When The Shard first opened up in London in 2013, I needed to go to it. And when the Shangri-La model of luxurious inns opened a resort inside The Shard in 2014, I knew I needed to remain there.
Now, I’m under no circumstances a luxurious traveler. When I first began touring, I used to be very a lot a price range traveler, staying in hostels, Airbnb rooms, and low-cost inns as a lot as potential. And though my journey type has developed as I’ve gotten older, I nonetheless wouldn’t take into account myself a “luxury” traveler.
While I could also be prepared to spend more cash on direct flights and nicer inns for each consolation and comfort as of late, by no means have I spent greater than $1000 an evening on a resort room – till I stayed at Shangri-La The Shard.
What is The Shard?
The Shard is a contemporary skyscraper positioned on the southern finish of London Bridge within the Southwark a part of the South Bank. It’s triangular in form, with an deliberately jagged-looking high that appears like shards of glass. The 72-story skyscraper was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, and is at the moment the tallest constructing within the UK.
The Shangri-La resort is only one of many issues calling The Shard house. The constructing additionally has workplace area, just a few eating places (Aqua Shard is nice for a themed afternoon tea in London!), and an statement deck referred to as View From the Shard.
The Shard can be near the Borough Market, and inside strolling distance of different well-known London websites like Tower Bridge and Shakespeare’s Globe. So it actually does make a very good base in central London.
But is the resort really price it?
My husband Elliot and I stayed on the Shangri-La The Shard for one night time, and here is what I feel.
Staying at Shangri-La The Shard
Rooms on the Shangri-La The Shard are usually not low-cost. This is a 5-star luxurious resort positioned inside some of the recognizable buildings within the London skyline, in spite of everything. But is it price it for a splurge?
(And please word, I used to be NOT hosted throughout this keep – I paid full-price for my room! I made a decision to jot down about it for anybody else considering a particular keep right here.)
Room choices at Shangri-La The Shard
The Shangri-La The Shard presents 202 visitor rooms throughout 18 flooring of The Shard constructing (beginning on ground 34 and going up by means of ground 52). All of their rooms and suites have spectacular metropolis views by means of floor-to-ceiling home windows, and every room is barely totally different as a result of distinctive form of The Shard.
The kinds of rooms you’ll be able to select from embody:
- Superior Shard Room – The smallest rooms out there (322-516 sq. toes), these rooms have floor-to-ceiling home windows that provide up southerly views away from the Thames. (Avg $1050 per night time)
- Premier Shard Room – Slightly bigger (505-623 sq. toes), these rooms additionally supply principally southerly-facing views. (Avg $1175 per night time)
- Deluxe City View Room – What you commerce off for in area (these rooms are 344-505 sq. toes), you make up for with northerly and easterly views of London, together with a number of the metropolis’s most iconic landmarks. These are additionally the rooms that begin providing bathtubs within the bogs. (Avg $1200 per night time)
- Premier City View Room – These rooms are 505-623 sq. toes, and supply northerly views of London and its iconic landmarks by means of floor-to-ceiling home windows. (Avg $1250 per night time)
- Iconic City View Room – These 462-645 sq. foot nook rooms supply 180-degree views by means of floor-to-ceiling home windows of London’s iconic websites just like the Houses of Parliament and Tower Bridge. (Avg $1575 per night time)
- Premier Shard Suite – These suites cowl 645-763 sq. toes, and supply a separate front room. These suites have southerly views away from the Thames. (Avg $1900 per night time)
- Iconic Shard Suite – These massive suites (645-935 sq. toes) supply a separate sitting space, together with panoramic views of London’s most notable landmarks. (Avg $2400 per night time)
- There are extra suites out there, too, in addition to interconnecting room choices for households or teams touring collectively. (See all their room choices right here.)
The room you need at Shangri-La The Shard
If you are going to splurge on a room at The Shard, you are going to need a room that overlooks the Thames and a few of London’s iconic landmarks. You greatest worth for cash goes to be both a Deluxe City View Room or Premier City View Room, or the Iconic City View Room (which is a nook, Thames-facing room).
These rooms supply up the easiest views over central London, and the primary two are often below $1300 per night time.
You in all probability wish to keep away from any rooms that point out a southerly-facing view, because it means you may be trying away from the Thames and landmarks like St. Pauls, the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge, and many others.
The Deluxe and Premier City View room varieties make up the majority of the rooms at The Shard, so should you’re hoping for a bubble tub second with floor-to-ceiling home windows overlooking London landmarks, these are the rooms you need! (You can even name forward and attempt to request a tub with a view at The Shard; these will not be assured, however often they do a very good job attempting to accommodate requests.)
Read critiques on TripAdvisor | Book a room right here
Room options at Shangri-La The Shard
Some issues you’ll be able to anticipate finding in each room embody:
- The largest, custom-made King-sized beds I’ve ever seen in a resort
- 300-threadcount Frette mattress linens
- Marble bogs with walk-in rain showers (and a few rooms have separate bathtubs)
- Heated rest room flooring
- L’Occitane toiletries
- Plush bathrobes and slippers
- Pillow menu with hypoallergenic choices
- A pair of binoculars and skyline viewing information
- High-speed wifi and LED TVs
- Nespresso espresso machine
- Tea-making amenities with porcelain Chinese tea set
Our room additionally had an enormous walk-in his & hers closet space, and plenty of sensible controls for issues just like the lights, black-out shades, and extra.
