Ritz Carlton Hong Kong Hotel

The Ritz Carlton Hong Kong was once one of the city’s finest hotels; its atmospheric rooms - heavy with dark woods and European antiques – gave it a turn of the century appeal and an intimacy that its big brand rivals could only envy. It was upper class and it was proud. That was all to end in 2007 when the bulldozers measured up and moved in.

Now the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong is back and it’s bigger and bolder than ever. – if completely different. With its building in Central now rubble, the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong has relocated to West Kowloon and the newly unveiled International Commerce Centre (ICC), Hong Kong’s tallest building. Set at the top of the 108 floor building – this makes the Ritz Carlton the highest hotel in the world – while its restaurants, bars and swimming pool also share space in the Guinness World Record books.

Thankfully, there is more to the Hong Kong Ritz Carlton than long rides in the elevator.

Obviously, the headline claim to fame here is the world record breaking height and views that it affords. Hong Kong’s blockbuster cityscape is one of the city’s major attractions – just witness the crowds that trek up to Victoria Peak or the Hollywood Symphony of Lights.

As the tallest building in the city the International Commerce Centre can boast some of the best views in town – that’s why the Sky 100 Observation Deck is parked inside on the 100th floor. The views from the Ritz Carlton are even better. Its location - across the harbour from the skyscrapers of Central - means the rooms, restaurants and bars offer unbeatable vistas onto the 3000+ skyscrapers and neon lights that make this the most famous city view in the world. It truly is breath-taking.

With such a spectacular view it would have been easy for the Ritz Carlton to rest on its laurels and still shift rooms – but there is much more on offer here than the view. While the new design has some nods to the understated suave sophistication of its predecessor – including select slices of leather and marble – it owes far more to the current Hong Kong hotel trend for art house design and aspirational coolness.

This will undoubtedly be a disappointment to fans of the original and calmly classy Ritz Carlton and there is certainly something tired about the current trend for yellow polka dots on the wall, empty picture frames and Ikea furniture in the name of ‘contemporary design’. That’s not the case at the Ritz Carlton.

They have shown the same dedication and thrown the same buckets of money into their new contemporary redesign as was ploughed into the predecessor. Swaggering chandeliers, curvaceous furniture and pleasingly deep purples and rich reds make for designer interior straight from a magazine centrefold. It’s dangerously hip and completely successful.

Much thought has gone into the truly luxurious guest rooms, including telescopes to let you take in the skyline and try and squint out a star amongst the neon lights, as well as 42 inch LCD screens, Nespresso coffee machines and a Blu ray player.

Unsurprisingly, there are an arsenal of superb restaurants and bars inside the hotel – although don’t expect your credit card to escape unscathed. Tosca – serving Italian cuisine and Tin Lung Heen serving contemporary Cantonese cuisine are the flagship enterprises. Tosca is genuinely impressive – set amidst an open kitchen and dizzyingly high ceilings – the focus on lesser known southern Italian dishes has won many fans – although there have been grumbles about service.

Also worth mentioning is the OZONE bar. Set at the very crown of the skyscraper – the views here will always justify a visit, although little else does. The backlit bar, padded leather elevator and glass walls overlayed with a skeletal design makes this place look like a cross between Superman’s ice cave and the 1980’s. The snobbish, velvet rope atmosphere and overpriced cocktails are firmly geared towards the type of people who drive Ferraris, swap stories about cufflinks and play Jenga with gold bars.

As is to be expected, the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong also boasts an utterly luxurious ESPA spa, with a Chinese and European blend of spa treatments that include everything from a basic back massage to full day retreats with enigmatic names such as Celestial Escape and Oriental Fusion. Even more impressive is the 118th floor swimming pool - with birds eye views over the city - and if you get bored of the view you can take a look at the 144 screens fixed to the celling.

Hong Kong is bursting with five star hotels – just check out our list of the top 10 luxury hotels in Hong Kong – but often we find it hard to recommend them. While there is no doubt they offer a fantastic stay – swanky pictures on the wall and a free newspaper in the morning makes it hard to justify the step up in price from equally impressive 3 and 4 stars. For the cash they ask you to handover they really need to pull off something special. The Ritz Carlton has done just that.

The attention to detail and the celebrity swagger to the design make a stay here truly special. Where else do you get a telescope in your room? And you’ll want it to enjoy the jaw dropping views. In the hotel that claims to be ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen the service is really first class. This means more than saying thank you and please or a concierge that can use a computer - it means human service tailored to your individual needs. If you can find the cash – and you’ll need deep pockets – a stay here won’t leave you feeling short changed. Truly memorable.