A Stay at Shanghai’s National Treasure. By Guest Writer Lyn
Without further ado, enjoy Lyn’s review!
Overview
| Highlights | An icon on the Shanghai Bund – the most talked about Art Deco landmark. The building has protected features designated by the National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit |
| Opening Date | 1929 (97 years old) – originally the Cathay Hotel, rebranded as Fairmont Peace Hotel under Accor in 2010. |
| Rooms |
270 Rooms and 39 Suites
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| Lowest Nightly Price | Base room: RMB 2,000 / MYR 1,200 Base suite: RMB 4,900 / MYR 3,000 |
| Location | 20 Nanjing Road East, 200002 Shanghai |
| Facilities |
Ground Floor
🛎️ Lobby
🛍️ Gift Shop (7am – 10pm)
Level 1
💆 Willow Stream Spa (11am – 10pm)
🏊 Indoor Skylight Pool (7am – 10pm)
🏋️ Fitness Centre (6am – 10pm)
Level 9
🥂 Fairmont Gold Lounge (7am – 9pm)
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| Dining |
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| Access & Transport |
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| Overall BolehMiles Rating | Boleh / |
Shanghai has no shortage of luxury hotels. However, there’s a certain charm about the historic Fairmont Peace Hotel that I simply can’t resist.
The hotel’s beautifully preserved Art Deco flair brings the golden age of 1930s Old Shanghai to life, right in the heart of the Bund. With Pudong’s skyline staring back at you across the Huangpu River, it doesn’t get much more iconic than this.
Throughout my 10-day trip in Shanghai, I moved between several hotels, and the Fairmont Peace Hotel beat every other property hands down. It strikes a delicate balance between heritage, modern luxury and old-school elegance, backed by some of the warmest and most attentive service I experienced during the trip.
The hotel is also surrounded by historic buildings, making the neighbourhood perfect for a stroll to immerse into the rich history of Shanghai.
That said, staying on the Bund comes with its drawbacks. The area gets extremely congested, particularly in the evenings, and getting in or out by Didi or taxi can be frustrating.
In the BolehMiles universe, the Fairmont Peace Hotel is an easy Boleh, provided you can stomach the price!
The Booking
Fairmont Peace does not accept Stay Plus vouchers. However, I had two Suite Night Upgrades (SNU) sitting in my account, and using them at the Fairmont Peace Hotel turned out to be one of my best hotel decisions.
Using SNU, I managed to book the Fairmont Grand Suite. There are also higher-tier speciality suites, known as the Nine Nations Suites, though they can’t be booked using SNU.
Given how expensive suites can be at the Fairmont Peace Hotel, and the novelty of experiencing one in such an iconic property, this could be one of the best hotels in Asia to use an SNU. You can save up to ~RM1,600 per night, while also getting access to the Fairmont Gold Lounge.
A few days before arrival, the Fairmont Gold Lounge team reached out with welcome email offering assistance with restaurant reservations, itinerary planning and other arrangements. Since I already had most of the trip planned out, I didn’t take them up on the offer.
Location
Personally, I loved the location of the hotel which is in the middle of The Bund.
I intentionally planned this part of my Shanghai trip around staying here, as it makes an excellent base to explore some of the city’s most iconic historic buildings.
However, the area can get extremely busy, with the surrounding roads often gridlocked during the evening peak. Be prepared for both foot and vehicle traffic, especially on weekends and major holidays such as Golden Week.
If you ever need to get on the metro, the nearest station is East Nanjing Road, served by Lines 2 and 10, about a 5 minutes walk from the hotel.
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Arrival
Check-in counters are located in the main lobby on the Ground Floor. However, Accor Diamond members and guests staying in Fairmont Gold rooms or suites can check in at the Fairmont Gold Lounge on the 9th Floor.
Since the hotel’s main entrance faces the pedestrian-only Nanjing East Road, guests arriving by car are dropped off either at the North Gate or via the hotel’s parking garage on Dianchi Road.
This can be slightly inconvenient if you’re travelling with plenty of luggage, although the concierge team is quick to step in and assist. One thing to note though: Didi and taxi drivers don’t always seem familiar with how to access the hotel’s parking garage.
The moment I arrived, I knew in my bones that this was going to be an amazing stay. Our party of 5 had to split into two Didis because of the amount of luggage we were carrying.
The moment we pulled into the parking garage, what felt like an entire entourage of concierge staff came over to help with our bags before personally escorting us all the way to the Fairmont Gold Lounge for check-in.
Now that’s proactiveness on full display, making you feel special the moment you arrive.
The check-in process was fairly efficient, with our benefits, hotel facilities and other key details clearly explained. While the formalities were being completed, we were invited to help ourselves to afternoon tea in the lounge
Inside the Hotel
Originally opened in 1929 as the Cathay Hotel, the property wears its history proudly, with its Art Deco architecture and interiors carefully preserved throughout the building.
