The new Ritz-Carlton in Kowloon, Hong Kong is currently ahead in the vertical race.

Taking up the 102nd to 118th floor of the International Commerce Centre (ICC) in Kowloon, which was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF), the luxury hotel offers more than a bird’s-eye view of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island; it’s also home to a 490-metre-high alfresco rooftop bar and an indoor swimming pool, set on the 118th floor.

“Occupying the top 16 floors of the ICC tower in Hong Kong is a truly unique location for a hotel… Modern in design, the hotel will be the heart and soul of Kowloon,” says Simon Cooper, president and COO of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.

The interior, designed by Singapore’s LTW Designworks, reflects the cultural dynamism of the metropolitan city, and the meeting of east and west.

Guests arrive at the hotel entrance on the 9th floor and are greeted by a porte-cochere featuring the magnificent Hong Kong city skyline as a backdrop.

It takes all of 52 seconds to transfer guests to the hotel lobby on the 103rd floor, and here in the hotel proper, modern interpretations of traditional Chinese fittings and art are evident.

“Ritz Carlton didn’t want the hotel to have a strong Oriental influence but an international style,” says LTW in its press statement.

The lobby features an abstract depiction of a classic Chinese watercolour of running horses. The image is dissected into fragmented strips offering varied views from different angles.

The 312 guestrooms and suites are decorated with subtle Oriental accents – as seen in the floral-patterned carpet and the bright tangerine silk-lined interior of the ’Chinese jewel box’ closet.

The hotel’s 6 dining venues are designed by Japan’s Spin Studio and begin at the 102nd floor.

It also has not just the ’World’s Highest’, but one of the world’s biggest. At 930 square metres, the Diamond Ballroom is one of the largest in the city; it features a sea of chandeliers that appear to drip from the ceiling, and wall panels with cut-mirror effects.

Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong
ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/HongKong/