Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund

The Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund is built around the Shanghai Club, the former men's club of the city's British community at No. 2 on the Bund. The club was founded in 1861, and its six-storey reinforced-concrete clubhouse opened in January 1911, designed by H. Tarrant and completed by A. G. Bray after Tarrant's death. Its most famous feature was the Long Bar, an L-shaped mahogany counter about 34 metres long that was once said to be the longest bar in the world.

The building had a varied twentieth century. The club closed in 1941 and the building was occupied by Japanese forces. After 1949 it became the International Seamen's Club, then the Dongfeng Hotel in 1971, and from 1990 to 1996 it housed Shanghai's first KFC. It then stood empty until Hilton leased it in 2009 and restored it as the heritage half of the Waldorf Astoria. The hotel has 252 rooms and 20 suites across the three-floor heritage building and a 24-floor tower.

The hotel lists several restaurants and bars. Wai King Kok serves Chinese food, the Grand Brasserie mixes European classics and Chinese dishes, and Ling Long, a modern Chinese restaurant, holds a star in the 2026 Michelin Guide Shanghai. Peacock Alley serves afternoon tea and cocktails, Salon de Ville is known for red velvet cake and champagne, and today's Long Bar pours fine spirits. Pink Oyster, a ten-course oyster omakase, runs within the Long Bar. The Waldorf Astoria Spa combines traditional Chinese practices with modern treatments, and there is an indoor pool.

The hotel suits couples, history enthusiasts and business travellers who want a heritage setting with modern rooms. Check-in is from 3pm and check-out at noon. Even if you are not staying, a drink in the Long Bar is a way to see inside one of the Bund's grandest interiors.

The first clubhouse on this site, a three-storey red-brick building of 1864, hosted the former US president Ulysses S. Grant in 1879.

The hotel faces the Huangpu River at No. 2 on the Bund, with the promenade directly outside. East Nanjing Road station on Lines 2 and 10 is the nearest metro, reached by a walk along the waterfront.