Fairmont Peace Hotel

Why go

Its hotel history adds a social and architectural counterpoint to the riverfront’s banks. The north building was the Cathay Hotel within Sassoon House, and its Art Deco character continues in the heritage interiors. From the waterfront, the setting also places this historic hotel directly opposite Pudong’s much larger towers.

What to look for

• Sassoon House, the north building of the Peace Hotel
• Art Deco design distinct from the neighboring classical banks
• The hotel frontage at the Nanjing Road end of the Bund

The full story

The Peace Hotel name is associated with two buildings separated by Nanjing Road. The larger north building is Sassoon House, which contained the former Cathay Hotel; the south building was the Palace Hotel. Keeping them separate makes the corner easier to understand. Victor Sassoon commissioned the north building as part of a family business world that linked Shanghai with other Asian trading cities. Its hotel functions expressed a different kind of ambition from the banks nearby: accommodation, dining and social life within an imposing commercial landmark. Fairmont’s later restoration carried that heritage into another era of international hospitality. The surviving Art Deco character matters because the Bund is often described simply as a row of European-style buildings. This hotel demonstrates that the waterfront developed over time, with different architectural languages rather than one uniform historical style.

Useful to know

• Compare the north hotel building with the separate former Palace Hotel across Nanjing Road.
• Ask the hotel about heritage activities before planning an interior visit.
• Combine the facade stop with a walk along Nanjing Road East.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.