Shanghai Marriott Hotel City Centre

Rooms and decor

The Deluxe runs 36 sqm over cream carpet, with a King bed wrapped in Frette linens that sinks in just enough — none of the board-hard mattresses you get at a lot of Chinese hotels. The desk by the window has a universal plug and a USB-C port, and the dark-grey marble bathroom puts a rainshower separate from the tub, with the hot water running strong from the first second. The detail guests love most is the Nespresso machine with free capsules and a ceramic Chinese tea flask. The real reason to ask for a high floor, though, is the glass: when the Pudong towers start lighting up around 7pm, kill the room lights and watch Shanghai turn into a neon city.

Food and amenities

Head up to the 20-metre indoor pool on floor 39 — warm water at 28 degrees under a glass ceiling, and empty at 7am. Then it's down to breakfast at JW Grill on floor 38, where fresh xiaolongbao arrive hot, one steamer basket at a time, the skins thin and the soup spilling out. There's a La Marzocco coffee machine, and free Veuve Clicquot after 6pm for Club guests. Add the fitness centre and spa and you don't really need to leave the building.

Location and getting there

Walk out the back of the hotel and it's 8 minutes to the pedestrian stretch of East Nanjing Road, past M&M's World, a Forever 21 and the famous Jia Jia Tang Bao dumpling shop with its long queue. Another 15 minutes brings you to The Bund and its row of 52 European buildings along the Huangpu, at their best around 6pm as the orange lights come on. Metro lines 1, 2 and 8 all meet at People's Square, and for the airport you switch to the Maglev at Longyang Road — 7 minutes at 430 km/h.

Things to know before booking

This is the most expensive opening price on the list — rooms start near $140 a night, and climb from there. People's Square is genuinely busy and crowded, which is the trade-off for being able to walk straight out into Nanjing Road and The Bund. And in high season the rooms go fast, so lock yours in well ahead.

Our take

The Shanghai Marriott Hotel City Centre is the most luxurious and most central pick on this list. We give it 9.4 for the Pudong view from up on floor 49, the Frette bed that puts you straight to sleep, and staff who all speak fluent English. It's best for couples celebrating an anniversary, families on a first trip with the kids, and business travellers with meetings in Lujiazui. If a $140 starting rate fits your ceiling, we'd send you here without hesitation.