Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels has opened the ninth of its Peninsula-branded hotels, in Shanghai itself.

The first new building on the city's river front Bund in more than 60 years, The Peninsula Shanghai occupies a prime site on the Huangpu River beside the former British Consulate Gardens and the Suzhou Creek. The hotel features 235 guest rooms and suites, with four themed suites - the Astor, Majestic, Palace and Peninsula - offering outdoor rooftop terraces and views of the Bund and the Pudong skyline, plus the Rose Ballroom, which accommodates 450 guests for a banquet or 1,000 for a cocktail reception.

Rather more unusual features include an elevator large enough to deliver a limousine to the ballroom, a custom-made 1930s Schindler cage lift and a full-scale replica of a 1930s seaplane in the Rosemonde Aviation Lounge. Dining options include The Yi Long Court restaurant, a speciality tea counter, chef's table and seven private salons - with the rooftop Sir Elly's Restaurant Bar and Terrace due to open in November - while the Peninsula Arcade provides shopping opportunities with a range of the world's top luxury brands.

The hotel also offers the Salon de Ning late night jazz club and the rendezvous Compass Bar. Spa provision is by ESPA, with new decor and special spa treatments unique to The Peninsula Shanghai. Nine treatment rooms, with a navy-and-white nautical theme, complement sauna, steam and relaxation rooms. Also available are a 25m indoor swimming pool and a fitness centre, the latter featuring a range of Life FItness strength and cv equipment .

The hotel - whose owners used to operate four of Shanghai's premier hotels : The Kalee, Majestic, Palace and Astor House - will be joining Peninsula hotels in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beijing, New York, Chicago, Beverly Hills, Bangkok and Manila, with Paris scheduled to open in 2012. Pic: The Huangpu River, Shanghai with The Peninsula Shanghai at bottom right