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Editor’s note: Shangri-La The Shard, London provided TPG with a complimentary two-night stay so that we could get an inside look at the hotel and its amenities. The opinions expressed below are entirely those of the author and weren’t subject to review by the hotel or any external entity.
JAMIE PAGE/THE POINTS GUY
Unbeatable views of London’s skyline
It’s on the doorstep of some prime London attractions and transit options
Service is full of forethought and care
It’s rare that you can get two tweens and their parents to gasp in unison, but that’s exactly what happened when the elevator doors opened onto the lobby of the Shangri-La The Shard in London.
Occupying 18 floors of the iconic, 1,016-foot-tall Shard tower in London, I expected the views from the 34th-floor lobby to be good, but the first glimpse of the city of London framed by tastefully ornate flower arrangements surpassed all expectations. Surpassing expectations became the theme of my family’s late-spring stay at the Shangri-La The Shard, London, though.
Aside from the views, which are jaw-dropping no matter what angle you’re looking from, the Shangri-La The Shard provides luxurious accommodations, delicious food to suit nearly any taste, incredible amenities and discreet, thoughtful service.
What is the Shangri-La The Shard? JAMIE PAGE/THE POINTS GUY
Opened in 2014, the Shangri-La The Shard has 202 rooms and suites and has Asian influences throughout the decor and food offerings as well as plenty of Western touches.
The hotel offers five different types of rooms and six different categories of suites. The ambience is upscale without being too opulent or fussy. The interior design throughout the hotel pays homage to the brand’s Asian roots with Chinese screen motifs and other elements, but also plays up London’s sense of fun with whimsical photos of people, animals and London landmarks in the elevators and hallways.
Where is the Shangri-La The Shard?
The Shangri-La The Shard is literally around the corner from London’s Borough Market, and practically next door to the London Bridge Tube station. The Queen’s Walk and all of its sights, including the HMS Belfast and Tate Modern, are a two-minute stroll away. Tower Bridge is a five-minute walk, and you can walk to the Tower of London in less than 10 minutes.
How to book the Shangri-La The Shard JAMIE PAGE/THE POINTS GUY
The hotel hosted my family in two rooms in late March of 2024. Had we paid cash, room rates would have run us $1,892 per room per night before taxes and fees. Altogether, our stay would have cost $7,566 with a nonrefundable prepurchased rate.
Members of the Shangri-La Circle loyalty program can take advantage of slightly lower rates on flexible bookings that allow for cancellations and changes. Circle members can also book packages that include breakfast. Children under 7 who are traveling with Shangri-La Circle members get free breakfast without a package.
The Shangri-La The Shard is part of American Express’ Fine Hotels + Resorts, so cardmembers with The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express who make a booking through Amex Travel will receive benefits like complimentary daily breakfast for two, room upgrades based on availability, a $100 on-property credit to use during their stay and guaranteed late checkout.
The hotel is also part of Capital One’s Premier Collection, however. So if you have either the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card or the Capital One Venture X Business, you can book your stay through Capital One Travel for value-added benefits like free daily breakfast for two, up to $100 in on-property experience credits and room upgrades (if available).
JAMIE PAGE/THE POINTS GUY
Finally, the Shangri-La The Shard is affiliated with Chase’s The Edit, which is a recent rebranding of its Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection. If you have an eligible card and make your booking through Chase Travel, you can enjoy perks including daily breakfast for two, availability-based room upgrades, early check-in and late checkout based on availability, a $100 property credit to be used during your stay, and a welcome gift. Those with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® can redeem Ultimate Rewards points for stays booked at The Edit properties.
Other cards you can use for The Edit bookings include:
The views are incredible JAMIE PAGE/THE POINTS GUY
Since 2013, the Shard has been an iconic, sometimes controversial, part of the London skyline, evoking Sauron’s tower in Mordor or Darth Vader’s castle on Mustafar, depending on what flavor of nerdiness you prefer. With 72 public floors and the Shangri-La occupying floors 34 to 52, the views are a major reason to stay here.
Even on a dreary day, watching boats move up and down the Thames, or using the provided binoculars (with a pamphlet that points out key sights) to check crowds at the Tower of London was a treat. In a bustling city, having unfettered access to those views, instead of having to book the Sky Garden or London Eye, invites you to slow down and savor the feast before your eyes.
To be honest, they could probably put a Motel 6 in the same spot and the views would make staying there worth it. Luckily, there’s nothing Motel 6-esque at all about the Shangri-La.
Shangri-La The Shard is family-friendly JAMIE PAGE/THE POINTS GUY
The Shangri-La The Shard is a very family-friendly hotel. I realize that when a two-day stay (during the Easter holiday) costs north of $7,000, saying a hotel is family-friendly may seem like a stretch, but hear me out.
Each staff member who interacted with my kids seemed genuinely happy to have them there. While there wasn’t a kids club, staff members made an effort to speak directly to the children and make their stay more pleasant.
Ting, the main restaurant, has kids menus for all meals and teas. The hotel asked for my children’s names and ages and left personal messages in wipeable markers welcoming them on the window of their room. Each of my children also had a stuffed fox waiting for them on their beds. Why a fox? During the Shard’s construction, a fox climbed the building’s frame and had to be rescued, becoming a mascot of sorts for the building. Amenities like the hotel’s pool are also enough to impress even the most jaded little traveler.
