Expense It
The 421-room Four Seasons (500 Weihai Rd.; +86-21-6256-8888; FourSeasons.com; $250+) offers 37 floors of elegance with an executive club lounge on the top floor. An easy hop from Hongqiao airport in Puxi, which offers mostly domestic flights, this is a top choice for those doing business elsewhere in the country. Impeccable service reigns and four dining options beckon, from a steakhouse to a sushi bistro to a traditional Shanghainese dining room, which makes staying at your hotel working late on tomorrow's presentation a much more appealing option. If you have time off between meetings, stroll to the Shanghai Museum, Concert Hall, or to Huaihai Road's upscale shopping options.
For travelers craving the high life, the Grand Hyatt Shanghai (Jin Mao Tower, 88 Century Ave., Pudong; +86-21-5049-1234; Shanghai.Grand.Hyatt.com; $197+) offers accommodations with altitude. Occupying the 53rd to 87th floors of the skyscraping Jin Mao Tower, the highest hotel in the world is in the center of Pudong, Shanghai's financial and business district. Rooms on the 87th floor allow you to rise above the competition -- at about 1,150 feet.
Across the river, the Pudong Shangri-la (33 Fu Cheng Lu; +86-21-6882-8888; Shangri-La.com; $180+) is a luxury choice in the city, with an extensive fitness area, an indoor pool, and a lobby lounge with a superb view of the Bund. Next door, you'll find the multistory Superbrand Mall.
Unique Opportunities
Offset that business class travel with a stay at China's first carbon-neutral hotel, the 26-room URBN Hotel (183 Jiao Zhou Rd.; +86-21-5153-4600; URBNHotels.com; $230+). This eco-friendly boutique gem is within easy reach of the French Concession and only two blocks from the shopping temptations of Nanjing Road. The hotel tracks each guest's carbon footprint and neutralizes it by investing in green energy development in China. Situated in an old factory, this contemporary creation employs a palette of soft earth tones. Guest rooms have distinctive sunken sitting areas with wraparound sofas. There are in-room fitness kits and in-room massages available, if you need to work off any particularly stressful meetings. The hotel also offers impressive extras, such as Mandarin lessons; Chinese cooking, calligraphy, and painting classes; walking tours; and bike rentals.
Savvy travelers on a bigger budget should book at the French Concession's historic 88 Xintiandi (380 South Huang Pi Rd.; +86-21-5383-8833; 88Xintiandi.com; $485+), a boutique hotel that has won countless design awards. The 58 guest rooms are exquisite works of Asian modern decor. There are suites and kitchenettes available. The super-chic 88 Spa is home to a gorgeous pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, and steam room, and offers yoga classes.
There are impressive deals to be found at historic addresses such as the intimate Heng Shan Moller Villa (30 Shanxi Rd.; +86-21-6247-8881; MollerVilla.com; $220+). Old world charm, three restaurants, and 2000-square-foot gardens are on offer to guests of its 43 rooms.
Your Dime
On the Bund side, Broadway Mansions (20 Bei Suzhou Rd.; +86-21-6324-6260; BroadwayMansions.com; $89+) was built in 1934 and renovated in 2006. You cannot beat the views of the flashing neon of the Bund and the busy river and crowded riverbanks below, and it's a good deal when it's your equity that's footing the bill.
The Park Hotel (170 Nanjing Rd.; +86-21-6327-5225; ParkHotel.com.cn; $80+) is an art deco gem with recently renovated (though generic) rooms.
Facilities may be slightly dated, but there's no shortage of old-world charm at the Anting Villa Hotel (46 Anting Rd.; +86-21-6433-1188; AntingVillaHotel-Shanghai.com; $100+), which is in Xuhui near the metro.
