in 2003 to house a series of buzzing bars, restaurants, and shops in heavily renovated traditional shikumen housing, the architectural style unique to Shanghai which combines Eastern and Western flourishes. The Langham is a product of the complex’s success. The hotel is a smart, slick operation with excellent service, comfortable rooms, a fabulous buffet breakfast, and a beautiful pool and gym.

Rooms combine Western and Asian décor and are the epitome of understated elegance with floor to ceiling windows, giant bathtubs and all the usual technologies, including iPod docking stations and wireless broadband. Diners at the Langham Xintiandi are spoilt for choice: within minutes they can find themselves ambling among any one of the upscale international eateries located in the Xintiandi complex. For those who prefer to stay within the hotel walls, restaurants include the Chinese Ming Court, the pan-Asian and Western Cachet (which also has an al fresco café and a martini bar) and a chic outdoor lounge terrace called XTD, which is perfect for whiling away summer nights.

Business travellers and well-heeled tourists who want to stay near the former French Concession and the popular Xintiandi complex