The new house of Zen

With its Zen-like ambience and calming, open-space design, the newly opened PuLi Hotel and Spa transports guests to another time and place, far from the bustling streets of downtown Shanghai.

Located in the city's commercial Jing'an district, this urban resort provides patrons with a modern oasis within the metropolis. Featuring large windows and open rooms, it strikes a fine balance between the fast pace of city life and city slickers' need to unwind and relax.

"We're giving our guests a sense of tranquility after a hard day," said General Manager Christine Hodder. "Amid the hustle and bustle of the city, people want to come 'home' to some peace and quiet.

"We want to deliver a feeling of space," added Hodder. "Simply calling the PuLi a hotel does not do justice to the extraordinary experience awaiting guests. We want them to savor the moments and specific hotel details throughout their stay."

As such, a feeling of inner peace immediately strikes you upon entering the hotel, once you pass the huge pond outside with its handcrafted lion sculpture resting by a block of green bamboo plants.

Inside the lobby, patrons are welcomed with a 32m mahogany bar rather than an ordinary check-in counter.

Next door is the hotel 'living room' or library, in place of the usual hotel lounge. Featuring a massive fireplace, which guests can cozy up to during the winter, it is both private and intimate, allowing guests a quiet corner to curl up in with a book.

The hotel also overlooks the lush greens of Jing'an Park, visible through a giant wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. Carrying this open concept over to its 209 rooms, which range from 45 to 47 sq m in size, each touts a furnished yet unplanned look to emphasize the feeling of being at home.

Guests also have access to the latest technological conveniences, including portable GSM phones with dual SIM card slots and citywide coverage.

Complimenting its modern look and feel is a reminder of the past. The hotel's name translates as 'the inscrutable gem'. With this in mind, principal designer Johannes Hartfuss decided to adopt a style that would combine strong Chinese references with the subtleties of modern luxury.

"We use mainly locally available Chinese materials that were commonly used by previous generations in building houses and palaces in China," said Hartfuss. "We're using dark local timbers, cast bronze, air-dried clay tiles, grey Shanghai brick and handmade stone finishes."

This has helped the hotel give rise to a synthesis of old and new, creating a distinctive Chinese flavor, yet cosmopolitan outlook. The dragon-scaled screen and cast bronze basins in the rooms are a good example of these nuances, which weave a meaningful common thread between the traditional east and modern west.

The rooms are also environmentally friendly. Each is equipped with automated energy conserving sunshades, which lower when guests are not in their rooms between 12 pm to 5 pm in the summer. A similar principle is applied during the winter months.

Finally the PuLi logo, carrying a leaf of the phoenix tree, from a bird symbolizing high virtue and grace according to Chinese mythology, is intended to help lure the right kind of flock to the hotel.

"The phoenix is peregrine by nature, typically traveling in pursuit of their specific nesting place, the phoenix tree," said Hodder. "We hope our target group of like-minded guests will come to Shanghai to find their own comfort at the PuLi."

PuLi Hotel and Spa

1 Changde Lu, Shanghai

021-2216-6973

上海常德路1号

Shi Yingying

(China Daily 07/04/2009 page8)