shanghai

BMW M5 Concept to Debut in Shanghai

Feast your eyes on our first look at the new BMW M5. Technically a "concept car," the M5 you see here should closely represent the upcoming production version.

The car is set to debut later this month at the Shanghai Motor Show, but has already leaked onto the Internet. No details were announced, but what we already know is that the 2012 BMW M5 will feature the twin-turbo V8 from the X5M and X6M performance crossovers (instead of the V10 from the previous model).

Stay tuned...

Source

Tags: bmw, bmw concept m5, bmw m5, concept car, m5, shanghai, shanghai motor show

Asia's Best Design Hotels

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Architecture & Design

Modern architecture-loving travelers will love the destinations featured by our friends over at Departures . The magazine took a look at Asia's coolest design hotels, which are some of the most impressive properties in Shanghai, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore. These properties are "sleek super towers and seemingly impossible, imagination-defying structures" according to the luxury magazine that is published by American Express publishing.

Today's Asian luxury hotels are influencing Western hotels, while once it was the opposite, according to Edwin Heathcote, architectural critic for the Financial Times. The most significant new hotels each have something that is memorable, the Departures piece explains. In some, it's the restaurant that's the most memorable; in others, it's a soaring sky bar or a penthouse suite. In others it is the structures themselves that are redefining skylines.

Hong Kong
According to Departures, Hong Kong has also opened itself up to a host of contemporary international architects who have put their stamp on the city, from Foster + Partners to Cesar Pelli to I. M. Pei. Recently, at the 117-room Upper House (from $425), local Andre Fu-known for doing the home of actress Michelle Yeoh-has created an ideal, almost spiritual, balance of uncluttered spaces. "The design is not Asian in a literal manner," Fu told Departures, "but it reflects a subtle Asian sensitivity." He has achieved this with pools of water, bamboo enclosures, natural timber, shoji glass, limestone and lacquered paper panels. Additional design highlights include the Sky Bridge on the 49th floor, which crosses a 130-foot-high atrium; the hotel's Bedonia stone façade (see photo above) by one of Britain's hottest architect-designers, Thomas Heatherwick; and freestanding bathtubs with panoramic harbor or island views.

Tags: architecture inspired clothing, art+deco+hotels+asia, artdecohotelsasia, Asia, asia+hotels, asiahotels, Bangkok, best+hotels+in+the+world+with+photos, besthotelsintheworldwithphotos, coolest+design+hotels, coolestdesignhotels, Departures, departures+design+hotel, departuresdesignhotel, design hotels, Hong Kong, hotel+designers, hoteldesigners, hotels, michelle+yeoh, michelleyeoh, modern+architecture, modernarchitecture, new+design+hotel+2011, newdesignhotel2011, Shanghai, Singapore

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Celebrate New Year's Eve Shanghai Style at The Setai, South Beach

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wine, Events

This New Year's Eve ultra-luxe Miami hotel The Setai, South Beach invites guests to pay homage to the hotel's Asian roots and take a trip back to the 1930s and 1940s for one night to the Golden Age of Shanghai. Inspired by an era of sophistication and wealth, when chic nightclubs and dance halls were all the rage, The Setai will be transformed for the night into the "Paris of the Orient" featuring music from sought after Shanghai artists, awe-inspiring decor, and a decadent seven-course tasting menu to create an evening to be remembered. The fabulous event will be divided into three stages:

• The Welcome: A blend of Chinese, Shanghainese, and western jazz by China's acclaimed singer, Coco Zhao, welcomes guests to The Courtyard where Taittinger Champagne, classic cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will be waiting.

• The Dinner: Guests will indulge in a seven-course Grand Tasting Menu by Executive Chef David Werly, which includes Créme of Butternut Squash and Spiced Marshmallow, Home-made Salmon Gravalax with Lime Cream and Osetra Caviar, Foie Gras "Au Torchon," as well as Scallops Black Tie, Fresh Black Truffle & Perigourdine Sauce. With each course, guests will enjoy a paired wine, carefully selected by The Setai's Head Sommelier Dwayne Savoie.

• The Party: The celebration continues in The Courtyard for the Countdown Party, where the music of DJ Ludovic Allen entices guests to dance away 2010 and bring in the New Year. Tastes of congee, spring rolls, dim sum, Peking duck sliders, and Chocolate truffles will be passed complimentary after the ball drop. Seating in The Courtyard is sold separately as Bottle Tables.

