Once you spend enough time in hotels (and for us at Euronews Travel, it’s part of the job description), you start to develop a lot of opinions.
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You might be a Four Seasons loyalist, or maybe you’re making your way through all of the Six Senses. Perhaps you book an EDITION in every city you visit because you want to try all of the custom toiletry scents.
While we won’t be sharing our preferences here – that would need a whole separate article – we will admit there is one brand that we are seriously excited about whenever a new property is announced: Ritz-Carlton Reserve.
Part of The Ritz-Carlton brand, which in turn is a part of Marriott, Ritz-Carlton Reserves are destination-led properties that offer highly personalised service and cultural immersion.
Reserves are typically found outside of major cities – until now, with the announcement that the Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Shanghai will open in 2030.
Located along Shanghai's North Bund, the first urban Reserve will have 110 guest rooms and suites across the skyscraper’s 103 floors.
The hotel is meant to act as a "sanctuary within the city”, and will have a spa and wellness retreat as well as an indoor swimming pool and gym, plus several restaurants and bars.
“Ritz-Carlton Reserve has always been about creating rare, deeply personal experiences that could only exist in their destination,” Tina Edmundson, president of luxury at Marriott International, said.
“There is an intimacy to Reserve – an extraordinary level of personalisation, a deep connection to local culture, and a sense of discovery and wellbeing that allows guests to experience a place in an entirely different way.
“Bringing that philosophy to Shanghai for our first urban Reserve is an incredibly exciting evolution for the brand. Shanghai is a city unlike any other, where extraordinary heritage and culture exist alongside incredible creativity, energy and global influence.”
Future urban reserves are planned for some of the “world’s leading global gateway cities”, although the details around where these will be remain under wraps.
The first Ritz-Carlton Reserve opened in 2009 in Thailand’s Phulay Bay, and there are just nine properties in total.
Each of the hotels is firmly rooted in its destination, offering experiences you can only get there, rather than the cookie cutter approach that was typical with hotel chains for many years.
For example, Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Indonesia is located within an indigenous Balinese village, and you can book experiences such as Hasta Samudrika (palm reading) and Wariga (numerology and life path guidance).
Siari, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit is the latest to welcome guests, having opened in November 2025.