URBN HOTEL.  Shanghai, China.

After a depressing stay at the tastelessly designed Radisson (smokey dining room, breakfast buffet 5 days in a row, and blinding beige marble, brass and glass), I needed a clean breath of air.

After an effortless check-in at Urbn Hotel on the quieter side of downtown in a historic residential neighborhood, I was in smokeless and eco-focused nirvana.  An enclosed bamboo courtyard opens into a 26-room boutique hotel, complete with organic cleaning products, warm wood against cool stone, chic menu and crowd.  

My ‘atrium’ room had a bamboo and stone garden window, an endless runway bathroom, and a sunken TV area.  Fast free wireless internet - who needs a ‘business hotel?’  Next came a free in-room massage, quick room service that arrived in an laser-etched box, and they even packed me a free breakfast to go for my early morning departure.

URBN rules.  About $220/night.

(Source: urbnhotels.com)