Gallery: The Setai, South Beach

Tags: champagne, Miami, New Years Eve, Setai, Shanghai, South Beach, Taittinger, The Setai

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InterContinental Launches Luxury Boutique Brand in Asia-Pacific

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHC) has opened a Hotel Indigo, its upscale boutique brand, in downtown Shanghai, China.

"The decision to introduce Hotel Indigo into China demonstrates our commitment to the booming hotel industry here while taking our leadership position to the next level," says Keith Barr, managing director of IHG Greater China.

Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund, is first Hotel Indigo to open thus far in the region. Centrally located at the southern end of the Bund, sitting directly on the Huangpu River front, Hotel Indigo offers a unique space that adds to the local neighborhood and culture in a creative, sustainable fashion. The 184-room property on waterfront property features spectacular views of the historic Bund, Yu Gardens and the ultra modern Pudong new area, all first-class dining, entertainment and shopping destinations.

Gallery: Hotel Indigo opens in Shanghai

Tags: boutique hotel, China, Hotel Indigo, intercontinental, intercontinental hotels group, luxury hotels, Shanghai, travel

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Hotel Indigo Opens In Shanghai

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

We just can't seem to stop talking about new Shanghai hotels lately. The city is full of exciting new projects as major hotel brands move in. HBA / Hirsch Bedner recently completed the design of the first Hotel Indigo property in Asia Pacific at Shiliupu at the Southern end of the Bund in Shanghai. The recently opened Hotel Indigo Shanghai offers spectacular views of the historic Bund and the dramatic Pudong skylines.

The 180-room hotel features a design that is tied together by the Huangpu River. The element that ties the hotel to the neighborhood is the Shiliupu Dock, now known as Pier 16. The lobby features illuminated sculpture installations and sculptural walls that seem to float between the dark Chinese marble floor and the high ceiling. Materials such as raw steel, concrete, exposed brick, and polished plaster give the feeling that this gallery space has been repurposed from a wharf-side waterfront loft. In the center of the lobby stands a distressed raw steel ellipse shaped like a ship's funnel and studded with LED lighting.HBA also commissioned the deconstruction of a retired Shanghai riverboat. The cut and cross-sectioned pieces of the boat were installed as wall sculpture. The hotel rooms, like the one above, are outfitted with custom designed silk print wallpaper and eclectic and whimsical collections of artifacts and furniture that evoke the old Shanghai. The canopy bed was inspired by traditional Chinese wedding beds.

Tags: china hotels, china travel, pudong, Shanghai

New Green Hotel Planned For Shanghai

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Green

URBN Hotels & Resorts is collaborating with Vanke, China's largest residential real estate developer, to construct a new green hotel in Asia. The boutique hotel is part of a larger commercial, retail and residential development in the Sanlin district of Pudong in Shanghai, China. The project will include 55 hotel rooms, 50 URBN serviced residences, and dining, wellness and art spaces.

URBN Hotels & Resorts created China's first carbon-neutral hotel in Shanghai's Jingan district. The goal for the new hotel is to go beyond carbon-neutral and make the hotel the first positive-impact hotel in China. There are several ideas being developed which will be revealed over the course of the 18-month construction period but including increasing the biodiversity of the site and sending out water that is cleaner than the water from the city's water supply. The hotel will aim for LEED and China Green Star certifications. The URBN Hotel Pudong hopes to surpass the 35% energy savings target hit by the first URBN Hotel. The hotel will open in Spring 2012.

[via Breaking Travel News]

Tags: china, green hotel, leed, shanghai, sustainable hotel

PuLi: The First Urban Resort And Spa In Downtown Shanghai

by Susan Kime (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

The urban resort idea is growing in the United States. I have written about it recently for Luxist, regarding the Millennium Towers in San Francisco. This residence hotel offers a type of experiential, urban sanctuary that is particularly needful, especially in electric, busy, hyper-urban settings.

This concept is new in the Far East, and the PuLi Hotel and Spa is the first luxury urban resort in the city of Shanghai, and in China. The 26-floor, 209 room and 20 suite hotel is centrally located, in the heart of Shanghai's business, shopping, sightseeing and entertainment districts. There are also views of JingAn Park, The hotel is also located by sky bridge to the new multi-use development Park Place..

"We have been very successful with this new idea," said Yvonne Mak, Director of Sales And Marketing for PuLi. "The urban resort fits in so well with what our guests want: the busier the city, the more they need a sanctuary. Our goal is to offer an experiential oasis for the guests, so they can feel they are miles away from the intensity of city life that is in reality, right outside the hotel doors. Therefore, the spa, the dining, the architectural and interior design of the hotel all work together to exude a kind of peace and simplicity."

