editorial

Alila Shanghai provides a calm, cool escape from the teeming streets of China’s largest city.
Photographs by Christopher P. Hill
<figure id="attachment_145125" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-145125" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-145125 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Alila-Shanghai-China-Lounge-and-Incense-Making-Experience.jpg" alt="Warm vibes at Chayan@5TH; incense-making at the Tang Xiang Cultural Space." width="1200" height="894" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Alila-Shanghai-China-Lounge-and-Incense-Making-Experience.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Alila-Shanghai-China-Lounge-and-Incense-Making-Experience-300x224.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Alila-Shanghai-China-Lounge-and-Incense-Making-Experience-1024x763.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Alila-Shanghai-China-Lounge-and-Incense-Making-Experience-768x572.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-145125" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Warm vibes at Chayan@5TH; incense-making at the Tang Xiang Cultural Space.</figcaption></figure>
There are other hotels in Shanghai where you can gaze in contemporary comfort at century-old relics from the city’s early heyday, but none offer quite the same pizzazz or proximity as this one. From my seat on the terrace of <a href="https://www.alilahotels.com/shanghai" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alila Shanghai</a>’s crimson-tinged Secret Roof bar, cocktail in hand, I could look right over the rooftops of Zhangyuan, an adjacent complex of restored 1920s shikumen townhouses that has been recently recast as a luxury retail precinct. Though the views for now also include a huge construction site where another chunk of the old neighborhood is being redeveloped, it’s still a beguiling sight.
Taking over a 37-story tower formerly occupied by an aging Four Seasons hotel, the Alila brand’s first big-city property in China is a much different beast than its predecessor. An extensive redevelopment has seen the room count reduced from 420 to 186 (half of which are suites) and its design completely overhauled by Shenzhen-based interiors maven Ju Bin, whose aesthetic favors a calming natural minimalism. Guest quarters are dressed in warm organic tones and pale wood, with woven rattan screens, built-in sofas, and stacks of books imparting a residential quality; textured glass and patterned tile flooring inspired by the city’s historic mansions accent the large bathrooms. Another nostalgic touch are the blocks of stone, salvaged from a demolished shikumen, on which the room numbers are displayed.
Alila Shanghai describes itself as an urban resort, and that feel is most evident on the fourth-floor lobby level, which opens onto a splendid rooftop courtyard. Surrounded by glass-walled reception and dining pavilions, this slice of tranquility—a nod to the city’s classical gardens—is anchored by a silvery five-meter-tall tree sculpture by local artist Oscar Wong, its limbs and ceramic leaves outstretched above a reflecting pool. It all feels a world away from the bustle of the streets below.
A diverse collection of art is displayed throughout the hotel, from the dandelion puff–like installation by Zizi Wang that graces the discreet driveway, to the vivid canvases of Vietnamese artist Nguyen Khac Chinh found in <a href="https://www.alilahotels.com/shanghai/dining/chayan-5th/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chayan@5TH</a>. The latter is a series of inviting, interconnected spaces that serves as the Alila’s social hub—part tearoom, part lounge, part library. It’s on the same level as the courtyard and two very good restaurants. <a href="https://www.alilahotels.com/shanghai/dining/garden-pavilion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Garden Pavilion</a>, an all-day affair built around a Japanese maple tree, serves a buffet breakfast in the mornings (the xiao long bao dumplings and scallion pancakes are a must) and Japanese robatayaki the rest of the day. Taking its name from the hotel’s address, <a href="https://www.alilahotels.com/shanghai/dining/500-weihai-road/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">500 Weihai Road</a> dishes up modern Shanghainese flavors courtesy of chef Scott Bao—think deep-fried pork neck with aged Zhenjiang vinegar, or drunken chicken doused in Shaoxing rice wine.
<figure id="attachment_145124" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-145124" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-145124 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Alila-Shanghai-China-Hotel-Courtyard-and-Restaurant-Interior.jpg" alt="Alila Shanghai’s rooftop courtyard; the on-site Shanghainese restaurant 500 Weihai Road." width="1200" height="894" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-145124" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Alila Shanghai’s rooftop courtyard; the on-site Shanghainese restaurant 500 Weihai Road.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_145126" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-145126" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-145126 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Alila-Shanghai-China-Restaurant-Food-and-Artwork.jpg" alt="The menu at 500 Weihai Road includes braised fish soup, poached dragon beans, and sea cucumber with Shaoxing rice wine; vibrant works by Vietnamese artist Nguyen Khac Chinh hang in the hotel lounge." width="1200" height="894" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-145126" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: The menu at 500 Weihai Road includes braised fish soup, poached dragon beans, and sea cucumber with Shaoxing rice wine; vibrant works by Vietnamese artist Nguyen Khac Chinh hang in the hotel lounge.</figcaption></figure>
Mind you, in this corner of the Jing’an district, a decent meal is easy to come by; the foodie hot spots of Wujiang Lu and Fengshen Li are just around the corner. There’s also plenty to explore by foot, from the gentrified laneways of Zhangyuan to the somewhat more distant Jing’an Temple. One 15-minute walk brought me to Prada Rong Zhai, a century-old Western-style mansion restored and transformed by the Italian fashion house into an art space, which just happened to be hosting the first-ever Asian solo exhibition of Berlin- and Geneva-based installation artist Shuang Li. For those looking to venture beyond Jing’an, The Bund, Shanghai’s famous waterfront promenade, is two subway stops away.
Alila offers curated outings of its own. For me, it was an incense-making workshop at the Tang Xiang Cultural Space, where an elegant lady called Ms. Tang guided me through the meditative process of filling an intricate brass mold with sandalwood powder, then watching it slowly burn as we sipped cups of jasmine tea.
Unsurprisingly for an Alila, there’s also an emphasis on wellness. <a href="https://www.alilahotels.com/shanghai/wellness/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spa Alila</a>, a softly illuminated refuge located on the same floor as the gym and indoor swimming pool, comes with a Turkish bath and five treatment rooms where therapists dole out invigorating Chinese and Balinese massages, chakra balancing, lotus flower scrubs, warm stone treatments, and collagen facials. Fittingly, on the morning before I checked out, I attended a gong healing session in an adjacent yoga studio. As the gong player coaxed deep, resonant sounds from two great metal discs, the room was flooded with therapeutic vibrations. Like much else about this smoothly operated urban resort, it was transporting (<a href="https://www.alilahotels.com/shanghai" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alilashanghai.com</a>; from US$275 a night).
<figure id="attachment_145127" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-145127" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-145127 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Alila-Shanghai-China-Suite-Bedroom-and-Shikumen-View.jpg" alt="One of the hotel’s 94 suites; a view over the historic rooftops of Zhangyuan." width="1200" height="894" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Alila-Shanghai-China-Suite-Bedroom-and-Shikumen-View.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Alila-Shanghai-China-Suite-Bedroom-and-Shikumen-View-300x224.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Alila-Shanghai-China-Suite-Bedroom-and-Shikumen-View-1024x763.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Alila-Shanghai-China-Suite-Bedroom-and-Shikumen-View-768x572.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-145127" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: One of the hotel’s 94 suites; a view over the historic rooftops of Zhangyuan.</figcaption></figure>
This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://subscription.destinasian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">March/May 2025</a> print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Urban Oasis”). Buy a single issue or subscribe <a href="https://subscription.destinasian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

A Stay at Alila Shanghai