JAMIE PAGE/THE POINTS GUY
The touches perhaps don’t go far enough to justify spending roughly half of a year’s college tuition at the University of Virginia on a two-night stay, but if you’ve got the scratch and are traveling with young ones, Shangri-La The Shard is very welcoming.
The service is impeccable JAMIE PAGE/THE POINTS GUY
The welcoming atmosphere wasn’t just for the kids, however. Every staff member we interacted with during our stay provided friendly, thoughtful and unobtrusive service. They each went the extra mile without calling attention to the fact that they were doing so.
Once our rooms were ready, we got to them only to discover our keys didn’t work. Not only did the front desk clerk apologize, but he also went back to the rooms with us to make sure the new ones he programmed were functioning properly.
JAMIE PAGE/THE POINTS GUY
The personalized service didn’t stop there, however. When the housekeeper working turndown service noticed my (apparently feral) kids had left their suitcases on the floor, luggage racks appeared magically while we were out of the room.
Another instance? When you enter the hotel from the ground level, you need to go through a security screening that involves having your bags checked. What could have been an annoying experience actually ended up being pleasant. Each time we returned, the security staff did their job unobtrusively and professionally, chatting with us as they checked our bags and wished us a pleasant stay.
JAMIE PAGE/THE POINTS GUY
The best example of the service came one morning at breakfast, however. We were seated at an east-facing table and (somewhat surprisingly for London) the sun came out. I pulled out my sunglasses and was perfectly happy to pretend that I was an incognito celebrity for the morning when, not 30 seconds later, the motorized shades started to lower and stopped once they had blocked the sun from my face. No one had to be asked to do that, and no fuss was made. The staff was just paying attention, saw a way to make a guest more comfortable and took care of it. That’s the essence of hospitality.
Surprisingly, privacy may be an issue
When you’re sleeping 40-some floors above the ground, you might be surprised that privacy could be an issue. However, the building has missing corners — that is, where a corner room would be, there’s open space (this is veiled by glass, so it isn’t apparent from the outside). Because of the missing corner, rooms at the ends of each floor are in an L formation and you can quite easily see into the rooms you’re sharing that configuration with.
JAMIE PAGE/THE POINTS GUY
This wasn’t a big deal for my family, since we were the only people on our L. However, the setup meant we could see into the rooms below us, and I assume the rooms above us could see into our rooms. We didn’t see anything more salacious than a Nintendo Switch left out on a desk, but it’s worth keeping in mind that your room may not be as private as you think. You can solve this by closing the motorized shades in your room, but take in the views in your birthday suit at your own risk.
Rooms at Shangri-La The Shard
Beyond the slight issue of privacy, our rooms were exceptional. We had a Deluxe City View room that adjoined a Premier Shard room. The rooms were connected not by a door in a wall, but through a small vestibule off the hall.
JAMIE PAGE/THE POINTS GUY
That vestibule had a locking door (hence our keys not working initially) that made our stay feel more like we were in a suite than connecting rooms. We had plenty of space, but didn’t need to worry about the kids leaving their room door open to a public hallway.
The kids actually had a larger room than we did. Their Premier Shard room had two single beds as well as a small sitting area looking out the window. My husband and I had a king room that had a table and chairs, but they weren’t situated to take full advantage of the views.
Each room was outfitted with a Nespresso machine and pods, an electric kettle, and a minibar. Robes and slippers were provided in various sizes, including kids sizes. A full line of high-end vegan toiletries and amenities, from bath salts to dental kits by Jo Loves, were also provided.
JAMIE PAGE/THE POINTS GUY
Sturdy umbrellas that stood up to some pretty terrible London weather were in each closet, as were a shoehorn, lint brush and laundry bag. The bedside table even had a leather catch-all for watches and jewelry.
The beds were exceedingly comfortable, which became a little problematic when we needed to get up for a packed day of sightseeing. The Frette linens were smooth, soft and spotless. Turndown service was provided nightly, and the rooms were also well insulated in terms of sound. I didn’t hear a single noise from other guests while in our rooms.
We were awakened one morning by a bird that had chosen to perch on the side of the building and sing its head off, but we were not awakened by the sun, even with floor-to-ceiling windows. Excellent electronic blackout shades kept light pollution out at night and the sun out in the morning. There were controls for the shades, both by the room’s door and by the bed.
The hotel’s age only became apparent in the lack of power outlets and USB ports, especially by the beds. There was only one outlet on my side of the bed, and none on my husband’s side. The desk had enough outlets for the few devices we brought with us (a phone and an iPad each), but if we had both needed to bring work along, charging would have been an issue.
You’ll be sending pictures of the bathrooms to the group chat
I mentioned our kids’ room being bigger than ours, but where they really beat us was in the bathroom department. I want to be very clear that our bathroom was better than fine — it had a heated towel rack, a toilet with a bidet and heated seat, a huge shower with a rainfall showerhead, and a large tub. It also had plenty of storage and counter space. It was on par with most bathrooms at luxury hotels, but it wasn’t a standout.