Hotel description

Chengdu, the capital of China’s Sichuan province, is perhaps less familiar to foreign visitors than places like Beijing or Shanghai. But in an increasingly global world, first-class business hotels like the Shangri-La are needed everywhere, not least in the high-tech industrial center of southwestern China.

The hotel is something of a one-stop shop for business travelers. It’s attached to the 30-story Shangri-La Office Tower, which stands on the banks of the Jinjiang River in central Chengdu. And there’s room, seemingly, for everyone — with just shy of 600 rooms, the Shangri-La is up there with some of the biggest luxury hotels in Asia.

In terms of comfort and design this hotel is the state of the luxury-hotel art — visually it’s a blend of traditional elegance and contemporary chic, and the rooms are as well-equipped as any, with plentiful working space and oversized spa-style bathrooms.

Of course there’s also an actual <em>spa</em>, called Chi, plus a fully-equipped health club. Two restaurants and a lobby lounge cater to business lunches and leisure guests alike, and Mooney’s, the eerily detailed Irish pub, offers the rare opportunity for a pint of the dark stuff on a terrace in Chengdu.