The Japanese-owned and managed Okura Garden Hotel Shanghai (Shanghai Huayuan Fandian) offers a blend of international influences that make it consummately Shanghai. From the preserved Art Deco French Club (Cercle Sportif Français) that now serves as a lobby and ball room, to the seven-acre garden plot that was once a colonial-era sport field and, later, the reputed one-time strolling ground of Mao Zedong, to the 33-story modern tower that houses the bulk of its rooms, Okura Garden manages to both stand out and blend in to its French Concession surroundings.
The location is prime, just a two-minute walk from the South Shaanxi Road (Shaanxi Nan Lu) Metro Station and the luxury shops and restaurants of Middle Huaihai Road (Huaihai Zhong Lu). Though not quite the colonial garden hideaway that the nearby Ruijin Hotel is, the Okura offers a great chance to find green relief from the city's grit and bustle while remaining a few steps away from some of the best that Shanghai has to offer the cosmopolitan visitor.
The hotel's staff is largely Japanese, and a Japanese sense of decorum and service is the rule, so Western travelers should be prepared for a somewhat different experience than they'd get at the Hilton or Hyatt, though the Okura certainly earns its five-star rating. The hotel offers Chinese, Japanese and French-Continental dining as well three quality bars.