Shanghai has no shortage of luxury hotels, but few can claim a room with a view of both sides of the city at once. Banyan Tree Shanghai On The Bund sits right on the Huangpu River, so guests look one way towards the grand old waterfront buildings of the Bund and the other towards Pudong's cluster of towers across the water. Every single room gets this vantage point — there's no 'city view' downgrade here.
The hotel has 130 rooms and suites, and they're generous by any standard: the smallest starts at 60 square metres and the largest runs to 158. The design leans into Banyan Tree's wellness DNA. Rooms come with a pillow menu offering six options, therapeutic scents that change through your stay, and — the standout feature — oversized circular bathtubs positioned by the windows, so you can soak while watching river traffic and the evening light show. Rain showers and the brand's own aromatherapy blends round out the spa-at-home feel.
If the rooms only hint at the wellness angle, the spa goes all in. Banyan Tree Spa takes up three floors with 11 treatment rooms, and its therapists train at the company's own Spa Academy. The menu is Asian-inspired: the flagship is the 150-minute Banyan Hot Stones treatment, while the 120-minute Chinese Traditions therapy is built around yin-and-yang principles. It's a multi-award-winning operation and one of the main reasons wellness-focused travellers book here rather than at a more conventional luxury property.
The location does a lot of work too. Staying on the Bund puts you within walking distance of Shanghai's most atmospheric riverside promenade, with the colonial-era architecture of the historic quarter on your doorstep and easy crossings into Pudong for the Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower and the city's most futuristic skyline views — best admired at night, ideally from that window-side tub.
Who's this for? Couples on a city break who want thewow-factor room as much as the sightseeing, spa enthusiasts who plan a holiday around treatments, and anyone marking a special occasion in Shanghai. If you're watching costs, note that this is a genuine five-star property and priced accordingly — but the all-river-facing room policy means even the entry-level category delivers the hotel's best asset. Book a high floor for the clearest skyline sightlines, and consider timing your stay around a treatment slot or two; the spa is arguably the point of the place as much as the beds.
