by Ted Sherman

Created on: September 01, 2009

Shanghai is one of the most amazing cities in the world, the largest in China, and a recent visitor to the Radisson Shanghai New World Hotel added to the amazement. A former Navy troop transport crewman, he was first in Shanghai at age 19 during an early September week in 1945, just a few days after World War II ended.

If there were any hotels operating at that long-past time, they had been bombed out and looted during the last months of the war, along with almost total destruction in many other parts of the war-torn city. Thousands of Chinese citizens were living in dire poverty due to the harsh, four-year occupation by Japanese troops. That was then, and this is now.

Of course, Shanghai is under the Communist government jurisdiction in Beijing. However, if you expect to see everyone marching around the city waving little red books, all clad in drab khaki, you're in for a real culture shock. Today's Shanghai is a city of soaring skyscrapers, well-dressed people, colorful marketplaces, beautiful neighborhoods, lovely boulevards, green parks and great hotels. One of the very best is the Radisson Shanghai New World.

The spectacular Radisson Shanghai New World Hotel, featuring a rotating tower containing a 360-degree city and harbor view restaurant, well earns its five-star rating. It provides luxury accommodations, first-class dining and conveniently central city location. Right across the street is the huge Nanjing Road shopping mall, next to People's Park and entrance to the subway's expansive subway system.

The hotel offers 520 well-appointed guest rooms, each complete with big-screen TV, wifi, refrigerator and many other amenities. Most rooms and suites, especially on the higher floors (there are 45), have large picture windows with spectacular views below of the park, the mall and the Bund. The Bund is Shanghai's equivalent of Fifth Avenue, Rodeo Drive and Champs de Elysses, all rolled into on magnificent promenade.

The hotel features five different restaurants. In the revolving top floor is Epicure on 45, with a quality menu of Oriental and Western dishes. Above it on the 47th floor is the Sky Dome music and cocktail bar. Other eateries in the hotel include a 24-hour cafe, Windows on the Park and Mingxuan Noble House.

If you're looking for a luxury hotel located in the center of China's largest and most modern city, Radisson Shanghai New World Hotel is for you. Room rates are $250 and up, and suite prices are from $400. The hotel address is 88 Nanjing Road (W), Shanghai 200003, China. To connect online, go to www.radisson.com/shanghaicn_newworld, or check with your favorite online or hometown travel agency.

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