Shanghai Peace Hotel
Today’s Peace hotel started its life as the Cathay Hotel, the altogether fantastic and impossible creation of Sir Victor Elice Sassoon. It all began with the arrival of Sir Victor, and his decision to enter the Shanghai property market. The Cathay Hotel was the first in a series of buildings that he ordered built, including the Cathay Mansions on Mao Ming Road, the Grosvenor House next to the Cathay Mansions, the Metropole Hotel , Hamilton House, and Embankment House on Soochow Creek.
While the Park Hotel is said to be the center of Shanghai, it could be argued that the Cathay Hotel was the center of an era. The time between the Word Wars in Shanghai is summed up in the Cathay Hotel and its swashbuckling owner.
Sir Victor built a lavish setting for his lavish lifestyle in an altogether lavish era.
Shanghai Peace Hotel Detail
The Cathay Hotel, built by the British architectural firm Palmer and Turner, opened August 1,1929 with 380 rooms and a nightclub, Sir Victor claimed the penthouse for himself where he could look out on one of Shanghai’s most impressive waterfront scenes.
After 1949 the Cathay and its annex, the venerable Palace Hotel suffered a decline. It was not until after 1978 that the Peace Hotel once again began to re-emerge as one of Shanghai’s most iconic historic buildings and an international hotel of note. Here is a Shanghai vintage hotel with a superb location and a fascinating history.
Shanghai Peace Hotel Detail
The Peace Hotel is now undergoing extensive renovation and
will reopen in March 2010 as a joint venture of the Jin Jiang International Group and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.
See a great preview here:
http://www.fairmont.com/promo/peacehotel
Shanghai Peace Hotel
20 Nanjing Road(E)
Shanghai 200002 Tel:(8621)63216888
Fax:(8621)63290300
Shanghai Peace Hotel
World Expo 2010 Shanghai China
http://en.expo2010china.com/