上海 | Shanghai

70 million people are expected to pass through Shanghai for the World Expo. If you don't know at least five people who were/are/will be in this bursting cosmopolitan this summer, don't fret because I certainly do.

While it's been five years since I last visited Shanghai, it doesn't take an expert to know that the city's prime real estate is rising in temperature. The Shanghainese landscape that I remember best was bereft of Starbucks, Subway, and Carrefour. Today, the city is in a whole new era. Shanghai has become a global show house for highbrow art, dining, fashion, design, and my favorite of all, the concept boutique hotel.

 

If I had to come up with a name, location, and concept for a hotel, it would've been everything that URBN in Shanghai is today. They seem to have hit all the right concepts:
 
1. Industrial Conversion

Set in the popular French Concession area, the hotel was converted from a factory warehouse.

2. The Green Sticker

URBN is Shanghai's first carbon-neutral hotel. URBN calculates the amount of its carbon emissions and subsequently purchases carbon credits to offset the damage done. With a commitment to green design, the hotel is constructed using reclaimed wood and bricks from old Shanghai homes. Furthermore, heating and cooling are controlled by energy efficient systems, and organic products are used for cleaning and maintenance.

4. Design 

 URBN's lobby is understated and chic with crisp lines and smooth surfaces.

 

URBN's 26 rooms are characterized by Chinese inspired contemporary design.

5. Gastronomical Delights  
 

When the weather is right, sip cocktails and nibble on tapas 'Upstairs' at URBN's rooftop bar. If you're craving some Western comfort food, go ‘Downstairs' to taste David Laris's unique concept menu featuring hand-grown herbs, local produce, and free-range meats. And if you're cool enough (see below), spoil yourself with artisan drinks at 'The Social' on the fourth floor, URBN's exclusive "hidden" bar.

6. An A-List Clientele

Admit it, it's the sign of every hot establishment, that secret club or exclusive guest list that your name is probably not on. Try figuring out the secret digits of the code-locked doors to enter the guests-only rooftop lounge bar on the fourth floor, although there are smarter ways...

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Note to reader: I haven't personally stayed at URBN, so nothing in this post speaks about the quality of the hotel's service. My comments touch more or less on what appears to be brilliant concepts behind this undeniably successful hotel. And indeed, the success of URBN is undeniable. It even brands itself as China's most award-winning boutique hotel. Just take a look at some of the awards it took home:

shanghai's best boutique hotel award 2009, 2010
sustainable hotel of the year award 2008 - hicap
china sustainable business award 2008
40 under 40 award - design awards
conde nast traveller top hot hotels 2008
wallpaper top 150 hotels
new york times top pick

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So if you're a bobo (bourgeois bohemian) and/or an urban yuppie environmentalist, you will be perfectly at the center of your comfort zone at URBN. If you're not, then Shanghai might not be the best city for you my dear.

URBN is owned and managed by SPACE development, a Shanghai-based boutique real estate company by Scott Barrack, Jules Kwan, and Amina Belouizdad, all of whom are fluent in Mandarin.

URBN hotel
186号 Jiaozhou Rd
Jing'an, Shanghai, China, 200040
021-51534600