Check in/out course of
You’ll arrive on the floor ground of the Shard, the place there’s a big concierge-style desk. Once you say you are checking in to the Shangri-La, they will direct you to the elevators, and you may head as much as the thirty fourth ground and examine in similar to you’d at any resort.
Check-in is at 4 p.m., and check-out is at 11 a.m. Elliot and I arrived early off a global flight, and whereas our room wasn’t prepared but, they did direct us as much as the pool stage and mentioned we may clean up (even take showers if we needed to!), after which the concierge held our baggage till our room was prepared, after which moved the baggage into our room for us.
Shangri-La service
The Shangri-La chain of inns usually oozes luxurious, and it is no totally different right here in London. Nothing is an excessive amount of to ask of the smartly-dressed workers.
For instance, after we arrived and knowledgeable the reception workers that the airline had misplaced Elliot’s bag, they supplied to ship issues like a toothbrush as much as our room, instructed him he may borrow/lease swim trunks if we needed to make use of the pool, and even requested if they may make any calls to examine on the standing of the misplaced bag whereas we had been out for the afternoon.
We additionally discovered a hand-written welcome word on the window in our rest room after we acquired as much as our room, and I had bubble tub delivered to our room inside 5 minutes of calling all the way down to ask for some.
Other providers out there embody issues like:
- 24-hour Concierge service
- Butler service within the Suites
- IT Butler (I’ve no clue what that is, however I prefer it)
- Foreign alternate counter
- House physician on name
- In-room spa providers
- Babysitting / little one care out there
- Taxi / limo service
Shangri-La The Shard pool
Elliot and I do not typically reap the benefits of issues like spa providers or health facilities in inns, however a singular function at this London resort is the Sky Pool, which is marketed because the “highest hotel pool in Western Europe.”
An infinity-style pool up on the 52nd ground of The Shard, the Sky Pool is certainly price visiting. It presents up unimaginable views out over London as you swim, and has some good seating areas, too. (It’s additionally proper subsequent to the Sky Sauna, which has equally wonderful views.)
The Sky Pool, Sky Sauna (and resort gymnasium) are free for resort company, however you do must pre-book a time to make use of the pool and sauna since each are pretty small. We booked an early morning time slot after we checked in, and had the Sky Pool all to ourselves the next morning!
Dining at Shangri-La The Shard
Shangri-La The Shard has 1 restaurant and three totally different bars, and likewise presents 24-hour in-room eating.
The restaurant is known as TING, and it is open for 3 meals a day on the thirty fifth ground of The Shard. TING has an Asian-influenced menu, and likewise serves afternoon tea.
The bars out there are Bar 31 (an off-the-cuff spot on the bottom ground of The Shard), the Sky Lounge (on the thirty fourth ground), and GŎNG (a cocktail bar on the 52nd ground).
GONG is the best resort bar in Western Europe, and has a pleasant cocktail menu alongside mild bites. But GONG is fairly expensive; for the standard seating, a minimal spend of £30 per individual is required. They additionally supply a “Deluxe Window Experience” with assured window seating, a bottle of champagne, and an Asian meals platter for £125 per individual. (And you wish to e-book forward right here.)
Elliot and I really did not eat/drink at any of the Shangri-La-affiliated spots (however we did do a Peter Pan-themed afternoon tea at Aqua Shard on the thirty first ground of The Shard).
(NOT a part of the Shangri-La, however nonetheless in The Shard)
Is staying at Shangri-La The Shard in London price it?
And now you wish to know whether or not this keep on the Shard resort was price it. I get it; I needed to know, too, however may solely discover weblog posts written by individuals who had been gifted free stays!
And the reply in fact is… it relies upon!
The Shangri-La The Shard is a real luxurious resort with rooms, facilities, and a stage of service that reside as much as expectations. But $1200+ per night time is just not going to be “worth it” for everybody.
Staying at Shangri-La The Shard IS price it should you’re somebody who often stays at luxurious properties anyway, or somebody who’s prepared to splurge on a very memorable keep for a special day.
Elliot and I fell into the second class – we do not often e-book inns which are this costly, however we had been making up for misplaced (journey) time as we stayed right here on our first worldwide journey in 2.5 years after. Plus, the actually particular touches just like the bubble tub with an unbeatable view and the Sky Pool made it price it for us.
(We solely stayed one night time, although, after which used Chase factors to pay for one more resort for the remainder of our 5 days in London.)
A keep at Shangri-La The Shard would NOT be price it should you do not actually care about the place you sleep on trip, or should you do not consider a resort as being a journey “experience” in and of itself.
If you do not wish to keep right here, that is advantageous! You may all the time nonetheless e-book at desk at GONG, go to afternoon tea at Aqua Shard, or just pay to go to the View from the Shard statement deck to get principally the identical view for lots much less cash.
And should you do wish to splash out and deal with your self to a keep at Shangri-La The Shard? Then go for it!
Read critiques on TripAdvisor | Book a room right here
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