As Shanghai continues its race to match the rest of the cosmopolitan world tit-for-tat in terms of food, beverage and entertainment, it's no surprise to see a mini-flood of boutique hotels opening over the last year. Starting from London's Blake Hotel and New York's Morgan Hotel circa the mid 80's, the prototypical boutique hotel presents a small number of rooms in a highly designed environment that brings a theme, style, or aspiration to the forefront. Think tiny 5-star hotel meets theme park meets interior designer's paradise.


Looking at Shanghai's newest offering, we see this formula brought to life in a way that is true to Shanghai and the modern world: China's first carbon-neutral hotel, the 26-room URBN Hotel. The idea of long-time Shanghai expats, Jules Kwan and Scott Barrack from Space Property Development, URBN aspires to provide guests and Shanghai with a model of style, comfort, and sustainability.

Working from a 1970's era China Post warehouse located a couple blocks North of Jing'an Temple, URBN collaborated with top Shanghai-based architecture firm A00 to renovate the existing structure with locally sourced and recycled materials like reclaimed hardwood and bricks from demolished buildings, while incorporating the latest thinking in eco-and-energy friendly designs. These ideals extend into a scheme to offset the greenhouse gases produced by hotel operations and guest stays. To achieve this, URBN purchases offsetting "carbon credits" from Climate Bridge, an international firm that invests in renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction projects in China and abroad.

All very nice ideals but what does carbon-neutrality actually make for a hotel stay?

We exited our taxi on Jiaozhou Lu--a busy local street in Jing'an--and were met by URBN's subtle wooden gate. Passing through transports you into a large, quiet courtyard with 100-year-old magnolia trees and a white stone garden. A very Asian feeling. Upon reaching the reception, we were struck by one of the more clever design details we've seen in some time--a wall decorated with vintage leather suitcases all purchased from local markets. The lobby is shared with URBN's public lounge and restaurant, roomtwentyeight by the people behind Shanghai's Wagas franchise.

After a quick check-in, we were escorted upstairs to the fourth floor. Brick and hardwood continued to be a prominent design theme in the elevator and in the corridors, giving a subdued and relaxing feeling. The attendant carefully pointed out details regarding use of our keycard for the elevator and room and then gave an exhaustive tour of guest room: one large room, dominated by an oversized platform bed next to a large sunken lounge area with cushioned wrap-around seating. Dark reclaimed hardwood was contrasted by white plaster walls. The bed stood as the central icon in the room while subtle use of grey-green twill upholstery on other furniture gave a warm, Japanese-Asian and slightly masculine feeling. Of course the obligatory 42" flatscreen TV, DVD player, wireless Internet, and mini-bar were all present.

The bathroom ran parallel to the main room and looked carved out of black, locally-quarried slate, with an outside wall made of translucent glass that allowed plenty of diffuse, natural light. At one end, a rain-shower and a deep, free-standing bath were warmed by in-floor radiant heat, which was a nice touch sure to remedy cold Shanghai mornings. At the other end of the bathroom was the sink and toilet where a local brand of toiletries, Ba Yan Ka La, sat on the small-ish countertop. It was very open and while this was no problem for us, some people wanting more modesty in their bathroom might want to inquire about the design in the other rooms.

Back to the main room, we checked our view: where should have been the building next door was a small garden space with white stones and bamboo backed by hardwood louvers. While north-facing, it provided a lot of natural light and kept us feeling like we were in retreat from the craziness outside.

The overall feeling was very modern and pan-Asian while the reclaimed materials gave the room a slightly warmer, "worn-in" feeling not typical of a brand new hotel.

A total of 23 rooms in the hotel follow along a similar design--about half a view of the main garden courtyard. In addition there are two penthouse suites with roof-top gardens and one unique courtyard suite with a private outdoor patio and separate spa treatment room. Room rates start at 2,000rmb and go up to 8,000rmb for the penthouse.

Settled into our room, we went down to roomtwentyeight for a quick, late dinner in this promising restaurant that also provides URBN's room service. Following that, we headed back upstairs to URBN's guest-only lounge which consisted of a single large space, a small adjoining patio and an enclosed Japanese Bonzai-style garden. The room was filled with custom designed furniture and a surprising number of people for Thursday night at a newly opened hotel. The staff was friendly and we mingled with guests from Australia and Hong Kong as well as some Shanghai expats who are "friends of URBN." The drinks were simple but well made although the music--mostly rock--didn't seem to quite match with the design of the place.

A few drinks later, we made the short trip back to our room and the massively inviting bed. It definitely lived up to the visual impact--a perfect balance of cushion with support, and high quality linens gave a deep, quality sleep. After sleeping in a bit too late for a weekday we missed the chance to check out One Wellness, URBN's gym partner a short walk around the corner.

Instead, during the rush getting ready for work, URBN's housekeeping service was able to quickly top up our bathroom with extra shampoo and towels and an efficient check-out meant we weren't [too] late for our first appointment of the day...

The overall feeling of the hotel is one of an Asian-styled relaxing retreat. It really had a spa-like feeling rather then being ultra-hip and design-oriented or over-the-top-luxurious as in other boutique hotels we've stayed in. The service was prompt and friendly and again, gave us a feeling like we were in an oasis of spa-like calm.

We would recommend this as a good, interesting choice for a traveler who wanted to escape some of Shanghai's frenetic pace or a local who needed a quick getaway with friends or something a bit more intimate. And of course we'll be back to sleep soundly knowing that--for at least one night--we're carbon neutral.

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