Influential magazine Condé Nast Traveler has named the Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong as the best hotel in the world in its annual Readers’ Choice survey.

The publication, announcing the results ahead of the November issue, revealed the Shanghai hotel’s victory ahead of Peninsula House in the Dominican Republic, which won second place, October 11.

The Four Seasons Sharm El Sheikh won third place, while the Safari Lodges at Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa came in fourth.

Jumeirah Group, the Dubai-based luxury hotel company, announces the soft opening of its first five-star luxury hotel in China at the Himalayas Centre in Pudong, Shanghai.

Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel Shanghai features 401 contemporary Chinese-style guestrooms, including 62 suites and residences, four restaurants and lounges, a 24-hour fitness centre and indoor swimming pool.

The hotel also offers extensive meeting, conference and event facilities, including two grand ballrooms and a 5,000m2 rooftop Infinity Garden.

Shangri-La has debuted a new luxury five star brand with the opening of a new hotel in Shanghai February 18.

Kerry Hotels is a new five-star contemporary brand from Shangri-La which provides “a seamless link between business, entertainment and recreation.”

The new Shanghai Pudong property offers 574 guestrooms decked out with the latest technology such as DVD players, Nespresso machines, iPod docking stations and 40-inch televisions.

The Ritz-Carlton Pudong opened June 21 as the latest luxury hotel to hit Shanghai, occupying the top 18 floors of the city’s giant International Finance Center South Tower.

The hotel offers 285 rooms designed by Richard Farnell, ranging from 50 meters squared to 400 meters squared for the Ritz-Carlton suite.

The rooms offer a modern interpretation of 1930s Shanghai art deco, a tribute to the restored Shanghai Bund (of which the hotel offers sweeping views).

Hurun Report, renowned for its annual China Rich List of tycoons, has recently hosted Shanghai’s Best Presidential Suites Awards.

The awards ceremony was held on 15 June, timed to coincide with the opening of the Asia Luxury Travel Market, the region’s leading showcase for the luxury travel industry.

“Before now China’s luxury consumers have had little idea of Shanghai’s top suites and executive club lounges, despite the fact that hotels spend so much money on them,” says Rupert Hoogewerf, founder of Hurun Report

“We created a scorecard to assess and rank the top Presidential Suites and Executive Club Lounges, many of which are truly outstanding.”

Two visionary hotel concepts, Zendai Hotel Yin – an ultra luxury, boutique-style “city retreat” and Zendai Art Hotel – a 5-star business hotel, will open in Shanghai’s latest architectural masterpiece, the ‘Himalayas Centre’ which is due to open in Pudong in spring 2010, in time for the Shanghai World Expo.

The Himalayas Centre is located opposite to Shanghai’s New International Expo Centre and just 15 minutes from the city’s main financial district in Pudong.

Behind the design of the mixed-use development, located opposite the New International Expo Centre, is Arata Isozaki, renowned for his work on the Barcelona Olympics Stadium and Los Angeles Museum of Modern Art

Designed by one of the world’s leading architects, Arata Isozaki who is renowned for his work on the Barcelona Olympics Stadium and the Los Angeles Museum of Modern Art, the Himalayas Centre is being hailed by developers, the Zendai Group, as an “archisculptural icon for 21st century China”.

The Himalayas Centre will incorporate the Daguan Theatre with multi-functional auditorium seating 1,600, the Himalayas Mall and Himalayas Creative Complex / Museum Zone, as well as the two luxury hotels.