Tags: Anantara Spa, china, china travel, JingAn Park, PuLi Hotel, Shanghai, Urban Resort Concepts, Urban Resorts

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The Peninsula Shanghai: Over the Top

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

"Every square foot is about quality," says Paul Tchen, General Manager of the Peninsula Shanghai and he couldn't be more on target. Opened last March, this Art Deco marvel, the first new building on the legendary Bund in more than 60 years, is poised to become the most glamorous hotel in Asia. Prepare to be impressed.

Tags: Art Deco, Cantonese food, china travel, hotels in China, peninsula hotel, peninsula shanghai, shanghai

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A Shanghai Art Deco Landmark Reopens

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

When I visited Shanghai last year, its most famous Art Deco landmark, the Peace Hotel on the Bund, was covered in shrouds for renovation. It had been that way since 2007, but now the covers are off as the hotel has just reopened as the Fairmont Peace Hotel, .

The hotel originally opened in 1929, in one of Shanghai's heydays. The hotel was the first high-rise in the city, and had the city's first electric elevator. The art-deco style cage elevator was one of many details that made the hotel special; and it was known as the place to stay in Shanghai prior to the Communist revolution. The renovation apparently retained many of the key features of the hotel -- the Jazz Bar, the Peace Hall, with its wooden dance floor; as well as many touches from the 1930s, but it's also got the full complement of modern amenities in-room, from Blu-Ray DVD players to Illy Espresso machines.

Gallery: Fairmont Peace Hotel Reopens

Tags: 1930s, art deco, history, Shanghai

Harrods to Open in Shanghai?

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Following its $2.2 billion acquisition by Qatar's royal family in May, luxe landmark London department store Harrods is planning an expansion, starting with a new branch in Shanghai. Harrods, the largest and one of the most luxurious stores in the world, holds royal warrants from the likes of the Queen, the Queen Mother and the Prince of Wales. Its new owners have looked at various new locations and China seems to be winning out. "There are other areas of the world where we could operate profitably," Harrods' CEO Michael Ward tells Vogue UK. "China is the most probable but we would have to do a lot of work first." The number of Chinese visitors to the store is up 125 per cent this year, with an average spend of triple that of a U.S. customer.

Tags: China, department store, Harrods, London, Qatar, Queen of England, royal warrant, Shanghai, stores

Eaton Luxe Hotel Opens In Nanqiao

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The Eaton Luxe, Nanqiao, Shanghai recently opened its doors in the newly developed business district of Fengxian in South Shanghai, China. The hotel has 204-rooms and suites and is the first international deluxe hotel in the town of Nanqiao, which is also home to multi-national high-tech manufacturing plants. This is one of UK-based Eaton Hotels International planned10 properties to be set up in Asia in the next five years. The Eaton Luxe, Nanqiao's green features include the use of environmentally-friendly materials, organic plants and sustainable design features.

Tags: china hotel, china tavel, eaton luxe, hotel opening, hotel shanghai, shanghai

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Citroen Metropolis Concept

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Think of stretched luxury limousines and what comes to mind? Lincolns, Benzes, Maybachs...but Citroens? That's exactly the kind of territory the French automaker is hoping to cover with the new Metropolis.

Strictly a concept car for the time being, the Citroen Metropolis is due to be unveiled next month at the Shanghai Motor Show, which follows only weeks after the Beijing expo where BMW is set to debut its long-wheelbase 5 Series, Audi the new A8 L and Volkswagen the new Phaeton. But at 5.3 meters, the Metropolis is bigger than any of them.

Power is provided to all four wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox from a hybrid powertrain capable of adapting its output from 272 horsepower all the way up to 460 when needed.

Gallery: Citroen Metropolis Concept

Tags: citroen, citroen metropolis, citroen metropolis concept, metropolis, shanghai, shanghai motor show

Chanel Set To Open In Shanghai

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Handbags

Chanel is opening a new boutique in Shanghai on November 25. Peter Marino is the architect for the new space and was inspired by the Paris apartment of Mademoiselle Chanel. It is a fitting city for the famous couture house to unveil a new store as Shanghai is known as "the Paris of the East".

According to the architect, the idea was to give this new boutique a residential feel by combining hand picked art, antiques and other objects with a refined store decor. The fashion house has also commissioned original artwork by french artist, Jean-Michel Othoniel, to be displayed. The art of shopping is to be a subtle experience at this unique salon where customers enter the apartment-like space, can sit on sofas and have individual items brought to them as opposed to jostling elbows with other shoppers while browsing the merchandise. It is to be a different, more elegant, experience for the customer. Peter Marino is quoted "The result is comfort, quiet elegance, timelessness. The chic of Chanel."

