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HBA to design Asia's first Waldorf Astoria

EH Staff - Mumbai

HBA/Hirsch Bedner Associates, designers of the prestigious new Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai, are set to revive a second landmark heritage property on the city's iconic Bund waterfront. The successful hospitality design consultancy has been appointed by Hilton Hotels Corporation to transform the former Shanghai Club at No. 2 The Bund into the Waldorf Astoria On The Bund Shanghai. Set to open in 2011, the Waldorf Astoria On The Bund Shanghai will be the first hotel in Asia for Hilton's prestigious luxury brand.

HBA Principal, Ian Carr, said, "Restoring or converting these properties, such as is the quest for the Waldorf Astoria in Shanghai is a true labor of love for the design team, the ultimate challenge of taking the historical context and adding the up-to-date convenience and style of current expectations. The hotel, when completed, will become a bellwether property for this high-end emerging brand."

The exquisite English Renaissance style building was constructed in 1911 and opened as the now-legendary Shanghai Club. Throughout the city's 1920s and '30s Pearl of the Orient heyday, it was Shanghai's most exclusive gentleman's club, filled with decadent delights like bowling alleys, restaurants, an oyster bar, games rooms, a barber's shop and two wine cellars. One of the highlights was its celebrated Long Bar - which at 110 feet was once the longest bar in the world.

Still one of the finest architectural gems along Shanghai's waterfront promenade, the whitewashed façade is adorned with Palladium columns, intricate gables and a pair of sculpted rooftop cupolas. The interiors - including the original Sicilian marble columns and stained glass imported from Birmingham, England - will be painstakingly restored through extensive use of archived photographs and records.

HBA's renovation of this historic pleasure palace will continue the Shanghai Club's legacy of refined indulgence, while equipping the building with the luxury amenities demanded by today's discerning traveller. The new hotel will comprise 266 rooms across two buildings. The charming heritage building will be connected via a courtyard to a modern tower bordered by Sichuan Road. HBA's design will encompass both buildings, including all the guestrooms, four restaurants, two bars, a patisserie, lobby lounge, extensive banqueting facilities, a swimming pool, health club and spa.

The Waldorf Astoria brand builds on the traditions established by the original Waldorf Astoria in New York, defining the ultimate in hospitality luxury and encapsulating the core values of being legendary, timeless and cultured. Hilton Hotels Corporation is developing Waldorf Astoria hotels and residences in key cities around the world, including Florida (2009), Sarasota (2010), Shanghai (2011), Montreal (2011), Beverly Hills (2011) and Philadelphia (2012).