9–5 | SHANGHAI
Open for Business Entertain clients in style in versatile, sophisticated Shanghai. BY SHARON KING HOGE OVER THE RIVER:
The magnificent Bund view from the Pudong Shangri-La PHOTO: © PUDONG SHANGRI-LA
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IN A CITY AS DYNAMIC AS SHANGHAI, the “hot” spots change almost overnight. “Even the internet listings can barely keep up,” says ex-pat Jeanne Lawrence. Nonetheless, there are enduring popular venues. “Because it’s so sophisticated,” says consultant Jennifer Gao, “you tend to go to contemporary Pudong or classic Puxi depending on the nature of your business: banking and commerce are transacted among the contemporary high-rises of Pudong while media and artsy professions favor the classic renovated venues across the river around the Bund.” She explains major business complexes lie around the Lujiazui stop of the Metro line in Pudong. “Within the high-rise office and shopping mall complex of the IFC Center,” she says, “ The Ritz-Carlton touts itself as the venue of choice for distinguished events. Meeting and conference rooms flooded with natural light and enhanced with customized catering and advanced audiovisual equipment are cited in their ‘impeccable service.’ ’’ Occupying floors 79 to 93 of the Shanghai World Financial Center, the Park Hyatt offers dining and meeting “salons.” On the 93rd floor,
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three private dining rooms are oriented for board meetings, with high-speed broadband access and wireless LAN in all public areas and meeting rooms. The International Buffet Breakfast is a good place for an early morning start, while the residential-style Living Room, with dramatic views of the Bund — serving light, sophisticated Chinese and Western dishes — offers a popular setting for afternoon tea. Across Lujiazui Road and near the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, the Pudong Shangri-La offers versatile indoor and outdoor event space equipped with complimentary WiFi, projectors, teleconferencing, simultaneous translation and other state-of-the-art technology. The hotel’s 10 dining venues feature Chinese, Asian and European cuisine in keeping with the district’s cosmopolitan tone. Restaurants around Pudong offer international cuisines in venues where transactions take place over meals. Pricey Li Yuan is recommended for impressive business lunches and dinners, while the Golden Bull serves upscale Vietnamese dishes. Residents acclaim the Italian fare at Isola, with views across to the Pearl Tower from its umbrella tables. When no bookings are available for the quality food and astounding views in the rooftop Revolving Restaurant of the Oriental Pearl Tower, a colorful fallback is the world’s first CocaCola Restaurant, where diverse cuisine complements the in-your-face American flavor. Across the Huangpu River in Puxi, heritage revitalization has converted historic buildings into contemporary hot spots. While the
