Work is nearing completion on a hotel built in a disused Shanghai quarry in one of many outlandish attempts by China’s luxury hospitality sector to restore its fortunes.
The InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland has 15 floors below ground level, with two to offer rooms with views of a saltwater aquarium. Costing about $500m and due to be completed this year, the building will sit beside a man-made lake and a platform for music performances and weddings.
InterContinental Hotels Group, which will operate the hotel, hopes to lure affluent urbanites by recapturing the quarry’s industrial past. Rooms feature exposed pipes, and designers are considering ways for guests to roam underground galleries.