Fairmont Peace Hotel $$$$

20 Nanjing Donglu, near Zhongshan Dongyilu
21/6321-6888
www.fairmont.com/peacehotel [1]

COST: More than ¥1,500 per night

METRO: East Nanjing Road (Line 2, Line 10)

In its first incarnation as the Cathay Hotel, this legendary lodging hosted the celebrities and luminaries of Shanghai’s heyday. Charlie Chaplin stayed here and Noel Coward wrote his play Blithe Spirit in one of its suites. Victor Sassoon’s Bund-side project was renamed the Peace Hotel in 1956.

Its green copper pyramid roof has been a part of Shanghai’s fabric ever since. The building fell into disrepair during the early days of the People’s Republic, but was renovated and reopened in 2010 as one of the largest, grandest hotels in Shanghai.

Sassoon’s original lobby with its art deco dome and shining yellow marble floors is worth a look even if you don’t spend the night and the Jasmine tearoom offers a glimpse of Golden Age glory.