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September 15, 2014

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Home » Supplement » Anniversary

Hyatt, hotel in the clouds, still offers top service

GRAND Hyatt Shanghai, one of the first 5-star hotels in Pudong, celebrates its 15th anniversary this month. The hotel near the Huangpu River was the first Hyatt hotel in China.

Famed as one of the highest hotels in the world, Grand Hyatt Shanghai, located in the famed Jin Mao Tower, soars to 420.5 meters.

The tower was built in 1999 in a style combining contemporary design with that of a Chinese pagoda. It’s one of the few places in town where guests can enjoy sleeping and dining in the clouds.

“Grand Hyatt Shanghai has from inception been both a symbolic and cultural attraction for not only Shanghai but also for China. In the past 15 years, the hotel has witnessed dramatic shifts in the market and the hotel has put itself at the frontier of these changes,” says Richard Greaves, general manager of the hotel. “These improvements have trickled through the minds of the whole industry, making our impact ever so important to hospitality development in China.”

The hotel is known for its experienced staff, some of whom have worked there since the hotel opened.

They distinguish themselves through providing caring service, focusing on details, and most importantly through consistency, a treasure nowadays in an era when the hospitality industry has expanded so quickly that many newly opened hotels have hired staff who lack training.

Linda Fu, the hotel’s pastry chef since it opened 15 years ago, is one of the best in town. She has studied under two master chefs from Switzerland and Japan and gradually developed her personal style, combining preciseness with lightness and elegance in flavor. Her signature dessert, tiramisu, is praised by some food critics as the best in Shanghai.

The hotel’s chocolate room is her favorite place.

“The 20-degree room to me is like the studio of an artist, where I get a lot of inspiration to develop all kinds of special dessert creations,” says Fu.

Greaves is confident his hotel will remain competitive with the city’s influx of newer properties, and will stay vibrant.

“A common notion among the team is to always strive for innovative improvements, with offerings that always reflect the market trends and create new standards,” says the general manager.

The hotel’s room facilities are newly renovated, with an interior design inspired by the Chinese character 回, meaning returning home. The rooms feature warm, uplifting tones and carpets hand-woven with the character. Lacquered rosewood screens inscribed with Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) poetry in Chinese calligraphy is another highlight of the rooms.

The hotel also strives to maintain its dining strength.

“We are the hotel with the most dining options in the city. To respond to the increasing competitiveness, we have a dynamic, skilled and passionate team,” says Greaves.

The hotel has nine dining outlets, highlighted by Canton on the 55th floor, serving authentic Cantonese food; Club Jin Mao on the 86th floor, known for authentic Shanghai flavor; Italian restaurant Cucina and Cloud 9 — the hotel’s bar on the 87th floor embracing a 360-degree view of the Shanghai skyline.




 

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