The world's first 'quarry hotel' opens in Shanghai

It also includes two underwater levels

The exterior of the InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland (InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland)

The world’s first underground hotel has opened in Shanghai, buried almost 90 metres deep in an old quarry.

Built into the side wall of a decommissioned quarry, the 18-storey InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland is almost entirely subterranean.

In the Sheshan Mountain Range on the fringes of Shanghai, the luxury hotel has two floors above ground and 16 below ground, including two floors that are underwater.

Key design features of the quarry hotel include a cascading glass waterfall and exposed rock.

Inside, the 336 rooms and suites are designed to mimic the quarry’s landscape, with eye-popping views of the surrounding quarry. There are also underwater suites featuring an in-room aquarium where guests can watch shoals of fish swim past.

And if guests get bored of staying in such a bonkers environment, there are other extreme adventures available, including rock climbing, kayaking and walking across the glass-floor skywalk. There's also a nightly light show and, in a nod to the hotel's location, a Quarry Bar.

Lin Wang, CMO of Greater China, IHG, called the InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland “an architectural masterpiece”, adding, “With its exceptional experiences and personalised services, the hotel is ready to welcome guests to a world of alluring luxury and natural wonder, inviting everyone to live and enjoy the InterContinental life.”

The property was built by British firm Atkins, also behind the Burj Al Arab in Dubai and skyscraper Landmark 81 in Ho Chi Minh City.

Bertil de Kleynen, sector director for architecture, planning, landscape and interiors at SNC-Lavalin’s Atkins in Asia Pacific, said: “Every once in a while, architects create something truly extraordinary, truly unique, reminding the world what great architecture is all about. Atkins' architects mark this as one of those exhilarating moments and congratulate Shimao, IHG and everyone else that helped make the Atkins vision become reality.”