Introduction
Shanghai has one of the deepest benches of Marriott luxury hotels globally. 9 in total, including 2 St Regis, 2 Ritz-Carlton, 2 JW Marriots, a W, an Edition, and the ultra-luxury BVLGARI. Some of you would expect BVLGARI to be at the top of the list but no, the most expensive hotel isn't always the best one. I've intentionally excluded BVLGARI from the list because diminishing returns + brand premium always mean those hotels are for those whose money is the last thing to care about. For most of us who enjoy luxury hotels when it makes sense, read on to see what are my top choices, and which ones I would avoid.
1. St. Regis on The Bund
I believe this hotel is the most well-rounded Marriott luxury stay in Shanghai: polished rooms, the best in-room view in the portfolio, a great breakfast, a workable Bund-adjacent location, and attentive service. Being the newest St Regis product in mainland China, the interior is 1920s Shanghai Art Deco, with marble bathrooms, deep bathtubs, and generiously sized space.
Breakfast deserves its own line - it's the best hotel breakfast I've had anywhere. Live chef stations, a noodle bar, a pastry section that wouldn't be out of place at a Parisian bakery, and a soft-serve ice cream station (yes, at breakfast).
This is also one of the very few luxury hotels in Shanghai where a single room can have clear views of both the Bund and the Oriental Pearl Tower. Most "Bund view" hotels sit on the Pudong side facing west - you see the historic Bund buildings, but Pudong's skyline is behind you. Book their panoramic river view room like I did, and it will be one of the best views of your life.
Booking St Regis Bund
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Complimentary daily breakfast for two guests
Room upgrade upon arrival, subject to availability
$100+ USD property credit per stay
Early check-in and late checkout priority
VIP recognition and welcome amenities
Booking is simple: send us a quick message with the hotel, your dates, room type and number of guests, and we'll take care of the rest.
2. St. Regis Jingan
Our pick when the trip is really about Puxi. Jing'an Temple is across the road, Plaza 66 is a five-minute walk, and the entire West Nanjing Road retail belt is on the doorstep. We tend to default to this over the Bund property for repeat clients - people who've seen already seen the Bund and would rather be in the lively part of the city.
Rooms lean French-classical rather than contemporary, and the look has aged well despite the older age. The variety of buffet breakfast was also incredible, and with live noodle stations, dim sum and a separate Western section.
We've had minor service hiccups when we stayed but nothing really major. The lobby and bar scene is quieter than the other properties; pleasant if you want calm, less of a destination if you want buzz.
3. Edition
I don't normally rate Edition hotels because of their boring design and the lack of sense of place. But the location in the heart of Nanjing road can't be argued with.
Roof, the rooftop bar has the best skyline looks in Shanghai overlooking the Bund and the Oriental Pearl tower from afar. They also have a great breakfast that's a mix of buffet and a-la-carte and I love a-la-carte breakfasts. Overall, very lively and chic hotel overall in a prime location for someone who goes to Shanghai for shopping and F&B.
The big main tradeoffs is the room are relatively small (~30sqm for standard rooms and only a bit more spacious for the premium rooms). But with the location I doubt you'll find the need to stay in the rooms much.
Hotels we'd skip:
Both properties on this list are heritage Marriott luxury hotels that opened a long time ago and haven't kept pace with the wave of Shanghai luxury openings over the past few years. They were category leaders in their day, but their refusal to reinvest in the hard product makes them not competitive anymore. It's a shame that a city like Shanghai has two Ritz-Carltons in it, both of which aren't any good.
1. Ritz-Carlton Shanghai Pudong
This is gonna be controversial because I know some people who swear by this hotel. There's only one reason to stay at this hotel: the Instagram-worthy close-up view of the Oriental Pearl Tower. But the wowness factor then fades away after your first day and then you're left with the all the other problems. First Lujiazui is the financial district where's there's absolutely nothing to do. There's highend malls and that's it. No local food, no culture, things are dead by 9PM. The rooms are also very dated and smells of a weird chemical that gave me a headache when I stayed. We had a series of service hiccups including 5PM check-ins and requests not being handled. Do me a favor, go to their Flair bar to take the picture of the tower if you like but, stay elsewhere.
2. The Portman Ritz-Carlton
The location is the only reason to consider it - directly on West Nanjing Road, inside the Shanghai Centre complex, with Plaza 66 and Jing'an Temple within walking distance. That's where the case ends. You can stay at the much better St Regis Jingan for the same location.
The room is decently sized but felt incredible dated - dark wood, heavy curtains, low ceiling, lighting that never lifts the space. It felt like a Mövenpick wearing a Ritz-Carlton badge. F&B options are genuinely thin with one main restaurant, and a weak breakfast that I skipped 5 minutes in. Yes it's cheap but even then I don't think it justifies the experience.
Read our full detailed review of Portman Ritz-Carlton here.
Conclusion
That's the list, after stays across most of the Marriott portfolio. Shanghai has the deepest luxury bench in Asia and it keeps getting deeper with new openings landing on both sides of the river. For a trip planned around the hotel rather than the city, there are more good answers here than almost anywhere else we book.
Every property on this list, including the two we'd skip, can be booked through Marriott STARS, the invitation-only luxury travel advisor programme. STARS rates include complimentary daily breakfast, a $100 property credit, a room upgrade at check-in subject to availability, and early check-in / late check-out. The best part is we don't charge any fees, and you still get to earn points and enjoy status benefits when you're a STARS guests.