JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai

One of Shanghai’s first ultrahigh hotels (it opened in 2003), the JW is still one of the city’s best-located properties. The 342-room hotel is located on the upper floors of a 60-story, twisted steel and glass landmark that rises right at the edge of People’s Square, within easy walking distance of its museums and theaters. The glassy 38th-floor lobby has 360-degree views over downtown Shanghai, while the 60th-floor library (recognized in 2005 as the world’s highest by Guinness World Records) has an entrance to a secret sky-high balcony camouflaged behind a bookshelf. The wired and wireless rooms are comfortable if unspectacularly designed compared to some of the newer competition, though with expected amenities, like cable plasma TV’s and large in-room safes. The stylish Mandara Spa offers massage, wraps, and waxing—plus a three-in-one Chinese herbal back treatment to exfoliate, cleanse, and revitalize travel-worn skin.

Tip: Grab a window seat at the 40th-floor lounge overlooking People’s Square, and sip a signature sundowner champagne cocktail.

Room to Book: One of the 52 deluxe corner rooms, ending in numbers 08, 11, 20, or 23 on each level. The floor-to-ceiling bathroom windows let you gaze out over the city skyline while you shower.