Construction recently started on Songjiang Hotel, China's first "sunken hotel", which is to be built in a water-filled quarry in Songjiang, Shanghai.

The quarry, which is 89 meters below sea level, is at the east of Hengshan inside the Shanghai Sheshan National Holiday Resort. The hotel will be constructed in accordance with five-star standards.

The 21-floor hotel will have two floors under water, two floors above ground-level and 17 floors between the water surface and ground-level. The 19 floors above the water will include a presidential view room, standard guestrooms, an underwater restaurant and cafe. All the 400 guestrooms will have sightseeing balconies to enjoy views of a waterfall opposite to the hotel.

(China Hospitality News August 13, 2009)