The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong claims the highest hotel rooms in the world, occupying the top 17 floors of the 118-storey International Commerce Centre, which towers 484m above the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK). The 360-degree views are phenomenal, across Victoria Harbour and up over the top of the Peak towards the leafy south side of Hong Kong Island from one direction; the old Kai Tak airport strip to the east; the colourful Yau Ma Tei container port, Tsing Yi Bridge and even glimpses of Macau on a clear day to the west.
Needless to say you won’t see a thing if bad weather rolls in, but the Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong is no one-trick pony, with plenty to keep you happily locked in situ — swim laps of the 118th-floor pool under a mirrored ceiling, eat dim sum at the two-Michelin-star Tin Lung Heen or toast your good fortune at Ozone, the world’s highest rooftop bar. Accustomed to high-flying guests, the warm, professional staff deliver consistently impeccable service.
Overall score 9/10
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Rooms and suites
Score 9/10
The 312 rooms, which circle around the building between the 105th and 116th floors, are the epitome of contemporary Asian luxury. All are decked out in muted gold, taupe and cream, complemented with carved wood panels, black lacquer furniture, window box sofas, telescopes and big marble bathrooms. Entry-level rooms with city views start at a spacious 50 sq m.
Move up the categories and you’ll find larger spaces with view of the sea and Victoria Harbour, followed by Club rooms, which come with access to one of the most generous executive lounges in Asia. Perks include breakfast, light lunch, afternoon tea, enough evening hors d’oeuvres for a filling meal (seafood dumplings, wok-fried beef noodles, saffron cream sea bass, parmesan risotto, salads, cheeses, puddings), as well as a superb choice of wines, beers, spirits, soft drinks and teas.
Food and drink
JONATHAN MALONEY | INGA BECKMANN
Score 10/10
For the ultimate power lunch, go for dim sum at Tin Lung Heen, a glamorous Cantonese restaurant on the 102nd floor. The chef Paul Lau Ping Lui’s barbecue dishes are how he made his name — don’t miss his heavenly honey-glazed Iberian pork char sui. Other delights to order include double-boiled chicken soup with fish maw served in a baby coconut, deep-fried crab claw with spicy dry garlic and Alaskan crab and shrimp dumplings topped with salmon roe.
Next door, overlooking the harbour, is the Italian fine-dining restaurant Tosca Di Angelo. At this Michelin-starred restaurant the emphasis is on seasonal southern Italian cuisine — beef carpaccio with aged parmesan, mezzi paccheri pasta with Sicilian red prawns and wagyu beef hanger steak with mushrooms and cardamon sauce — with a sunny ambience to match.
More relaxed options include the upmarket buffet restaurant Café 103 and the Lounge & Bar, where an enormous international breakfast spread is laid out each morning. Literally capping things off is the rooftop bar Ozone, which is best visited at sunset to watch the day fade as the waterfront buildings begin to pulse with light.
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What else is there?
Score 8/10
The Ritz-Carlton’s 20m indoor infinity pool is — you guessed it — the world’s highest swimming pool (in a building). Taking a dip has never been more thrilling than when accompanied by a bird’s-eye view of the city and LED screens flashing images of tropical fish. There’s also an outdoor hot tub, an impressive gym, steam rooms and saunas. Two floors below is the excellent Ritz-Carlton Spa, which has 11 harbour-view treatment rooms, tip-top therapists and a menu that covers everything from cryotherapy to hot-stone massages, foot reflexology and La Mer facials.
Where is it?
Score 8/10
The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong forms a part of the WestK, a plot of reclaimed land on the Kowloon peninsula that has been developed into an arts and culture hub. Star attractions include the Herzog & de Meuron-designed M+ Museum, a gigantic LED-covered slab encasing an enormous collection of contemporary Asian art, and the fascinating Hong Kong Palace Museum, which contains countless ancient Chinese treasures on loan from the Forbidden City in Beijing — artefacts, calligraphy, ceramics, costumes, furniture, jewels, paintings. Weaving around the two buildings are gardens, lawns, art parks and waterfront promenades that are perfect for picnicking and ogling the nightly Symphony of Lights show, when dozens of harbourfront buildings dazzle with laser beams and coloured lights in a synchronised 13-minute display.
If you’re looking to travel further afield, Kowloon station is a five-minute walk from the hotel, accessed via the swanky Elements mall. From here you can catch the subway to just about anywhere in Hong Kong, or you could hop on a high-speed train to the mainland cities of Shenzhen (15 minutes) or Guangzhou (45 minutes).
Price B&B doubles from £340
Restaurant mains from £16
Family-friendly Y
Accessible Y
Lee Cobaj was a guest of the Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong (ritzcarlton.com)
