Las Vegas’ famous Bellagio opens in Shanghai – minus the casino, but with all the glitz of its namesake
Built on the site of the former Shanghai No 1 People’s Hospital, it’s not surprising that the hotel wants to keep its hospice connections quiet
The Bellagio Shanghai is a sister hotel to the famously gaudy Bellagio Las Vegas, and is promising guests a similar experience – but with the notable absence of a casino. The striking new property is built on the site of the Shanghai No 1 People’s Hospital, which was demolished in 2010.
This spot was originally occupied by the Shanghai General Hospital, which was opened in the 1870s and grew through to the 1930s into a cluster of lovely buildings of various European styles. Surprisingly, one still survives, and is now incorporated into the Bellagio as a Chinese restaurant called Mansion on One, though the hotel refers to it only as “a 1920s historical building” (perhaps not surprisingly, no hospital connections are mentioned on its website or in press materials). The 162-room Bellagio Shanghai was originally announced in 2012 for a 2015 opening. It eventually soft-opened this year, with a grand opening last month.
For Scandinavian Airlines, Stockholm is out and Copenhagen is in
From October, both carriers will be going head to head on the Copenhagen route, which Cathay began operating in May. This isn’t the first time that SAS has switched cities in the many years that it has been serving Hong Kong. The airline first touched down at the old Kai Tak airport back in April 1951, having arrived from Stockholm via Bangkok on the way to Tokyo, with a new Douglas DC-6 Cloudmaster furnished with full-length beds. The new SAS Copenhagen schedule will start from October 28, with five overnight flights per week.
Authoritative mountain guide marks 25 years with sixth edition
Deal of the week – two nights in Seoul, South Korea
Connexus Travel is offering nine hotels priced from HK$2,190 to HK$2,740 per person, twin share, for a two-night stay in Seoul, South Korea. Cheapest is the Tmark Grand Hotel Myeongdong, but the ibis Styles Ambassador Seoul Yongsan (from HK$2,260) looks better value. The most expensive (or the least cheap, in this case) of the nine is the Novotel Ambassador Seoul Gangnam.