Saw the ‘The McKinnon Hotel Shanghai’ near the St. Regis (1013 Beijingxi Lu; 1013 Beijing West Road) and went to take a look. There was a line outside, but the security indicated this was the theater, not the hotel, so let me pass the line. I walked to the entrance of the hotel, but the security told me to go to my left, so I did and found a pair of red doors. A sign said ‘Drama Bar’ and ‘Real Hotel Here’ so I was going to make my way inside. A young man stopped me and I explained I was looking for the hotel, which he indicated was through the red doors. When I went through the red doors, they asked for my reservation, which I did not have. I asked for an introduction to the hotel, which they attempted to provide, however they opted to get the same young man to answer my questions – he indicated he was the F&B Manager and not part of the Hotel, but since he spoke english could try to help me. He explained the ‘The McKinnon Hotel’ was actually a theater and this was the hotel – the ‘Drama Bar Hotel’ – pretty straight forward so far. The entrance ceiling is high, but the first floor has low ceilings and is pretty dark but with various theater-like props about. The rooms were full, so unable to see any – but the largest was the executive room and it is ‘more than 40m2’ and has a balcony (It also includes two person breakfast). There are mini bars in the rooms, but they don’t have any freezers and is stocked by the hotel. There is a Nespresso machine. There are no microwaves, but he said I could use the one in his kitchen. I asked about a hot pot or induction stove, he told me there are alarms in the room and then questioned me what I would cook. I indicated pasta, which he said he would be willing to cook that for me without cost. Despite the intial confusion, the place turned out pretty interesting and maybe a viable option for a short stay near Nanjing Road.
The McKinnon Hotel Shanghai (http://sleepnomore.cn/) is the set for the live theater production of ‘Sleep No More’ a co-production by Punchdrunk International (founded by Felix Barrett) and Shanghai Media Group Live. It premier in December, 2016. It is based on the set of the ‘McKittrick Hotel’ from the New York production of the same name (and the Beafoy Building from London), but has been localized. Audience members silently roam freely through five storeys wearing masks as they watch actors play out their parts over 1 hour, in 3 separate looped segments (3 hours total, cost starts at 550rmb). The storyline is loosely based on MacBeth and a stream of other ‘talkies’ (movies). It is set in Shanghai in the 1930s and individual stages include an infirmary, sanatorium, cemetery, apartments, hotel rooms, libraries, shops and a ballroom. Audience members are encourage to explore the various rooms, interact with props, and maintain eye contact with actors (which could result in a personal experience with the actor) as individuals. Audience members are exposed to psychological stimulation which may include the use of intense lighting and imagery.
‘Drama Hotel’ (Also called The Drama Themed Hotel, Drama Bar) is the middle-class consumers hotel created by Atour Hotel (Atour Hotel Management[Shanghai] Co., Ltd.), which was designed by ‘Taipei Base Design Centre’ in 2015 via its ‘Life in Atour’ project. In similar fashion as the audience members of ‘Sleep No More’ (next door) wear masks, this hotel (at least initially) requests that all staff and hotel guests also wear a mask (I didn’t hear of this policy during my short visit). There are 26 guest rooms within this boutique hotel.
