After 10 years in the making and with much fanfare, the Shanghai World Financial Center is finally open. All eyes scanned the heavens as the imposing tower was being constructed, and now that it's done, crowds have flocked to the Lujiazui skyscraper to peer out its observation deck.
There has also been immense buzz generated by the opening of the Park Hyatt - currently the world's tallest hotel, at least until The Ritz Carlton opens at Hong Kong's ICC Tower in 2010.
With many still learning to distinguish between the various hotel brands now available in the city and with the other Hyatt properties already here, the significance of this property may be lost this is the flagship of the Hyatt group's business in the region, the feather in its cap. Just as the Park Hyatt Tokyo stole the show in Sophia Coppola's beautiful "Lost in Translation," the Park Hyatt Shanghai is an icon that will be stamped in the minds of movers and shakers around the world.
A welcome change in this city of oftentimes cluttered excess is the stark simplicity of the design here - less truly is more when it comes to Tony Chi's interior design. The finish is outstanding, which is a rarity in local hotels, and the 174-room hotel on the 79th through 93rd floors impresses with its elegance and attention to detail.
As mentioned before, the Hyatt group takes food and beverage very seriously, and Park Hyatts have always offered racy dining options. The hotel is gunning to launch the much-touted 100 Century Avenue dining and entertainment extravaganza early next month.
This ambitious project is an evolution of the Grand Hyatt Singapore's Mezza9 and will feature live cooking stations and seafood bars. While the name does not exactly roll off the tongue (send in your favorite abbreviations on the back of a postcard), the sheer excitement from all involved in the project is simply electric and bears much promise.
The hotel has taken the unprecedented step of separating its food and beverage units. While the above-mentioned 100-C-Ave has its own team, the internal hotel dining is catered for by a separate department headed by former Laris chef Gerhard Passrugger.
