Welcome Back: Shangri-La at The Shard

As the London Bridge business community springs back to life, we check in with some of our favourite neighbourhood gems to see what's in store for visitors looking forward to rediscovering the area post-lockdown. 

This week we speak to the Shangri-La at The Shard’s General Manager, Kurt Macher.

The Shangri-La at The Shard’s Lockdown Experience

The hotel’s closure provided the opportunity for us to dedicate resources to give back to the community during a time of great need. In addition to delivering care packages to our friends at St Thomas’ Hospital, we donated unused towels to the London Ambulance Service and will be donating complimentary stays each month to the ‘Night on Us’ movement which offers NHS ICU workers a complimentary two-night-break once lockdown eases. We also took part in a wonderful group-wide initiative, the ‘Heroes Campaign’ which rewards five hardworking NHS staff with a luxurious two-night stay at our hotel. We welcomed our first NHS Hero to the hotel over our opening weekend - her first weekend off since May!

Shangri-La London welcomes NHS worker Megan as part of their Heroes Campaign

We’ve also taken the time to adapt our hotel to the ‘new normal’. We have always placed a strong emphasis on health and safety and follow stringent policies and procedures on cleanliness, and during lockdown we were able to further elevate our rigorous hygiene and safety standards. We have place additional tried-and-tested measures to ensure we closely follow and meet the latest guidance from the governments and WHO and these measures will be constantly reviewed and updated based on the evolving situation and customer needs.

What can visitors look forward to?  

We’re anticipating a high level of interest in staycations during our reopening phase and have designed several unique experiences for discerning UK travellers to look forward to.  One example is our ‘Escapism Inspiration’ experiences, which have been curated in collaboration with London’s premier proposal and wedding planners ‘The Proposers’. This package allows guests to ‘dream now and travel later’, as we transform their suite or guest room to recreate a destination-inspired getaway. Guests can choose to be teleported to the tropics, dine under the Eiffel Tower or spot the big five in our safari extravaganza setup, but the sky is the limit and The Proposers are able to make any dream setup a reality. We also have a wonderful ‘Staycation in the Sky’ offer which includes a private shopping experience at  Harvey Nichols’ flagship Knightsbridge store with a dedicated shopping consultant, luxurious bath amenity courtesy of Neal’s Yard Remedies and more. 

We have also created a number of opportunities for day visitors to make the most of our wonderful location at the heart of London Bridge. Our local bar Bar31 will be offering picnic baskets and bicycle hire so that visitors may explore our wonderful neighbourhood, or if the weather turns guests can enjoy a new a private dining experience, ‘Dining in the Sky’ from the comfort of a transformed guest room. Businesses can also take advantage of this private dining experience like no other, with ‘Meeting in the Sky’ package options designed for up to six delegates which can be booked through our events team at  Events.London@shangri-la.com.

Which place in London Bridge are you most looking forward to visiting again? 

I’m really looking forward to visiting the Bridge Theatre once it reopens later this month.

The Shangri-La London and all facilities, bars and lounges including Bar 31, GONG, and TiNG are now open and taking bookings.

London Bridge DealCard holders can enjoy a 15% discount at all of the above restaurants and bars.

To learn more about the precautionary measures Shangri-La at The Shard are taking to ensure your health and safety, please click here. 

Share your London Bridge adventures with the hashtags  #atLondonBridge #backinLondonBridge