Check-in: Peace Hotel

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The Area: Sitting right on the corner of the The Bund and bustling Nanjing Lu, locations don't get much emblematic of Shanghai than this. That places you right in the middle of that “futuristic Pudong skyline”, one of Shanghai’s busiest shopping and pedestrian streets, Nanjing Dong Lu, and the numerous heritage sites dotted along Shanghai's famous waterfront -- Peace Hotel is at the intersection of all that. It's conveniently close to Metro Line 2, a stone's throw from the dubious experience that is the tourist tunnel to Pudong, as well as being near the city's Moganshan Lu art district.

Now Booking: The 270 guest accommodations are divided between entry-level Fairmont and Deluxe Rooms (around 45sqm), and 39 suites, ranging from the spacious, 89sqm One Bedroom, through to the wonderfully unique Nine Nations rooms (‘China’ features delicate carvings and a striking Moon Gate; ‘England’ is all oak-paneled walls and leather armchairs; ‘India’ is pure opulence and gold filigree). The highest, the Sassoon Presidential Suite has to be seen to be believed: directly underneath that distinctive green copper pyramid, Sir Victor's personal residence is 268sqm of pure, tasteful luxury.

More modest rooms can be booked for around 2,300rmb, depending on occupancy, and look out onto either Nanjing Lu or the courtyard; Bund views cost extra. All feature decadent marble and chrome bathrooms, claw foot tubs and the technological gadgets you'd expect from a five star property.

The Background: The Peace Hotel is the stuff of Shanghai legends, with a story that mirrors the city’s own: glamour central in its 1930s heyday, subdued but never wholly suppressed in the years that followed, only to reemerge as a brighter, better, and bolder incarnation of its former, glorious decadence, poised to once again claim its status as an 'it' destination for visitors and city residents.

Completed in 1929 by Sir Victor Sassoon, the Cathay Hotel as it was then known was just one of the clan’s numerous and ludicrously successful businesses in Asia. The art deco icon quickly became a hub for Shanghai’s high society, lured by polished marble floors and glitzy ballrooms, elegant tea dances and of course, some of the city’s finest jazz. It was the most prestigious address in town, its distinctive green copper pyramid roof becoming as much of a visual identifier to the hordes of moneyed tourists stepping off ocean liners then as the Pearl Tower is today. The Cathay became the destination of choice for international celebrities, playing host to the likes of Noel Coward, Charlie Chaplin, and George Bernard Shaw to name but a few.

Change was in the air, as they say, however, and the Chinese Communist Party’s ascension to power in 1949 dictated a more, shall we say… ‘austere’ Shanghai in which the Cathay’s decadence had no place. Sassoon duly left, retreating to the Bahamas where he died in 1961, leaving his precious Cathay to be reclaimed by the government in 1950. For six years, the building hosted party officials before joining forces with the building opposite -- then the South Wing and now the Swatch Art Peace Hotel -- reemerging as Peace Hotel, albeit as a more sedate incarnation of what stood before.

The North Wing, that is the Peace Hotel of today, was effectively split in two, its grand entrance and magnificent dome remodeled to accommodate office space and small shops. Happily, Sassoon’s devoted staff realized the peril faced by the art deco monument and boarded up not only the sunshiney atrium, but also exquisite molded plaster ceilings, a gesture that came to light only during the building’s recent and careful restoration. Despite this, the hotel maintained a quiet prestige, and was the site of Zhou Enlai's diplomatic talks in 1964, before later playing host to US Presidents Reagan and Clinton.

For some fifty odd years, the two wings coexisted, with the more beautiful forgotten and gathering dust behind chipboard and poorly built, paper-thin walls. Fairmont took over the site in 2007, and, drawing on their experience of revitalizing historic hospitality icons (London's Savoy and The Plaza in New York) shut down the hotel for extensive renovation, collaborating with experienced hotel designers, Hirsch Bedner Associates. Three years later, 20 Nanjing Lu reopened as the Fairmont Peace Hotel to a rapturous welcome, Sassoon's long hidden touches of elegance once again unashamedly shining.

Atmosphere: Standing on the polished marble floor, bathed in yellow light from the magnificent glass dome above and under the beady eyes of sixteen stone whippets (Sassoon kept several), it's hard not to feel overwhelmed by the sheer grandeur of Peace Hotel and of course, the many twists and turns of history that went before.

Guest rooms are of course tasteful and generous, but it's in the hotel's public spaces that the real beauty of the space is revealed. Thanks to HBA's careful restoration and of course the original staff's foresight in protecting some of the property's finer features, lots of the 1930s elements have survived. The eighth floor ballroom, for example, boasts the same sprung floor, glittering crystal chandeliers and stained glass windows that wowed dancers at the original Cathay Hotel, whilst the mirror-lined corridor just off the space features the very same Lalique panels given to Sassoon by the then fledgling glassware firm.

In a city where the art deco idiom has seemingly become the hotel designer's default style of choice, it's a treat to see the real deal. It's not all original, of course, but somehow when set against age-tarnished mirrors and beautifully worn wooden floors, the contemporary pieces fit seamlessly.

Staff are friendly, as one would hope, but also impressively knowledgeable when it comes to the hotel's history, happy to point out original features here and there, or share an anecdote from Peace Hotel's glory days.

Food and Beverage: Peace Hotel offers two main restaurants, the first, Dragon Phoenix, serving up Cantonese and Shanghainese cuisine midst elegant screens and underneath a resplendent turquoise and gold roof; and the more contemporary Cathay Room, offering European fare. Both boast Bund views, and the latter also serves as a breakfast room, with Chinese and Western staples as well as a generous buffet.

For the ultimate Peace Hotel experience, head to Jasmine Lounge for afternoon tea. Featuring a seemingly never-ending array of cakes, desserts and dainty sandwiches, it's the ultimate in glamorous sophistication.

Cigar aficionados will have to wait a while yet for CinCin to be given a smoking permit, but for now, guests can relax on comfy leather sofas, sip on a cocktail or one of the bar's impressive list of single malt whiskeys and peer inside the humidor at the delights to come.

Last but by no means least, the Jazz Bar has become a destination in its own right and resonates nightly with the sound of two legendary bands. The first are as much part of the furniture as the original wooden bar they play to, and with an average age of almost 80, have been entertaining jazz lovers at the Peace Hotel since the 1950s. Next to take the stage is acclaimed trumpeteer Theo Croker and his band, playing their particular brand of cool, modern jazz.

Amenities: The first-floor Willow Stream Spa is a veritable warren of eleven mahogany-clad single and double treatment rooms, all laced with calming scents and relaxing sounds. Guests can also take a dip in the 18-meter, sunlit pool; or for a more arduous workout, check out the well-equipped gym and mirrored yoga studio. Definitely worth a visit is the Peace Gallery, overseen by the hotel's resident historian, Jenny Laing-Peach who will happily guide the curious through a fascinating array of memorabilia, archive photographs and original art deco furnishings, documenting the hotel's eighty year history.

Who's staying? Well, it's one of the pricier Bund destinations, and so unsurprisingly, guests tend to be a little older than at some of the city's more affordable options. Perched on a bar stool, though, martini in hand, Shanghai jazz twisting and turning melodically in the background; or perhaps sipping afternoon tea and indulging in delicate, dainty morsels, the Peace Hotel is undeniably evocative of a more glamorous, leisurely time, and that in itself is a reason to stay. A slice of Shanghai history, Peace Hotel has embraced various incarnations over the years, with this latest certain to stay.