Karl Lagerfeld has also designed exclusive products only to be sold in the Shanghai location to celebrate the stores opening. These include a classic quilted flap handbag with an inside signature "Shanghai Karl Lagerfeld", sling-back heels with a metallic CC logo, various items of clothing including a tweed jacket and skirt with gold trim.

The boutique has an excellent location in the newly opened The Peninsula hotel. The latest addition to the luxury travel market the Art Deco styled hotel has a terrific location on the Bund, the waterfront promenade in Shanghai.

Tags: CHANEL, china, new boutique, NewBoutique, peninsula hotel, PeninsulaHotel, peter marino, PeterMarino, Shanghai, shopping

The 1980s Redux at LAN Club in Shanghai

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

Photo of La Terrace at LAN Club Shanghai

Shanghai's Bund, which runs along the river and divides the city's former international section (with its old world architecture) from Pudong, with its intergalactic hyper-futuristic architecture, isn't a place for subtlety. This divide makes it a place for big statements, particularly of the fashionable variety, which is why this is where you find the city's big name restaurants (Jean Georges, M on the Bund), major international designers and so on. And it made it an entirely logical neighborhood for Chinese restaurateurs South Beauty Group to select for the Shanghai edition of the LAN Club, following on the 2006 success of its Beijing launch, which was designed by Phillipe Starck.

LAN Shanghai, designed by Patrick Gilles and Dorothee Boissier. opened in a historic building just off the Bund last summer, and it's not about subtlety, no, not even a little bit. Its four floors that put me in mind of the clubs that I used to encounter as a teenager in 1980s New York: an adult version of a theme park. There's a dance club, and several bars, and each floor is home to a different restaurants or, if you will, dining concepts, and they've changed a bit since opening. What was once a Chinese restaurant on the first floor has become O-Supper Club, which is doing a Chinese/Tapas fusion. (This sounds more interesting than it tastes); the French restaurant on the fourth floor had a new name, Papillion, named for the 400 butterfly specimens displayed on its walls. And that's not to forget a seafood restaurant, adorned with an aquarium of living jelly fish, an atrium-like space with a wall of plants, and a full floor of VIP private dining rooms, because in a crowded country, it's luxurious to go to a restaurant to be seen and then have total privacy.

One of these rooms, the Art and Banquet Hall, is meant to accommodate a group, and it is genuinely, no-gimmicks impressive: it was designed around the Liu Ziaodong painting, Migrants of the Three Gorges. It's some 30 feet in width, and was, for a time, the most costly work by a contemporary Chinese artist sold at auction. But favorite space was "La Terrace", the lounge on the roof, which opened this past July. It's view of Pudong and the Bund isn't unobstructed, but I rather liked the Shanghai peep show effect, which was enhanced by the pimp-my-ride lit tables.

Gallery: LAN Club Shanghai

Tags: beijing, china, club, entertainment-awards, phillipe starck, PhillipeStarck, shanghai

The Quest for Porcelain White Skin

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Cosmetics and Fragrance, Crimes and Misdemeanors

photo of a woman with a parasol in shanghai

I was just in Newport, Rhode Island, although I didn't see that much of it, because on the night of my arrival, I ate what turned out to be a very bad lobster indeed. (Public service announcement: if you're eating lobster, nay, any shellfish, and you detect even the slightest hint of ammonia, put down the fork, leave the table, and immediately procure saltines and electrolyte-enhanced fluids.)

Anyway, maybe it was because I was tinged green, but for the moments when I crawled out of my very comfortable hotel (the Hotel Viking, book a room in the newly renovated wing), I couldn't help but noticed how very white everyone was. Well, rich-people-in-summer-white, which is to say, bronze.

When I was in Shanghai last month, I was reminded that the Western obsession with toasting is not shared worldwide.

In China, which certainly has its own ethnic tensions, but not (as I'm aware of) those relating to the amount of melanin in the skin, the obsession is looking as white as possible, as you can see in the colorful parade of parasols everywhere, what I can only describe as "forearm cozies" – handmade fabric coverings protecting the skin from the elbow to the wrist -- and for bicycle riders, what looks like a welding mask. (Although I think this is also to ward off projectiles.)

Tags: china, cosmetics, newport, shanghai, tanning, whitener

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