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Almost every corner has a story to tell, with historical photographs, artefacts and displays throughout the property.
Even a casual walk around the hotel often turns into a little journey of discovery, giving the Fairmont Peace Hotel a sense of character that is difficult to replicate in a newer luxury property.
The Suite
Our suites were located on the 2nd and 5th floors, each offering approximately 957 sq ft of space.
That’s remarkably generous, especially for a heritage property sitting on some of Shanghai’s most prized real estate.
The interiors were tastefully done, with Art Deco-inspired furnishings, rich dark wood tones and vintage touches that constantly reminded you of the hotel’s storied past.
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The view can be a bit of a lottery though. Our other suite faced the inner courtyard with virtually no view, even though they are sold in the same category.
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The suites were well equipped, with two toilets, one in the living area and another ensuite in the bedroom.
The bathroom featured a clawfoot bathtub, dual sinks and a separate shower stocked with Maison Caulières toiletries, a departure from the standard Le Labo amenities found at many Fairmont properties.
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Housekeeping
Housekeeping was efficient throughout the stay, with our rooms typically refreshed by 2pm each day.
Turndown service was also consistently offered between 5pm and 8pm.
My favourite touch was a small booklet on the hotel’s history and architectural details, which was placed in the room as bedtime reading during turndown. It was a simple gesture, but one that tied nicely back to the heritage of the Fairmont Peace Hotel.
The Fairmont Gold Lounge
The Fairmont Gold Lounge is open to eligible guests from 7am to 9pm and provides a comfortable space to relax throughout the day.
The Gold Lounge team were consistently warm and extremely helpful during our stay.
One of my travel companions was a huge badminton fan and simply couldn’t miss the BWF World Tour matches, and the Gold Lounge team proactively set us up on TV channel in one of the lounge corners !
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Breakfast
Breakfast is served at both the Jasmine Lounge on the Ground Floor and the Fairmont Gold Lounge on Level 9. Diamond members, as well as guests staying in Fairmont Gold rooms and suites, can choose to enjoy breakfast at either location.
Here’s the breakfast at the Jasmine Lounge:
Since Jasmine Lounge is open to all guests, it can get really busy during breakfast. The Old Jazz Bar is also used as an overflow seating area when needed.
On arrival, guests have their room numbers checked before being escorted to an assigned table. Coffee and tea orders are taken once seated and, despite the crowd, our drinks arrived relatively quickly.
The buffet spread is extensive, featuring a wide selection of Chinese dim sum, as well as western breakfast classics alongside.
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The Old Jazz Bar
Apart from its distinctive green roof, the one other icon of the Fairmont Peace Hotel is the Old Jazz Bar which host the world’s oldest jazz band with an average age of over 80!
They have been performing jazz and swing from the 1920s and 30s in this very room for decades. The bar itself is steeped in nostalgia, with Art Deco furnishings transporting patrons back to Shanghai’s golden “Paris of the Orient” era in a room which once hosted Shanghai’s pre-war elite and modern-day dignitaries.
Accor elite members (Gold and above) can redeem their complimentary welcome drink through the app at the Old Jazz Bar between 6pm and 8pm.
Since the band starts playing at 7pm, I’d recommend reserving a table from 7pm onwards if you want the full experience.
I was celebrating my wedding anniversary during this trip, and the Gold Lounge team had pre-arranged a cake for us during our visit to the Old Jazz Bar.
The attentive service made the evening particularly memorable ❤️. We were even invited to request a song from the Old Jazz Band and proactively offered to take photos for us throughout the evening.
Pool, Willow Stream Spa & Gym
The indoor swimming pool and the signature Willow Stream Spa are both on level 1. The spa offers a range of treatments at predictably premium hotel-spa prices.
The gym is well equipped with TechnoGym treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical trainers and weight machines, along with a dedicated yoga room.
Gift Shop
A surprising find in the Fairmont Peace Hotel is a gift shop on Level 1 which stocks a range of Fairmont Peace Hotel souvenirs and speciality items.
I eventually caved to temptation and picked up a special-edition Fairmont Peace Hotel first-day cover commemorating the hotel’s 90th anniversary.
Fairmont Peace Hotel Tour & Museum
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One of the highlights of my stay was the guided tour of the Fairmont Peace Hotel offering a fascinating glimpse into the hotel’s rich heritage. The tour is complimentary for in-house guests and is conducted daily in both English and Mandarin.
The tour begins at the Peace Museum, which houses artefacts tracing the hotel’s journey from the original Cathay Hotel, which opened in 1929, to the Fairmont Peace Hotel of today. Our guide walked us through the hotel’s founding, how it became such an important landmark on the Bund, and the stories behind some of its architectural features and famous guests.
