When The Shard first opened up in London in 2013, I wished to go to it. And when the Shangri-La model of luxurious inns opened a resort inside The Shard in 2014, I knew I wished 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 finances traveler, staying in hostels, Airbnb rooms, and low-cost inns as a lot as potential. And though my journey fashion has advanced 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 lately, 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 situated 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 prime that appears like shards of glass. The 72-story skyscraper was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, and is presently 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 house, 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 great base in central London.
But is the resort truly price it?
My husband Elliot and I stayed on the Shangri-La The Shard for one evening, and here is what I feel.
Staying at Shangri-La The Shard
Rooms on the Shangri-La The Shard aren’t low-cost. This is a 5-star luxurious resort situated inside some of the recognizable buildings within the London skyline, in spite of everything. But is it price it for a splurge?
(And please be aware, 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 gives 202 visitor rooms throughout 18 flooring of The Shard constructing (beginning on flooring 34 and going up by flooring 52). All of their rooms and suites have spectacular metropolis views by floor-to-ceiling home windows, and every room is barely completely different because of the distinctive form of The Shard.
The forms of rooms you possibly can select from embody:
- Superior Shard Room – The smallest rooms obtainable (322-516 sq. ft), these rooms have floor-to-ceiling home windows that supply up southerly views away from the Thames. (Avg $1050 per evening)
- Premier Shard Room – Slightly bigger (505-623 sq. ft), these rooms additionally provide principally southerly-facing views. (Avg $1175 per evening)
- Deluxe City View Room – What you commerce off for in house (these rooms are 344-505 sq. ft), 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 evening)
- Premier City View Room – These rooms are 505-623 sq. ft, and provide northerly views of London and its iconic landmarks by floor-to-ceiling home windows. (Avg $1250 per evening)
- Iconic City View Room – These 462-645 sq. foot nook rooms provide 180-degree views by floor-to-ceiling home windows of London’s iconic websites just like the Houses of Parliament and Tower Bridge. (Avg $1575 per evening)
- Premier Shard Suite – These suites cowl 645-763 sq. ft, and provide a separate front room. These suites have southerly views away from the Thames. (Avg $1900 per evening)
- Iconic Shard Suite – These giant suites (645-935 sq. ft) provide a separate sitting space, together with panoramic views of London’s most notable landmarks. (Avg $2400 per evening)
- There are extra suites obtainable, 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 finest 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 provide up the perfect views over central London, and the primary two are often below $1300 per evening.
You most likely wish to keep away from any rooms that point out a southerly-facing view, because it means you will be wanting away from the Thames and landmarks like St. Pauls, the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge, and so on.
The Deluxe and Premier City View room sorts 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 may also name forward and attempt to request a bath with a view at The Shard; these will not be assured, however often they do a great job attempting to accommodate requests.)
Read evaluations on TripAdvisor | Book a room right here
Room options at Shangri-La The Shard
Some issues you possibly can look forward to 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 lavatory 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 good controls for issues just like the lights, black-out shades, and extra.
Check in/out course of
You’ll arrive on the floor flooring 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 will head as much as the thirty fourth flooring and verify in similar to you’ll 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 world flight, and whereas our room wasn’t prepared but, they did direct us as much as the pool degree and stated we might clean up (even take showers if we wished 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 typically oozes luxurious, and it is no completely different right here in London. Nothing is an excessive amount of to ask of the smartly-dressed workers.
For instance, once we arrived and knowledgeable the reception workers that the airline had misplaced Elliot’s bag, they provided to ship issues like a toothbrush as much as our room, instructed him he might borrow/hire swim trunks if we wished to make use of the pool, and even requested if they might make any calls to verify on the standing of the misplaced bag whereas we had been out for the afternoon.
We additionally discovered a hand-written welcome be aware on the window in our lavatory once we acquired as much as our room, and I had bubble tub delivered to our room inside 5 minutes of calling right down to ask for some.
Other providers obtainable 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 trade counter
- House physician on name
- In-room spa providers
- Babysitting / youngster care obtainable
- 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 characteristic 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 flooring of The Shard, the Sky Pool is certainly price visiting. It gives up unbelievable 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 fitness center) are free for resort company, however you do should pre-book a time to make use of the pool and sauna since each are pretty small. We booked an early morning time slot once 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 completely different bars, and in addition gives 24-hour in-room eating.
The restaurant known as TING, and it is open for 3 meals a day on the thirty fifth flooring of The Shard. TING has an Asian-influenced menu, and in addition serves afternoon tea.
The bars obtainable are Bar 31 (an informal spot on the bottom flooring of The Shard), the Sky Lounge (on the thirty fourth flooring), and GŎNG (a cocktail bar on the 52nd flooring).
GONG is the best resort bar in Western Europe, and has a pleasant cocktail menu alongside gentle bites. But GONG is fairly expensive; for the standard seating, a minimal spend of £30 per particular person is required. They additionally provide a “Deluxe Window Experience” with assured window seating, a bottle of champagne, and an Asian meals platter for £125 per particular person. (And you wish to guide forward right here.)
Elliot and I truly 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 flooring 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 wished to know, too, however might solely discover weblog posts written by individuals who had been gifted free stays!
And the reply after all is… it relies upon!
The Shangri-La The Shard is a real luxurious resort with rooms, facilities, and a degree of service that stay as much as expectations. But $1200+ per evening 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 extremely memorable keep for a special day.
Elliot and I fell into the second class – we do not often guide inns which might be 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 evening, although, after which used Chase factors to pay for an additional 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 might all the time nonetheless guide 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 mainly 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 evaluations on TripAdvisor | Book a room right here
Other London content material you may like:
Would you wish to keep at Shangri-La The Shard in London?