The Peninsula Shanghai — The Last Grand Building Erected on the Bund, and Still the Best Hotel in the City
When people who have stayed across multiple Shanghai properties are asked where to go for the best of the best — The Peninsula Shanghai is the name that comes up most often. Score 9.4/10 from over 3,000 real guest reviews. The hotel opened in 2009 as the last major new building permitted on the Bund before authorities closed the historic waterfront to new construction. Address: 32 The Bund — river-view rooms overlooking the Huangpu, Sir Elly's on the rooftop, a Rolls-Royce fleet waiting downstairs, and Peninsula in-room technology that guests describe as making every other hotel feel like it's missing something.
Here is what the reviews actually say, distilled from thousands of stays: The Peninsula Shanghai delivers on its promises in a way that is genuinely rare among five-star hotels. Guests who arrive expecting a certain level of precision, service and detail — and who have stayed at top properties elsewhere in Asia — consistently report that this is the hotel that exceeds expectations rather than meeting them. The score of 9.4 out of 10 from over 3,000 reviews is not an outlier. It reflects consistent performance across service, room quality, location and the small details that you only notice when they are handled perfectly.
The building itself is an architectural statement. Completed in 2009, it was designed as a conscious homage to the Bund's historic Art Deco era — cream granite exterior, bronze-framed windows, balconies and decorative grilles that echo the 1920s and 1930s buildings standing on either side. But step inside and the technology is entirely modern: Peninsula in-room systems include a nail dryer in the bathroom, a valet box for contactless delivery of pressed clothes, multi-panel touch controls for every room function, and a complimentary mobile phone usable worldwide. Several guests mention this last detail specifically — picking up a Peninsula phone on the nightstand and making a call to anywhere in the world, included.
"Guests call it the best hotel room they have ever stayed in — river view at sunrise, Pudong at night, and service so quiet and precise you barely notice it happening. Some extended their stay by a day just because they didn't want to leave."
Sir Elly's — the rooftop restaurant and terrace bar on the uppermost floor — is the second thing guests mention most often after the room views. The terrace looks directly across the Huangpu River at the Pudong skyline: Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower and the SWFC all framed together at close range, illuminated from dusk onward. Multiple reviewers describe a single evening at Sir Elly's as worth the flight to Shanghai. The Lobby on the ground floor serves the Peninsula's signature afternoon tea — reservation-recommended, particularly at weekends when it fills with both hotel guests and outside visitors who make a point of coming specifically for it.
On location, 32 The Bund places the hotel at one of the most valuable addresses in China. Walk out the main entrance and you are two to three minutes from the Bund Promenade along the Huangpu. The East Nanjing Road metro station (Lines 2 and 10) is approximately 7 minutes on foot — which puts Lujiazui and the Pudong towers two stops away on Line 2, or reachable by the Huangpu ferry in 5 minutes. Yu Garden is 15 minutes by taxi or metro. The Rockbund Art Museum is an easy 5-minute walk north. The Peninsula also operates its own BMW and Rolls-Royce fleet for airport transfers and city journeys — guests arrange these through the concierge the night before.
The honest points worth knowing before booking: The Peninsula Shanghai is the most expensive hotel in our Shanghai list, and the gap is not small. Standard Deluxe rooms begin at approximately ¥2,800 (฿14,000) per night in off-peak periods, rising to ¥5,500 or beyond for Grand Deluxe Bund View or Suite categories in peak season. All in-hotel dining carries premium pricing. Some guests note that the experience — as good as it is — scales significantly depending on whether you have a Huangpu River-facing room; guests who booked a city-view room without specifying their preference at booking occasionally feel the difference. The straightforward advice: when booking, specify Bund View or Huangpu River View explicitly.
Peninsula Spa and the indoor pool are consistently well-rated in guest reviews. The spa programmes are in the longer end for a city hotel, and enough guests have mentioned extending their stay specifically to complete a spa day that it is worth factoring in if you have flexibility. The gym is fully equipped and available 24 hours. For those arriving from the airport, the hotel's BMW fleet is punctual — several reviews note that the peace of mind of a guaranteed car at 4am is worth the premium over ride-hailing.
The straightforward summary: The Peninsula Shanghai is the right choice when you want the best Bund hotel in Shanghai without argument — for a honeymoon, an anniversary, a milestone trip, or simply the occasion where you want the hotel to be the experience, not just the base. If you are comfortable with the price level, the reviews suggest disappointment is close to zero. That kind of consistency is exactly what a 9.4 score across 3,000+ stays means.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Unmatched Bund location at 32 The Bund — direct Huangpu River frontage
- ✓ Sir Elly's rooftop restaurant with 180-degree Pudong skyline views
- ✓ Peninsula service standard — quiet, precise, consistently praised
- ✓ In-room technology (nail dryer, valet box, touch controls) that guests genuinely use
- ! The most expensive hotel in Shanghai — all in-hotel dining is premium-priced
- ! Must specify Bund View at booking or risk a city-view room and missing the point
- ✓ Best Huangpu River and Pudong skyline views among all Bund hotels
- ✓ Peninsula Spa and indoor pool — guests regularly extend stays to use them
- ✓ Rolls-Royce / BMW fleet for airport and city transfers — punctual and convenient
- ✓ Afternoon tea at The Lobby — Peninsula signature experience, worth reserving
- ! Rates spike significantly during Chinese Golden Week and Chinese New Year
- ! Breakfast and all dining carry luxury-hotel pricing throughout
- 💡If budget is a real consideration · Rates start at ¥2,800 and rise quickly with room category and season · Fix → see the Fairmont Peace Hotel (from ¥1,700) or Kerry Hotel Pudong (from ¥700) for strong alternatives at lower price points
- 💡If a guaranteed river view is essential to your stay · Not every room faces the Bund — some face the city interior · Fix → specify Bund View or Huangpu River View explicitly at booking; most reviews that express disappointment come from guests who did not
- 💡If you want to dine at Sir Elly's on a weekend evening · The rooftop fills quickly and hotel guests are not automatically guaranteed a table · Fix → contact the hotel concierge to reserve Sir Elly's at least one week ahead, especially for Friday or Saturday dinner