With the Greenwich Hotel in TriBeCa and Nobu Hotel Las Vegas, actor Robert De Niro has already proved he’s a hotelier to reckon with. So we’re excited to learn that he’s one of the investors in a Shanghai development called Project 179, which will transform four vacant buildings on the historic Bund waterfront. The entire block will be reborn with an arts center, a boutique hotel, a multi-screen cinema, and luxury stores.
Scheduled to open in 2016, the projet will be designed in a style reflecting 1920s Shanghai, when the city was the “Paris of the East.” The five-star hotel will mirror De Niro’s Manhattan properties, thus bringing a bit of NYC to the happening Chinese metropolis. De Niro is quoted in the official press release: "I am looking forward to helping realize the Bund as one of the premier visitor destinations across the globe. By ensuring a design that reflects the vibrant history of Shanghai, Project 179 can serve as a jewel in its crowd: ushering in a bright future while paying homage to its rich and storied past."
Image via Wikimedia Commons