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Sunday, July 12, 2026

Andaz Shanghai ITC

Andaz Shanghai ITC is positioned within the ITC (International Trade Centre) mega-development in Xujiahui, the historic commercial heart of Shanghai's Xuhui District — a transit-oriented location sitting directly above the Xujiahui Metro interchange (Lines 1, 9 and 11), giving it strong TOD relevance as a benchmark. The ITC masterplan and tower architecture were designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), whose scheme anchors one of the largest single commercial developments in Puxi. The developer is Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP), the Hong Kong developer behind Shanghai IFC and Shanghai IAPM, known for pairing prime retail podiums with luxury hotel components. As an Andaz — Hyatt's lifestyle-luxury brand sitting in the upper-upscale/luxury boutique tier — the design theory follows the brand's "personal, locally immersive" philosophy: interiors draw on the layered identity of Xujiahui, blending Shanghainese residential warmth (lane-house textures, artisanal detailing, local art curation) with a contemporary, residential-scale spatial language that deliberately avoids formal grand-hotel typology; check-in is de-formalized into lounge-style "Andaz hosts" interaction rather than a traditional front desk. Facilities typically include approximately 170–200 guestrooms and suites with floor-to-ceiling views over Puxi, a signature restaurant and Andaz Lounge, a rooftop/sky bar, fitness centre and pool, flexible "Andaz Studio" event spaces designed for social-style gatherings rather than conventional ballrooms, and direct connectivity to ITC's luxury retail mall.

The masterplan and architectural framework for the sweeping ITC complex were spearheaded by the P&T Group alongside Lead8. However, the hotel's atmospheric interior spaces—where the guest experience is actually shaped—were conceptualized by HBA (Hirsch Bedner Associates)

​The core design philosophy is "Bringing Outside In," establishing the hotel as a "vertical Shanghai neighborhood." Instead of a sterile luxury box, HBA leaned into nostalgia refracted through a contemporary lens.

​The interiors heavily reference the local Shikumen (traditional Shanghainese lane houses) and historic alleyways. You see this translated materially through glass-brick feature walls and moss-hued rugs that evoke the shaded, tree-lined streets of the surrounding former French Concession. To break up the traditional, repetitive hotel corridor feel, the rooms utilize varied door designs and freestanding wardrobes, echoing a residential maisonette layout. It is a brilliant example of using spatial layout to make a towering skyscraper feel like an intimate enclave.  

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