“Urban resort” Alila Shanghai to open end of 2024

Alila Shanghai Lobby (Source)

Hyatt’s luxury Alila brand will soon be expanding to Shanghai, and the hotel has just started accepting reservations, according to Hyatt’s news statement.

The Alila Shanghai is now bookable for stays as of November 1, 2024. Details about the property are still fairly limited, though the 186-room property is being described as an “urban resort.” Indeed, the renderings make it look like that’s a fair description, as the hotel seems to have tons of outdoor space and greenery.

Entry-level rooms at the Alila Shanghai will be a respectable 39 square meters (~420 square feet), while entry-level suites will be 73 square meters (~786 square feet). There aren’t yet details about the dining and other amenities at the property, though at a minimum we’d expect there will be a spa and a gym. We’re sure we’ll learn more details in the coming months.

Below are some renderings of the hotel. If the property looks anything like this in real life, it’ll be a real treat, as this should both be luxurious and have some personality.

The Alila Shanghai will be a Category 5 World of Hyatt property, meaning that a free night award will cost 17,000 to 23,000 points per night (however, award stays aren’t yet bookable, for whatever reason). Currently, cash rates start at well under 2,000 CNY (~$275) per night, so that’s not bad.

Shanghai has to be one of the most competitive hotel markets in the world, with almost every major luxury hotel brand either having a property there or having plans to open one. Thanks to how competitive the market is, rates are typically quite good as well.

The Alila Shanghai is the former Four Seasons

Perhaps what we find most interesting about the new Alila Shanghai is how it’s one of the city’s two former Four Seasons properties. Neither of those properties are branded as Four Seasons anymore:

The 187-room Four Seasons Shanghai Pudong opened in 2012, but Four Seasons stopped managing the hotel in 2020; this has rebranded as the Regent Shanghai Pudong, belonging to IHG. The 420-room Four Seasons Shanghai Puxi opened in 2002, but Four Seasons stopped managing the property in 2022; this is now partly being rebranded as the Alila.

The Regent Shanghai Pudong (Source)

In the meantime, Four Seasons has plans to return to the Shanghai market, though way down the road. The 160-room Four Seasons Shanghai is expected to open in 2027.

We can’t help but be curious what happened in the background here. Why did two property owners choose to leave the Four Seasons brand and instead flag as other brands? Is the Chinese market just points obsessed, or…?

Usually, when a property leaves Four Seasons and is flagged as a different brand, it’s because the owners aren’t willing to invest in a renovation and to maintain the strict brand standards that Four Seasons requires. In this case, the property left Four Seasons and then underwent a renovation.

Alila Shanghai Bar (Source)

We also find the Alila brand to be kind of puzzling for its city properties. We absolutely love some Alila resorts, like the Alila Ventana Big Sur and the Alila Napa Valley, but those are in destinations that are all about the outdoors. We’re not sure what to make of the brand’s city properties. For example, while we haven’t stayed there, we’ve heard the Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur is just okay.

So we’ll see how the Shanghai property is. Based on the pictures, it looks like it’ll be pretty great. Then again, they’re only renderings…

Bottom line

The Alila Shanghai is accepting reservations for stays as of November 1, 2024. This will be the former Four Seasons Shanghai, as the property is undergoing an extensive renovation. Based on the renderings, this hotel looks gorgeous, so it might just set a new standard for Alila city properties.