Which room to book at Shangri-La The Shard, London
The Iconic City View Room. It is the corner category, 43 to 60 square metres against 30 to 48 for the entry Superior Shard Room, and the hotel places it on the corners of each floor with 180 degrees of glass. Every room in the building is glazed floor to ceiling; this is the one where the glass looks two ways at once, and the hotel names Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe among the views.
The room to book
Iconic City View Room
43 to 60 m²Corner, 180 degrees
The corner set on each floor, and the only room category the hotel describes with a 180-degree view. This is the photograph.
On our shortlists
Every room at a glance
| Room | Size | View |
|---|---|---|
| Superior Shard RoomSouth, towards Kent, Surrey and Sussex | 30 to 48 m² | South, towards Kent, Surrey and Sussex |
| Deluxe City View RoomNorth and east | 32 to 47 m² | North and east |
| Premier City View RoomNorth | 39 to 58 m² | North |
| Premier Shard RoomMostly south | 40 to 58 m² | Mostly south |
| Iconic City View RoomOur pickCorner, 180 degrees | 43 to 60 m² | Corner, 180 degrees |
| Iconic Shard SuitePanoramic | 60 to 72 m² | Panoramic |
| Premier Shard SuiteSouth, towards Kent, Surrey and Sussex | 65 to 71 m² | South, towards Kent, Surrey and Sussex |
| Southwark SuiteWest | 87 m² | West |
| London SuiteAcross the Thames | 117 m² | Across the Thames |
| Westminster SuiteSt Paul's to Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf | 125 m² | St Paul's to Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf |
| Shangri-La SuiteAlong the Thames, Canary Wharf to the London Eye | 188 to 232 m² | Along the Thames, Canary Wharf to the London Eye |
| Interconnecting Deluxe City View Rooms | 80 m² | |
| Premier City and Superior Shard Room InterconnectingWest | 91 m² | West |
| Premier Shard Room and Deluxe City View Room InterconnectingSouth | 95 m² | South |
| Interconnecting City View Family RoomNorth and east | 99 m² | North and east |
| Two Bedroom Iconic City View Interconnecting SuitePanoramic | 126 m² | Panoramic |
| Premier Shard Suite and Iconic Shard Suite Interconnecting | 137 m² | |
| Shangri-La Suite and Premier City View Room Interconnecting270 degrees, London Eye to Tower Bridge | 238 m² | 270 degrees, London Eye to Tower Bridge |
Every room they sell
Superior Shard Room
The entry room. Marble bathroom, walk-in shower, separate bath and heated floor, and a long view over south London rather than the river.
30 to 48 m²South, towards Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Deluxe City View Room
The real entry category if the view is the point: the first tier the hotel describes as looking at the landmarks.
32 to 47 m²North and east
Premier City View Room
More floor than the Deluxe and the same direction. Published accounts from this category describe a bath that looks at the city.
39 to 58 m²North
Premier Shard Room
The bigger south-facing room. Space you do not need, pointed the way you do not want.
40 to 58 m²Mostly south
Iconic City View RoomOur pick
The corner set on each floor, and the only room category the hotel describes with a 180-degree view. This is the photograph.
43 to 60 m²Corner, 180 degrees
Iconic Shard Suite
The entry suite: separate living room, 600-thread Frette linen and a feather duvet, and butler service in every suite.
60 to 72 m²Panoramic
Premier Shard Suite
A suite with a living room and the south view. The same trade as the Shard rooms, at suite money.
65 to 71 m²South, towards Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Southwark Suite
The westerly suite, the direction that gets St Paul's and the sunset rather than Tower Bridge.
87 m²West
London Suite
A named suite with the river in front of it.
117 m²Across the Thames
Westminster Suite
The suite whose stated view is the widest sweep of the City side.
125 m²St Paul's to Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf
Shangri-La Suite
The top of the building's ladder, with the river bend in one window.
