The DNA: The Middle House offers an in-the-thick-of-it location near Nanjing Road West, a clutch of top-notch restaurants, a splendid spa and 111 spacious, smoky-hued rooms and suites – it’s the place to be if you want to be seen at the most fashionable hotel in Shanghai and are happy to pay top yuan. The fourth property from the insanely stylish House Collective group is split between two curving, futuristic-feeling towers – said to echo the local shikumen architectural style. Enter the lobby and you’ll find a warm, intimate, arty space, with forest-green bamboo wall tiles, a showstopping 3,760-piece Venetian chandelier, a collection of cutting-edge Chinese art and Shanghai’s wealthy young professionals draped on low-slung sofas.  

Seen: archdaily, archilovers, design anthology, Sleeper Magazine, Wallpaper*

Accolades: Condé Nast Traveller Hot List 2019, Wallpaper* Best Urban Hotels 2018

✅ free Wi-Fi • size matters: 111 rooms (50-90m2) (538-969 sq ft) & suites (110-660m2) (1,184-7,104 sq ft) • hotel opened: 2018 • architecture & interior design: Piero Lissoni • bathroom amenities: Bamford • parking possible on-site (charged) • no pets allowed • 24-hour front desk • wheelchair accessible