ANANDI HOTEL AND SPA, SHANGHAI WILL BE A PLAYGROUND FOR WELLNESS SEEKERS

City Hotels, Hotels

China’s financial capital is expanding at breakneck speed, and luxury hotels designed to be far more than plush landing pads for jet-lagged executives are opening left and right. One of the latest properties to join this new generation of hospitality is the Anandi Hotel and Spa, which is slated to open in February in the city’s quiet Hong Qiao neighborhood.

The first of its kind in China, the Leading Hotels of the World property has been designed from the top down with wellness in mind. Located on a surprisingly isolated stretch of the Su Zhou River, it offers travelers a much-needed reprieve from the city’s neon-lined buildings and perennially bustling streets—remaining just close enough to prominent commercial areas like Changing and Xuhui. A layout inspired by tai chi’s traditional Eight Tigrams is meant to further this sense of tranquility, and the hotel’s 227 guest rooms, 48 sprawling suites, and eight over-the-top villas are brimming with amenities and décor designed to relax and restore travelers after long days of business or pleasure.

In addition to crystal-energy flooring and negative-ion bedding—which is reported to have benefits as wide-ranging as easing symptoms of depression to boosting immune systems—all of the property’s rooms come complete with deep soaking tubs where guests can unwind sore muscles and soothe stressed skin after long-haul flights while enjoying views of the river or the city outside. Suites and villas also come equipped with additional wellness-boosting amenities, including meditation spaces and access to 24-hour on-call butlers that can arrange for a whole host of activities and services—wellness-related or otherwise.

If they need even more R&R after long days running between meetings or exploring the Bund and the glimmering Longhua Temple, guests can unwind at the property’s expansive wellness center.

After a chi assessment upon check-in, guests can choose from a spa menu boasting treatments that span from Ayurveda and energy healing to aromatherapy, thalassotherapy, and reflexology—ensuring that any and all health concerns and goals will be addressed. They can then head into the hammam or ice grotto before taking a dip in the dramatic split-level infinity-edge spa pool to relax muscles while catching some of the best views from anywhere in the ci