Ritz-Carlton has opened the world’s highest hotel as part of Hong Kong’s tallest skyscraper.
Floor-to-ceiling windows feature as part of the property on the 118th floor of the International Commerce Centre 1,600 feet (490 metres) above ground as part of a revamp after temporarily closing in 2008.
But the Ritz-Carlton is likely lose the world’s highest hotel title in 2014 when the J-Hotel opens near the top of the over 600-metre Shanghai Tower in mainland China.
The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong will be one of the most expensive places to stay in a city already featuring many luxury hotels, with the rack rate starting at HK$ 6,000 (US$770) a night for a deluxe room. A presidential suite costs HK$100,000.
With 312 rooms, the hotel also has one of the largest ballrooms in the city at 930 square metres.
Facilities that include the highest bar in the world and a top-floor pool that will feature a 19-metre ceiling-mounted LCD screen for swimmers to watch.
Ritz-Carlton president and chief operations officer Herve Humler said: “We’re opening an iconic hotel which took us about 10 years to build. We are taking luxury to new heights in every sense,
“People compete all around the world about everything — I’m sure someone somewhere is building an even taller building as we speak. We emphasise service.”
Humler said occupancy rates at Ritz-Carlton Tokyo had plunged from 80 to 15 percent since the Japan nuclear crisis began but he expected it to have little impact on the Hong Kong hotel.