Best Hotel Pools in Shanghai
8 Properties Where the Water Is the Point — Scores 8.8–9.5/10

If the pool matters enough to decide where you stay, Kerry Hotel Pudong is the most straightforward answer in Shanghai. Kerry Sports spans 6,000 sqm across three levels — indoor lap pool, outdoor pool with a proper sun deck, children's pool, and a hot tub. Guests across real reviews say it consistently: 'The pool was much larger than I expected, I lost track of time.' 9.4/10 from 6,455 reviews is a figure that only builds on genuine consistency over time. Rooms run 42–84 sqm at rates starting ¥700 — exceptional value for the size and what's on offer. One honest point: the location is Pudong, near Century Park, not central to The Bund or Xintiandi.

The pool at The Peninsula Shanghai is one of those rare hotel amenities where the photos genuinely understate reality. A 25m pool in deep navy-blue Art Deco tiling, an Art Deco fireplace at one end, a large Jacuzzi alongside, and an underwater music system that guests keep coming back to in their reviews — 'I dived under and could hear music playing, I've never experienced that before.' 9.4/10 from around 3,000 real guest reviews, on The Bund, with the Huangpu River a two-minute walk from the lobby. Rates start at ¥2,800+. The pool is indoors and doesn't have a skyline view — if that's your priority, the Ritz-Carlton and Mandarin Oriental are better fits.

Picture this: your alarm goes off at 6:30am, you take the lift to floor 53, and start swimming laps with The Bund laid out in full on the other side of the glass. That is not an embellishment — it is what guests at the Ritz-Carlton Pudong consistently describe. The pool is on the 53rd floor, large enough for genuine lap swimming, with a full Bund panorama. A large Jacuzzi sits alongside, cabanas and loungers fill the deck, and the gym occupies the same floor. 9.0/10 from around 4,000 real reviews. Rates start at ¥1,800. Worth noting: the pool is indoors (glass-enclosed), not open-air — the view is through windows, not over an edge.

There's a specific version of the Shanghai pool experience that only Mandarin Oriental Pudong really delivers: you're in the water, and The Bund is right in front of you across the river. The pool sits on the riverside edge of Lujiazui, with the Puxi skyline — including The Bund's entire heritage strip — forming the backdrop as you swim. MO Spa with its award-winning treatments is adjacent. 9.1/10 from around 2,500 real reviews. Rates from ¥1,900. One honest note: the 9.1 score is slightly below Kerry and Peninsula, and some reviews mention service that doesn't always match the premium price. If the riverside pool view is the priority, nothing in this guide delivers that better.

9.5/10 from 5,854 reviews — that is a number that builds confidence on its own. The InterContinental NECC has an infinity pool on level 5 with a glass skylight ceiling that floods the water with natural daylight in a way most hotel indoor pools simply don't have. Jacuzzi alongside, 24-hour fitness, and a Club Lounge that makes the Club Room upgrade worth considering. It ranks fifth because the Qingpu location puts you 30+ minutes from The Bund or Xintiandi by metro — if that trade-off works for your itinerary (NECC events, Hongqiao rail connections), the pool quality and score make it a very strong choice at ¥800+ for a 5-star property.

If your itinerary starts or ends at Hongqiao HSR and you still want a genuinely good pool, Cordis is the clearest answer in Shanghai. 9.4/10 from 6,150 reviews — the second-largest review base in this guide — a full-facility pool, fitness centre, and spa all inside The Hub, five minutes' walk from the HSR platforms. It ranks sixth because the pool itself is a solid full-service hotel pool without the design drama of the top picks; what you're really paying for is the combination of pool quality and rail-transit convenience. Guests consistently praise the service and room quality. Rates start at ¥1,000.

For a couple or anyone whose idea of a pool experience is a private plunge in a suite rather than lap sets at 7am, Banyan Tree On The Bund has something none of the other seven hotels in this guide offer: the Bund Oasis with Romantic Pool — a suite where your private pool looks out over the Huangpu River. The communal facility adds an indoor swimming pool and three relaxation pools, alongside the Banyan Tree Spa. It ranks seventh because the guest score of 8.8/10 and review count of ~1,500 are the lowest on this list — the data is thinner, meaning less certainty. But for the specific romantic pool-suite proposition, nothing here comes close.

The Langham Xintiandi's pool has a feature that sounds minor until you try it: an underwater music system, so you can hear the music while swimming underneath the surface. Guests who have used it come back to it in reviews with a consistency that shows it lands differently than expected — 'I went under and heard music playing; I've never had that in a pool before.' 25 metres, 1.5m deep, at the right temperature. Chuan Spa directly adjacent at B1. 9.5/10 from around 4,547 real reviews. It ranks eighth because the pool is below ground with no natural light or view — a different proposition from the Ritz-Carlton's sky views or the Peninsula's river-adjacent setting. But the Xintiandi location (central, walkable, French Concession nearby) is the best of any hotel in this guide.