Just over one year old, one of the newest St. Regis hotels in the world is in Shenzhen. And, it’s already a showstopper. The towering skyscraper stretches 51 floors high and has incredible city and bay views. Its central location helps to draw in business travelers as well as tourists.
One of the biggest markets for St. Regis Shenzhen Bao’an, especially on weekends, is visitors from nearby Hong Kong. They can take the fast ferry to enjoy incredible discounts on shopping, dining and “staycations” on the mainland.
The property impresses with its design and service, which does not surprise Marriott Bonvoy fans familiar with this brand. These are our five favorite features of the hotel and why you should consider a visit on your next trip to southern China.
The design
British-Chinese design architect Andre Fu is well-known for his interior design projects around the world, especially in hotels. He chose to pay homage to the first St. Regis in the world (New York) in the look here. Fu dubbed it “a tale of two cities” that represents 120 years of St. Regis.
As such, you will see subtle nods to New York City throughout the hotel, from the enormous painting at the ground-floor entrance to the artwork and design books in the lobby.
The food and beverage
Yan Ting is an enormous, window-lined restaurant that serves a glamorous breakfast spread with live cooking stations and several Cantonese specialties. Later in the day, it shifts to a Cantonese menu prepared with modern touches. The chef prepared a special vegetarian tasting menu, complete with tea pairings for each course.
It was special to try dishes like Pu Ning fermented soybean paste with black tofu, black truffle yam noodles, spring onions and bamboo shoots and seasonal vegetables in rice milk soup with the glittering lights of the city as the backdrop. In warmer weather, Yan Ting has an outdoor terrace for seating.
On the top floor is Lawry’s steakhouse, part of a high-end, family-owned restaurant group. It features a separate elevator so that non-guests don’t have to use the same elevators. The whimsical dining room has unending city views and some of the finest cuts of beef in town.
Afternoon tea is a daily ritual in The Drawing Room where guests and visitors enjoy colorful pastries and light meals as they work on laptops or gather with friends. Not far is The St. Regis Bar, where craft cocktails are served in a masculine-looking, clubby bar lounge.
But, the real showstopper is The St. Regis Astor Terrace Bar where live music performs every day except Wednesdays in an indoor-outdoor lounge space. The cocktail menu complements a wide selection of beer and wine, and the long glass tables at the edge of the terrace face outward to the cityscape below. It is magical at any time of day, but nighttime is a sight to behold.
The St. Regis touches
Every St. Regis around the world is known for having several signature features, and this Shenzhen property (the second in town) does as well. From the circular lobby staircase to the infamous lobby Champagne sabering that takes place every day, St. Regis regulars will feel right at home.
Around 6pm every day, a bell rings in the lobby and guests meander to the lobby pavilion to watch a staff member (or sometimes a specially chosen guest) pop the cork on a bottle of fancy bubbles using a saber. This sabrage experience is a familiar activity and a luxe offering for travelers the world over. Everyone gets a small glass of bubbly, too.
Butler service is another brand hallmark. Every guest room is attended to by a fully trained member of staff that can assist with unpacking and packing, delivering coffee, hot tea (or local iced tea) at any hour of day, clothes pressing and other on-site needs.
In the bar, the signature Bloody Mary recipe of the hotel is the Bay Mary, made with a local rice wine and lychee. Another honor related to the St. Regis New York, where the Bloody Mary was invented, is that each property around the world can design its own recipe of this famous tomato-based cocktail. There is even a coffee table book with the recipe from every St. Regis around the world.
In the St. Regis Bar, you will find a colorful mural that tells the story of Shenzhen’s days as a small fishing village and its transformation into one of China’s largest cities. These bar paintings and murals are yet another detail in all St. Regis properties.
The rooms and suites
Designed with impressive attention to detail, the 289 rooms and suites have floor-to-ceiling windows, dark oak parquet floors with area rugs, plush duvets atop pillowtop mattresses, pillow menus and bedside light and power outlet controls. With just one touch of a button, the window blinds and open close revealing outstanding views from every angle. Some of the most popular are the corner rooms and suites that showcase both city and bay scenery.
Other nifty features include wireless charging standards that use a magnet to connect to your phone, but hold it at an angle so that you can still see the time. Walk-in closets have everything from clothes steamers, umbrellas, robes and slippers, and minibars are tucked into drawers. The flat-screen TVs are the size of cinema screens (at least it almost seems that way), and they feature high-definition picture.
Bathrooms have double vanities of Carrara marble with a fine stash of toiletries, including REN facial wash, Sodashi hand lotion and body wash, and fine shampoo and conditioner products, all in pump bottles. All guest rooms are stocked with canned water, another eco-friendly initiative, but these cans carry high-end Voss water from Norway, another luxury touch.
My corner suite had a lovely armchairs offering the most entertaining Shenzhen bay and city views. The same scenery was visible from my deep soaking tub.
The service
Last, but not least, service is polished and well-executed here by a staff with a solid command of English. During my visit to the spa, my therapist took incredible care to assure that my treatment was customized to my liking. I wanted extra attention to my neck and shoulders (a request that often gets ignored), but not here.
Before and after the treatment, fresh fruit and warm tea set the tone. The spa features four treatment rooms, and the hotel often has pop-up partnerships in its bar and lounge areas. Most recently, there is a lounge partnership with beauty brand La Mer that brings in local attention.
At the fitness center, there is always someone that can help explain the machines, and the views towards Shenzhen bay provide inspiration. The indoor swimming pool is massive and features cushioned lounge chairs, day beds and heated mosaic-tile lounge chairs. Swimming here feels like taking a dip above the clouds.
The staff, from housekeepers and butlers to reception staff assure that this hotel a favorite for important business and social events, too. Its pillarless Astor Ballroom, a private rooftop reception space and other banquet areas welcome the city’s top-tier events.
