The urban Ritz-Carlton Reserve concept Marriott International leaders teased earlier this year now has an address. Marriott signed an agreement with Shanghai SIIC North Bund New Landmark Construction and Development Co., Ltd. to bring the first Ritz-Carlton Reserve to Shanghai, debuting an urban extension of the ultra-luxury brand created for what the company calls the world's leading global gateway cities. The property is slated to open in 2030.
Luxury Travel Advisor first reported on the concept in March, when Tina Edmundson, president of luxury at Marriott International, revealed the idea of an urban offshoot during a press conference at the Forbes Travel Guide Summit in Monaco. At the time, Edmundson said the company was "looking at several urban locations" and called the concept "a wonderful extension" for the brand, though no specific markets were disclosed. Shanghai is the first to come out of that pipeline.
"Bringing that philosophy to Shanghai for our first urban Reserve is an incredibly exciting evolution for the brand," Edmundson said in a statement accompanying the signing. "Shanghai is a city unlike any other, where extraordinary heritage and culture exist alongside incredible creativity, energy and global influence. We see a remarkable opportunity to create a true sanctuary within that energy – one that feels unmistakably of Shanghai, while offering the highly bespoke, transformative experiences that make Reserve so special."
Ritz-Carlton Reserve has built its reputation on a small collection of remote, destination-driven estates defined by privacy and highly personalized service. The urban iteration carries those principles into dense city cores, with Marriott positioning each property as a sanctuary within the city rather than a traditional luxury hotel.
The Shanghai Reserve will serve as the ultra-luxury hospitality component of a landmark mixed-use development on the city's North Bund waterfront, which will also include retail, office space, residences, and an observatory deck. Rising roughly 480 meters across 103 floors, the tower is certain to be a notable addition to the Shanghai skyline. The hotel is expected to feature 110 guest rooms and suites, many overlooking the Bund and the Huangpu River, including a Presidential Suite. Plans call for a specialty restaurant, Chinese dining experiences, a lobby lounge, and a bespoke bar, along with an indoor swimming pool, fitness center, and spa and wellness retreat.
Upon opening, the hotel is expected to make Shanghai the only city in the world where all eight of Marriott's luxury brands are represented.
The signing extends a busy stretch of format experimentation for Marriott's luxury division, which counted 555 open luxury hotels and another 270 in the pipeline as of earlier this year. The Urban Reserve reveal in Monaco came on the heels of St. Regis Estates, a residential-focused extension of the St. Regis portfolio announced at ILTM Cannes, with The Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach, California, set to become its first property. The moves show Marriott stretching its most storied luxury brands into new formats rather than simply adding traditional hotel rooms — and the Ritz-Carlton flag, which already spans the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, continues to prove the most elastic of the bunch.
"We are honored to collaborate with Marriott International on this project," Huang Haiping, vice president of SIIC Group and chairman of Shanghai SIIC North Bund Landmark Construction and Development Co., Ltd, added in prepared remarks. "Through this collaboration, we hope to create a world-class luxury property that reflects the unique character of Shanghai and delivers exceptional experiences for guests from around the world."
Marriott has not said which cities are next for the concept.
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