Shanghai Hotels|Shanghai, China

Alila Shanghai

Name: Alila Shanghai
Telephone: 86-21-62661234

An urban oasis in the middle of Shanghai

VERIFIED LUXURY

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Opened in September 2024, Alila Shanghai weaves an urban oasis into one of the most bustling areas of downtown.

From the discreet entrance, Alila whisks guests away from street level and up to areas where they can calmly look down upon the action. With just 186 rooms, the hotel manages to maintain a boutique feel featuring a sleek design with organic materials. Yet you will find touches of Shanghai, like in the neutral-hued rooms, textured glass is a nod to vintage window frames, and the patterned flooring resembles tiling from historic mansions.

Elsewhere in the hotel, you’ll discover four bars and restaurants, a heated indoor infinity pool overlooking the garden and the cityscape, and a spa that fuses modern therapies and traditional Eastern practices and offers five treatment rooms and a Turkish bath.

Located in Jing’an District, the hotel is a short walk from West Nanjing Road, one of Shanghai’s main shopping streets. It is opposite the Taikoo Hui upmarket mall and close to the sprawling Starbucks Reserve Roastery. Jing’an Temple and People’s Square are also within walking distance.

Our Inspector's Highlights

Alila Shanghai is close to some of the best shopping in the city. Situated around it are restaurants and designer boutiques along with easy access to three different Metro lines.
The Shanghai hotel has exclusive private access to the historic Zhangyuan development, which it overlooks. This is a complex of restored traditional shikumen stone-gate townhouses, which were once the main type of housing in Shanghai and now host luxury and concept stores.
The hotel conjures an urban oasis through a series of well-thought-out elements. At the lobby level, local artist Oscar Wang’s “Gathering” sculpture acts as a focal point inspired by Shanghai’s classical gardens. Sitting in a pond, the 17-foot-tall stainless-steel tree is adorned with steel and Jingdezhen ceramic leaves that light up at night. A check-in ritual treats guests to tea and a calming fragrance.
There is an understated, discreet air about the hotel that starts right from the rather anonymous entrance. Accommodations and public spaces have an earthy tone with plenty of natural materials like wood, roughly hewn stone and rattan detailing creating a Zen-like minimalism. Room numbers themselves are on bricks from old shikumen buildings.
While there’s a quiet onsite library, books though are prominent throughout the hotel and each guest room contains a selection of Chinese tomes that are mostly about Shanghai. In an unusual turndown service, each night a different book is placed on the bed.
All the restaurants serve farm-to-table sourced food for a sustainable menu. The hotel even has its own organic-certified garden on the rooftop providing fresh herbs to the kitchens.

The Restaurants

There are three private dining areas on the terrace that can be used for any of the restaurants.
Garden Pavilion, built around a Japanese maple tree, holds a dual identity. In the morning it acts as the hotel’s breakfast room, where instead of the usual buffet there are curated sets featuring Chinese, Japanese and Western cuisines (it’s an effort to reduce food waste). For lunch and dinner, it becomes a Japanese robatayaki (where food is cooked over a charcoal grill). Although the largest restaurant at Alila Shanghai, it is still intimate.
Chinese restaurant 500 Weihai Road takes its name from the hotel’s address . The emphasis here is on Shanghainese cuisine with seafood. The restaurant can be divided into three sections if needed, providing a further opportunity for private dining.
Tea house ChaYan @ 5th provides light sweet and savory bites. A relaxing ambiance helps create a sanctuary. The afternoon tea encapsulates Shanghai’s rich culinary heritage.
The hotel’s Secret Roof bar has an intimate indoor area complete with a cozy stage for the band matched with a much larger terrace area looking out over the Zhangyuan. By day, the bar serves coffee, and as the sun sets, coffee cocktails are the favored drinks.

Amenities