Destinations / China / InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland
Destinations / China / InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland
Sixteen of its eighteen floors sit below ground, carved into the cliff wall of a flooded quarry pit — and two of those floors are actually underwater, with suites that look straight into a saltwater aquarium.
The quarry had sat abandoned since 2000 after decades of mining — Shimao Group spent over a decade and $300 million transforming the 88-metre-deep pit into a functioning 5-star hotel, opening in November 2018.
Only two of the hotel's 18 floors sit above ground; the remaining 16 descend down the quarry wall, a design sometimes called an "earthscraper" — the inverse of a conventional tower.
The bottom two floors sit inside a submerged saltwater aquarium roughly 10 metres deep — six underwater suites and a seafood restaurant called Mr. Fisher look directly into water filled with real fish.
Video via YouTube — the InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland's official channel
Building in a flooded pit meant patenting new methods just to stop concrete separating on the way down and to prevent landslides.
The hotel sits in Songjiang District, roughly 30-50km from downtown Shanghai — a deliberate day-trip or overnight destination, not a city-center stay.
Guests can bungee jump, rock climb the quarry wall, or kayak across the lake — the pit itself is part of the attraction, not just the building.
Three ways to plan a visit around the underwater rooms and the quarry.
The six underwater suites are the hotel's signature rooms and the most sought-after — reserve as early as possible.
Some tours and day passes allow visitors to see the quarry and public areas without booking a full overnight stay.
Shanghai Hongqiao Airport connects to Songjiang District by car in roughly 45-60 minutes.
Given the aquarium-adjacent suites and pool access, worth packing even for a short stay.
Search options →The contrast between Shanghai's outside humidity and the hotel's interior climate is real.
Search options →The lower, underground floors run noticeably cooler than the two floors above ground.
Search options →The quarry design and underwater suites are the kind of thing you'll photograph a lot.
Search options →Sixteen of eighteen floors sit below ground — expect stairs and elevators, not a flat single level.
Search options →Worth having near the aquarium wall and pool areas specifically.
Search options →As an Amazon Associate, UniverseTrips.com earns from qualifying purchases.
Shanghai sits within China's broader silk-producing tradition.
Where to find it — Shanghai's fabric markets, if your stay extends beyond the hotel
The same legitimate national specialty worth buying from source.
Where to find it — An actual Shanghai tea shop, rather than the hotel gift shop
We're building out full room-tier comparisons and quarry-activity guides for a stay at the Wonderland.
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