Shangri-La Group has welcomed a new addition with the opening of Shangri-La Jeddah, representing the luxury hotelier’s brand debut in Saudi Arabia. Situated in the exclusive Burj Assila, a 64-storey architectural icon and Jeddah’s tallest building – a soaring 260-metre-tall tower – Shangri-La Jeddah celebrates the brand’s Asian heritage while reflecting the local culture and environment. The hotel’s aesthetics pay homage to Shangri-La’s timeless style while elevating it to meet the evolving needs of modern travellers. Interiors draw on the three main elements of the brand’s new design ethos: Asian Sensibilities, Nature Inspired, and Spirit of Place.

Shangri-La Hotel At The Shard, London, on the southern bank of the River Thames, occupies the top of what is, well, a shard-shaped sculpture, 310 metres, 66 floors, in all. The highest the traveller can venture is to the 52nd floor. From there, look straight down to the Thames, with, just the other side of Tower Bridge, the historic Tower of London (this side of the bridge is WWII battleship, HMS Belfast, which you can visit). You are also two minutes’ walk from London Bridge station, with excellent above-ground connections, and an underground station that gets you to Knightsbridge, for Harrod’s, and Oxford Circus, for Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street, in under 20 minutes.

Scheduled to open in 2022, the hotel will feature a 250-room luxury hotel, 150 one- to three-bedroom suites, 8 beach chalets and 21 waterfront villas.