• Best for Contemporary Luxury: From its storied location at the top of the Bund to its beyond-luxurious in-room amenities, the Peninsula Shanghai easily takes top honors and also sets a new standard for Shanghai's luxury hotels. The "urban resort" PuLi Hotel and Spa is a close runner-up, successfully creating a haven of peace and tranquillity in the midst of a busy urban jungle. 
  • Best Service: This is an impossibly difficult category with fierce competition, but our vote goes to the Kerry Hotel Pudong, where you'll encounter a consistently friendly and efficient staff. 
  • Best Hotel Perks: The Peninsula Shanghai lets all guests call home anywhere in the world for free (using a VOIP system) — need we say more? Oh, and there's also the walk-in closets and dressing room with weather panel and nail dryer, the three-in-one printer/fax/copier, the multimedia reader, the free Wi-Fi, the Nespresso machine, and of course, the all-important mood lighting.
  • Best City Views: Le Royal Meridien, the tallest hotel in Puxi, also has the most stunning 360-degree views of the whole city. The Park Hyatt in Pudong is taller (it's one of the tallest hotels in the world), but you need the help of a clear day to fully enjoy the view. 
  • Best View of the Bund: The nearby Grand Hyatt and Park Hyatt are higher, but the Kerry Hotel Pudong is closer and at just the right elevation for a spectacular view of Shanghai's European architecture across the Huangpu River. The view is even better at night when this riverfront "colonial scroll" of banks and trading houses is lit up.
  • Best View of the Bund & Pudong: Hyatt on the Bund provides unique views of both the Bund and Pudong's skyscrapers; one of our favorite things to do is to sit and watch the Huangpu river traffic from the hotel's VUE bar.
  • Best Whiff of Old Shanghai: The legendary Peace Hotel has the advantage of renown, but the French Concession Mansion Hotel with its romantic period furnishings best takes us back in time to the '30s and '40s when life was a cabaret, even — or maybe especially — in Shanghai.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.