Shangri-La Hotel Lhasa

Introduction: You arrive at the luxury urban resort of Shangri-La Hotel, Lhasa to find a copy of Lost Horizon by James Hilton in your elegant and spacious room. This is the legendary story of Shangri-La, a paradise for travellers high among the Himalayas – and the inspiration for the hotel’s brand.

On the cool patio of the Lodgers Lounge, overlooking the city and majestic mountains, you enjoy a cup of tea while reading the book. Afterwards, you adjust to Lhasa’s altitude with a visit to the hotel’s unique oxygen lounge and reflexology pavilion.

Above information is how the hotel presents itself on their website.

Below is my experience based on a one-night stay at the property.

My arrival experience: Warm welcome before being escorted to the room.

What I loved: The beautiful unique design. An authentic and special hotel experience.

What about the food: Very good breakfast buffet with high quality imported items.

What about the service: Very good service, but some of the local staff obviously need more training to meet Shangri-La’s standards. The service was much better than at the two other luxury hotels in Lhasa, mainly because they have hired staff from other Shangri-La hotels to the key positions in the hotel.

What about the rooms: Beautiful, uniquely designed rooms unlike any other Shangri-La hotels.

Number of rooms: 289.

Website: www.shangri-la.com/lhasa

Type of property: City hotel.

Location: Lhasa, Tibet.

Facilities: Spa, gym, pool and a unique oxygen lounge which I used a lot during my stay.

Complimentary internet: Yes and fast.

My overall impression: Great experience.

This is by far the best hotel in Lhasa. The other two luxury hotels was very disappointing.