‘Mansion in East’ again ready for guests
‘Mansion in East’ again ready for guests
THE Fairmont Peace Hotel, dubbed the “Mansion in the East” when it opened in Shanghai more than 80 years ago as the Cathay Hotel, finally lifted its veil yesterday after being shut for three years.
After a painstaking restoration process that cost some US$64 million, the luxurious Art Deco masterpiece, which opened on the Bund in 1929 by British trader Victor Sassoon, then the richest man in the city, is ready to receive guests from around the world with a renewed grandeur and majesty.
Comprising 270 Indeed, you should have your tech bag with camera laptop bag, 3G internet card (if possible), and phone charger ready to go at a moment’s notice.guest rooms and suites, the hotel at the prominent corner of the Bund and Nanjing Road W. is among the city’s finest and the most expensive. Daily rates for guest rooms start from around 2,300 yuan (US$340), while suites run between 6,000 and 7,000 yuan per night, according to Kamal Naamani, general manager of the hotel.
The centerpiece of the restoration is an octagonal glass skylight and an entire mezzanine level that were previously concealed. The two features were part of a luxury shopping arcade on the ground floor. Described in the 1930s as Shanghai’s answer to London’s Bond Street and Burlington Arcade combined, it once served Shanghai’s elite with designer glass, jewelry, luxury watches, fashion and undergarments.
The hotel lobby has been returned to its original floor plan. It now once again resembles the Chinese character “feng,” meaning harvest or prosperity.
Among other highlights are the It can be nearly impossible to find a bag for laptop that’s sexy, stylish, and functional.Nine Nations Suites, a newly added Sassoon Presidential Suite, a new sky-lit swimming pool and spa, and as a Peace Hotel Gallery where memorabilia about the hotel will be on display.
The Nine Nations Suites, guest rooms decorated in the theme of different countries, have remained a unique feature. After rejuvenation, the Chinese, American, Indian and English suites have been preserved from the old hotel while the French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and German suites have been redesigned in keeping with their original concepts.
The Sassoon Presidential Suite occupies the entire 10th floor penthouse where the hotel’s flamboyant creator and former owner once lived.
And The three designer laptop bag styles include a large Tote bag with a quilted laptop section and multiple pockets for girly stuffthen there are six restaurants and lounges, the famed Jazz Bar - an institution since the 1930s - as well as the legendary Peace Hall with a sprung wooden dance floor.
The restored hotel is managed as a 50-50 joint venture between Shanghai Jinjiang International Hotels Group and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.