Le Royal Meridien

Puxi's highest hotel

The highest hotel in Puxi, Le Royal Meridien thumbs its nose at its loftier neighbours across the river with a plum location right on People's Square. Despite pimped-up gimmicks like specially composed 'soundscapes' playing in the lifts and lobby, an enormous neon-lit archway filled with goldfish, and a lobby filled with trees, the 761 cappucino-and-cream hued rooms are actually reasonably priced for such a central spot, offering good views of the Bund or People's Park from floor-to-ceiling windows.

Dining options cover Italian, French and Cantonese, with resident chefs of corresponding nationalities, and on Sundays the bistro hosts the infamous 'La Vie En Rose' champagne brunch, complete with rose champagne and waitresses dressed in pink nurses' outfits. Your room card also doubles as a free two-person pass to the nearby Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).

Standard rooms start from 1000RMB/night.

Telephone 3318 9999

Metro People's Square

English address 789 Nanjing Dong Lu, near Xizhang Lu, Huangpu district

Chinese address 黄浦区南靖东路789号, 进西藏路

Web www.starwoodhotels.com/lemeridien/property/overview/index.html?propertyid=1945