MARTIJN VAN DER VALK - Shanghai Today

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THE INTERNATIONALS
Martijn Van der Valk
Click here to view the video interview
With over 20 years of experience in
the hospitality industry, Martijn Van
der Valk , General Manager of The PuLi
Hotel and spa, began his career in
1984 in the Netherlands where he
gathered experience in both food and
beverage and hotel management. A
seasoned veteran, who is fluent in
English, Dutch, French and German,
has worked in Paris, Saudi Arabia,
London, Taiwan, Kuala Lumpur,
Maldives and Shanghai.
Martijn was brought on as General
Manager specifically for the hotel’s
pre-opening phase; he was the
Executive Assistant Manager of The
PuLi and led the team from the
pre-opening stage heading to be one
of the best urban resort hotels in
Shanghai.
Opened on 4 September 2009, The
PuLi Hotel and Spa (The PuLi) is
Shanghai’s first luxury “urban resort”,
managed by Urban Resort Concepts
(URC), a Hong Kong based hotel
management company.
Manages an Ideal Hotel
The PuLi’s name is synonymous with
the beautiful un-carved jade which in
Chinese, jade is a highly prized gem
for its durability, warm brilliance and
textural qualities. Making its mark as
Urban Resort Concept’s debut hotel,
The PuLi carries a logo of a stylized
phoenix and the phoenix tree, as a
mark of their exclusivity.
With 26 floors, 209 rooms and 20
suites, The PuLi offers 24-hour in-room

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dining as well as 24-hour concierge,
laundry and valet services. In addition
to the standard facilities available in
5-star hotels, all rooms are equipped
with flat screen LCD television sets,
Bose wave music systems and MP3
docking ports, GSM portable phones
with dual SIM card slots and city-wide
coverage, DVD players, espresso
machines, personal safes,
complimentary wired and wireless
broadband internet access, finest 300
thread count linen of imported cotton
yarn with sateen finish and ultra-shield
foam mattress contouring each bed
for individual comfort and a good
night’s rest. Every room features
separate rainforest shower and toilet
cubicles. The bathtubs boast stunning
views of Jing’an Park and the skyline
of Shanghai and those in the suites
are equipped with 15 inch LCD
television sets.
Club floors from levels 20 to 26
comprise of 61 rooms and suites, all
of which have personalized Butler
service. Guests on club floors also have
access to the hotel’s exclusive lounge,
The Club, which offers an exclusive
space for breakfast, complimentary
refreshments throughout the day, a
private meeting room for use and an
outdoor patio with spectacular views
of the city.
120-seat Jing’An restaurant, located
on level two of the newly opened
luxury hotel adjacent to Jing‘An Park,
boasts impressive views across the
park. The partially modular menu
enables guests to continuously explore
new tastes and textures by combining
selections of the available dishes that
use different preparation and cooking
methods, to provide, essentially, their
own tailor-made meal. The quality of
food at “Jing’An” stems from the
freshness and combination of its
ingredients. Using only the best
seasonal produce, guests will
experience an explosion of flavours on
their palate with the marrying of
unexpected taste and textures. Dane
Clouston is the executive chef behind
“Jing’An”, A New Zealander trained in
Melbourne. Dane’s creations reflect his
travels and passion for food as he takes
on classics with a twist. His personal
interpretation of breakfast, lunch and
dinner creates three distinct dining
experiences for guests at the
restaurant.
A 32-metre “Long Bar” offers one of
Shanghai’s “longest” wine and
champagne selections by the glass.
The bar and lounge creates a
chameleon-like atmosphere as the
space transforms in character and
mood through the day.
A superbly equipped state of the art
gymnasium, sauna, steam room,
experiential showers, jacuzzi pool,
25-metre lap infinity pool as well as
the first Anantara spa in Shanghai
operated by the award-winning spa
group, is available to all guests on level
3. True to the hotel’s desire to maintain
a sense of place in its product, the
spa’s treatment range reflects a sense
of culture and character to the
destination. Five treatment suites are
available for individuals or couples.
Drawing on China’s healing past and
ancient therapies from Thailand and
India, the extensive menu of the spa
is inspired by the renowned healing
properties of Tea – the centuries-old
beverage that has always been
important to the Chinese culture.
Signature treatments draw from the

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detoxifying powers of Green Tea,
balancing and anti-ageing force of
White Tea, health-giving properties of
Chrysanthemum Tea or beautifying
properties of Rose Tea. Interior décor
of Anantara Spa at The PuLi is
contemporary in feel with the use of
wood and glass, combined with muted
tones and ambient lighting. Its five
treatment suites are luxuriously
appointed with steam and shower
rooms and are perfect for individuals
or couples to indulge in spa pampering
together.
Developed by Shanghai Cross Ocean
Property Development, The PuLi is an
integral component of the multi-use
Park Place development which
promises to become the new business,
retail and lifestyle landmark of NanJing
West Road. A Grade-A office tower, as
well as a luxury retail and dining
complex, complement the hotel, which
enjoys unrivalled transport connections,
with easy access to Shanghai’s main
traffic arteries.
Recognized as one of the world’s best
new hotels by the prestigious Condé
Nast Traveller Hot List 2010 and 101
Best Hotels in the World by Tatler
Travel Guide, The PuLi is also the proud
recipient of Best Hotel Design awarded
by Trends Magazine in the Trends Style
10 Hotel Awards 2009.