Shanghai Wonderland — Guide
Six rooms, one saltwater wall
Two of the hotel's eighteen floors sit below the waterline of a flooded quarry pit — six suites look directly into a shared saltwater aquarium through floor-to-ceiling glass.
Two of the hotel's eighteen floors sit below the waterline of a flooded quarry pit — six suites look directly into a shared saltwater aquarium through floor-to-ceiling glass.
The hotel is built into the cliff face of an abandoned quarry roughly 90 metres deep, with 16 of its 18 floors underground and its lowest two levels genuinely submerged.
Video via YouTube — The B1M, construction and engineering documentary
A decade of construction and dozens of patented solutions went into pulling this off.
The hotel extends down a flooded quarry pit in the Sheshan Mountain Range, roughly 30km outside central Shanghai.
The lowest two floors sit inside a purpose-built saltwater aquarium, with guest rooms and a restaurant looking directly into it.
Engineers developed new techniques — including altering concrete mix ratios to pump material 77 metres down without separating — patenting 39 solutions along the way.
Atkins, the firm behind Dubai's Burj Al Arab, is brought on to design a resort inside the disused quarry.
After years of delays, design and construction progress picks up pace following a redesign push.
Interior fit-out finishes across all 18 floors, including the underwater suites and aquarium restaurant.
InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland opens to guests, becoming the world's first luxury hotel built inside a quarry.
Underwater rooms are limited to six suites and book out well ahead — reserve as early as your travel dates allow.
Back to InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland