Concierge.com's insider take:

Hotel Indigo in Shiliupu, south of the Bund, is perfectly placed beside the Huangpu River, with Yu Garden a stone's throw away. Indigo's 184 design-led rooms and public areas are decorated with Chinese art, porcelain, and bamboo, plus up-tempo imagery of local settings, such as the riverside and old city. It is popular with designers, architects, and artsy Chinese twentysomethings, plus travelers seeking a less generic stay than the Shanghai brand-hotel norm. The Char lounge's terrace on the 30th floor has excellent views of the skyline. Neat service touches include the Quay club lounge (not really a club at all, since all guests can use it), complete with iMacs, a library, and wicker pod seats. Both the gym and the seventh-floor infinity pool look directly over the river. In-room amenities include hardwood floors, complimentary Wi-Fi, large plasma TVs, and blue-and-white mosaic-tiled bathrooms, along with organic Ba Yan Ka La toiletries and locally sourced tea from nearby Hangzhou—Gary Bowerman