China’s tallest hotel opens, J Hotel Shanghai Tower

(CNN) – The hotel scene of Shanghai, already very attractive, only increases.

The J Hotel Shanghai Tower, which opened on June 19, is not just another high-end hotel. It is the tallest hotel in the world.

The J Hotel occupies the top floors of the Shanghai Tower, which at 632 meters is the tallest building in all China.

Beyond the impressive bragging rights, what is the hotel really like?

The J has 165 rooms, of which 34 are suites. There is 24-hour personal butler service, an indoor pool, Hermes and Diptyque toiletries, magnolia petal bathtubs, a luxurious spa with reiki treatments, and full Chinese tea sets in all rooms.

The hotel has four suites, the most expensive being the Shanghai Suite, measuring 380 square meters. In addition to the bedroom, this suite includes a living room, a study, a kitchen, a physiotherapy area and a room just for dressing. (The hotel did not respond to CNN Travel’s request for pricing.)

J Hotel room in Shanghai Tower

The cheapest room costs RMB 3,601 (about US $ 557) per night, while the J Suite, a less elegant level than the Shanghai Suite, costs RMB 67,628 per night (about US $ 10,467).

The hotel has seven places to eat, including a Cantonese restaurant called Heavenly Jin on the top floor (which would be the 120th floor). There are also restaurants offering Japanese, Italian food and a space for tea time.

Jin Yan, one of the hotel’s restaurants, is dressed in traditional Chinese red.
Credit: Hector Retamal / AFP / Getty Images

The J Hotel is owned by Jin Jiang International. It is one of the largest hotel and tourism business groups in China, and is a member of the state-owned Asset Supervision and Management Commission.

Despite the global slowdown in travel amid the coronavirus pandemic, the competition for the newest, best and tallest hotel is not subsiding.

The Ritz Carlton in Hong Kong boasts the tallest pool and bar in the world.

View of the J Hotel pool.
Credit: Hector Retamal / AFP / Getty Images

On Dubai, there is a constant battle for the title of highest hotel in the city and on the planet.

The 356-meter Hotel Gevora was officially recognized as the tallest hotel in the world by the Guinness Book of Records in 2018.

Notably, the highest hotel title is usually applied only to buildings used in their entirety as hotels, as opposed to the J Hotel, which only occupies an upper section of the Shanghai Tower.

Hot on Gevora’s heels is the Ciel Tower, still under construction, which will have 1,042 rooms and will reach a height of 360.4 meters when completed.

Unlike other hotels on this list, the Ciel (which means “sky” in French) will have a glass rooftop gazebo, allowing non-guests to enjoy the views.