Beyond the blue and cool

As the hospitality trade matures in China, hotels are competing hard with little luxuries in the rooms, attentive service throughout, better food and beverage, spas, gyms ... and swimming pools. Xu Junqian reports from Shanghai.

As the mercury rises and summer's scorching heat settles over the whole country, it's the season to take a dip into cool, crystal-clear waters. While the local residents may head for the lakes, rivers, sea or the neighborhood pools, guests of hotels have the advantage of in-house pools. And they can be pretty spectacular pools.

In Shanghai, topping the list is "the first hanging swimming pool in China". Sitting on the 24th floor of the Holiday Inn Pudong Kangqiao, the jaw-droppingly awesome pool seems to float off the building into space when viewed from a distance. While swimming in the pool, guest get the impression that they are floating above the city, as the sides and the bottom of the pool is all made of glass.