Hotel of Fame
(Breakfasting at the Astor House Hotel: Shanghai, China)
We were exhausted from a busy week when we booked to stay in this hotel. I glanced at a recommendation or two and decided that a touch of character might count for more than a perfect stay. This hotel turned out to be a shabby chic dream and had all the history and faded fame we could manage. As we arrived, we were set upon by a gang of ‘touters’ who called “lasers!” or “rolex?” at intervals as we departed the car and moved swiftly into the relative safety of the hotel foyer.
Whilst we waited on check in, the black and white framed photographs on the pillars began to pique our interest; Charles Chaplin stayed here, Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein? We were led to our room via an ancient lift, manned by staff in white gloves that turned a metal handle to change floors. Our room was expansive, pleasant, but not spectacular. We were glad to discover the delightful shabbiness did not extend to the bedding or any furnishings – these are all poor reproductions, but if you can bother with squinting or taking your glasses off, all together, they look the part. The fun was all in the teak flooring and red Wilton carpet running along the entire length of every uneven corridor. We imagined ourselves in an Agatha Christie novel, immersing ourselves in the clues to a wicked murder in the hotel, undoubtedly involving a poison of some kind and the strains of violins in every empty hallway.
As you can see here, we enjoyed the sumptuous surroundings of the ballroom for a fusion East-West breakfast, I am evidently delighted with myself for a rushed choice of hotel. The ceiling was vaulted in glass with chandeliers dripping from the rafters. One of the joys of staying so centrally was that we were on the Bund itself with Pudong just a short tunnel ride away. More on that tomorrow…
Do not forget President Grant and the fact that Charlie Chaplin stayed there twice. It was the first Western run hotel in China, then known as Richard’s Hotel and the first electric lamps installed in China were inside this hotel.