188 to 232 m²Along the Thames, Canary Wharf to the London Eye
Interconnecting Deluxe City View Rooms
Two Deluxe City View rooms joined. The cheapest way to get four people onto the north side.
80 m²
Premier City and Superior Shard Room Interconnecting
One room facing the city and one facing south, joined. Give the children the Shard side.
91 m²West
Premier Shard Room and Deluxe City View Room Interconnecting
The same idea the other way round, with the bigger room on the south side.
95 m²South
Interconnecting City View Family Room
The family set the hotel names as such, with both rooms on the landmark side.
99 m²North and east
Two Bedroom Iconic City View Interconnecting Suite
Two corner rooms joined: the pick, doubled.
126 m²Panoramic
Premier Shard Suite and Iconic Shard Suite Interconnecting
Two suites joined, one of them facing south.
137 m²
Shangri-La Suite and Premier City View Room Interconnecting
The largest set the hotel sells, and the only one described with a 270-degree view.
238 m²270 degrees, London Eye to Tower Bridge
Why this one
The categories here differ by direction, not by finish. Every room page lists the same marble bathroom with a walk-in rain shower, a separate bath, a Washlet and heated floors, the same Frette linen, the same binoculars and skyline guide, so what you are buying as you climb the ladder is a compass bearing and a few square metres. The Superior Shard Room and the Premier Shard Room look south; the Deluxe City View turns north and east; the Premier City View faces north; and the Iconic City View Room, on the corners of each floor, is the only room category the hotel describes with 180 degrees of glass. At 43 to 60 square metres it is also the largest room before the suites, so the pick is not a close call.
Above the rooms the ladder becomes about floor area and a living room rather than a better window. Six suites run from the 60 to 72 square metre Iconic Shard Suite to the 188 to 232 square metre Shangri-La Suite, all with butler service, and seven interconnecting sets join rooms and suites into family sets of 80 to 238 square metres. This page carries no rates for any of them, so the ladder is ordered by size and direction; price your own dates.
- Ask for
- Ask how high in the stack the room sits, because the hotel does not sell by floor and the Shard's own level guide puts the hotel rooms and suites across levels 35 to 51. Ask which corner an Iconic City View Room is on, since the four corners look at different Londons, and ask them to confirm the sun-shielding panel works before dark. Book the pool slot in the same conversation.
- Avoid
- The Superior Shard and Premier Shard rooms if the view is why you are coming, because both face south and the hotel's own pages say so in as many words. Read the category name, not the picture beside it, because the words Shard and City View look alike at speed. The Premier Shard Suite carries the same direction at suite money.
Suites against rooms
Two suites are worth singling out. The Iconic Shard Suite, 60 to 72 square metres, is the entry to butler service and a separate living room and is the closest thing to the pick with a sofa. The Westminster Suite, 125 square metres, is the one whose stated view runs from St Paul's to Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf, which is the sweep most people mean when they say they want to see London from the Shard.
Questions people ask
Good questions about Shangri-La The Shard, London
Which room should I book at Shangri-La The Shard, London?
The Iconic City View Room. It is the corner category, 43 to 60 square metres against 30 to 48 for the entry Superior Shard Room, and the hotel places it on the corners of each floor with 180 degrees of glass. Every room in the building is glazed floor to ceiling; this is the one where the glass looks two ways at once, and the hotel names Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe among the views.
Which rooms should I avoid at Shangri-La The Shard, London?
The Superior Shard and Premier Shard rooms if the view is why you are coming, because both face south and the hotel's own pages say so in as many words. Read the category name, not the picture beside it, because the words Shard and City View look alike at speed. The Premier Shard Suite carries the same direction at suite money.
Our verdict
Nowhere else in the city puts you this high, and the hotel prices that knowledge into the view categories rather than the entry rate. Come for the glass and for level 52, and take the rest as very good rather than singular.
Last checked: September 2026 · Image credits: Expedia Group Creator Toolbox