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Another highlight during the tour was a visit to the Dragon Phoenix restaurant and the Cathay Room without a dining reservation. Both venues offer spectacular views over the Bund, and it’s easy to see why guests are willing to pay a premium to dine there.
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Unfortunately, the Cathay Room was closed for a private event during our tour, so we could only get a glimpse at the entrance.
At the end of the complimentary tour, an optional RMB 128 add-on was offered, which included access to the rooftop terrace and the hotel’s original elevators.
The sweeping views over the Bund were undeniably impressive, but the price felt steep for what was essentially a 15-minute photo stop.
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As part of the tour, we also get to see the old-school elevator, which is otherwise hidden to hotel guests
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As a history buff, I genuinely enjoyed the tour. It gave me a much deeper appreciation for the Fairmont Peace Hotel’s long history and heritage, and for how successfully the property has managed to preserve that legacy while continuing to flourish as a desired luxury hotel choice.
Service
Service was consistently warm and friendly throughout my stay at the Fairmont Peace Hotel, with most staff members also proficient in English.
A special shoutout goes to Nana, Marjory, Melody and Max at the Fairmont Gold Lounge, who made a genuine effort to ensure we were well taken care of throughout the stay.
Value Analysis
Should you choose Fairmont Peace Hotel for your Shanghai adventures?
The Fairmont Peace Hotel is one of those Shanghai icons worth splurging on, especially if you enjoy heritage hotels with a strong sense of place. For Accor Diamond members, the stay is even more compelling thanks to Fairmont Gold Lounge benefits and complimentary breakfast.
The base-level rooms here start from RMB 2,000 (MYR 1,200) and base-suite starts from RMB 4900 (MYR 3,000).
By the standards of hotels on the Bund, Fairmont Peace Hotel’s pricing is competitive with similar range of properties Fairmont Peace Hotel broadly in line with other luxury properties in the area, including
- The Shanghai EDITION (RMB 2,500 / MYR 1,500)
- Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund (RMB 2,000 / MYR1,200)
- The Peninsula Shanghai (RM4,000 / MYR2,400)
Beyond the Bund, comparable luxury hotels to other popular areas such as Pudong, Jing’an and Xintiandi are often cheaper. So, you are undoubtedly paying a premium for the Fairmont Peace Hotel’s location, history and name.
Fairmont Peace Suite Categories
Even with a Suite Night Upgrade, the highest suite category you’re likely to get confirmed into is the Fairmont Grand Suite. We tried our luck with the Riverview Suite, but unfortunately didn’t get it.
For suite lovers willing to splurge, there are some seriously impressive options, including the massive 2,000 sq ft Signature Riverview Suites, or even the iconic Nine Nations Suites, each inspired by a different nation, including French, American, Japanese and German themes.
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Accor Booking Restrictions
The hotel has applied a few restrictions, which is a bit of a bummer for savvy travellers like us:
- Accor+ Stay Plus vouchers are not accepted at this hotel.
- Accor points cannot be used to offset the cost of a Suite Night Upgrade room (which is common)
- Accor points also cannot be used to offset Advance Saver rates (which is another common restriction)
Since this is a Fairmont property, Accor Platinum status does not get you lounge access, although you still enjoy the usual complimentary breakfast benefit.
The hotel is currently undergoing renovations ahead of its rebranding to Raffles, so some of the above may change in the future.
Conclusion
| Fairmont Peace Hotel on the Bund | |
| Pros: • Iconic location on the Bund, right next to Nanjing East Road • Consistently warm and proactive service • Excellent Gold Lounge experience for Diamond members and suite guests • Fantastic value for Suite Night Upgrade vouchers • Rich heritage and plenty of character you simply won’t get from a newer luxury hotel |
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| Cons: • Limited number of rooms with proper Bund views – courtyard-facing rooms offer poor value given the hotel’s premium rates • The Bund location means heavy tourist crowds and frustrating road congestion • Guests will be asked to verify their stay when entering the hotel |
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The Fairmont Peace Hotel is more than just a hotel. It is one of Shanghai’s true icons. Between its Art Deco interiors, prime Bund location, Old Jazz Bar and genuinely excellent service, the hotel delivered something that many newer luxury hotels simply can’t replicate.
The premium pricing can be hard to swallow, particularly if you end up in a courtyard-facing room, while the crowds and traffic around the Bund can make getting in and out frustrating.
But if you love heritage hotels and are willing to splurge for the experience, the Fairmont Peace Hotel is one of those rare properties where the hotel itself becomes an important attraction in the trip.
Throw in a well-used Suite Night Upgrade and Fairmont Gold Lounge access, and this was easily one of my favourite hotels in Shanghai. Definitely a solid Boleh from me.
Thanks for reading and I’m already looking forward to seeing what the rebranded Raffles Peace Hotel brings in 2027.