The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong – the world’s highest hotel, Hong Kong SAR

I’ll be honest with you. When I say “one of the highest five-star hotels in the world,” I mean it literally — the hotel starts at the 102nd floor of a 118-story skyscraper. Your room is above the clouds on days when Hong Kong does what Hong Kong does. Helicopters pass below your window. The city at street level is so far down it looks like a circuit board. This isn’t a hotel with a rooftop experience bolted on. This is a hotel that exists entirely in the sky, and that changes everything from the check-in process to the sunrise you see from bed to the sound of absolute nothing when you step onto your private bathroom balcony 490 meters above sea level.

The vlog covers a full stay in the Club Deluxe Victoria Harbour Room at 7,684 HKD / approximately $988 USD per night in December 2025 — one of the most distinctive room-plus-lounge configurations you can book anywhere in the world. Club access on floor 116, the world’s highest swimming pool and gym on floor 118, OZONE bar (also floor 118, but accessed completely separately), and a view of Victoria Harbour that frankly makes it hard to justify leaving the room. Let me break down everything.

What the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong actually is

The International Commerce Centre (ICC) in West Kowloon is Hong Kong’s tallest building at 490 meters. The Ritz-Carlton occupies its top 17 floors — 102 through 118 — and has held the record as the world’s highest hotel since it opened on March 29, 2011. There are 312 guest rooms and suites. The hotel received its 2026 Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star designation, continuing a streak of five-star recognition that has been consistent since opening.

The physical facts that matter for planning your stay:

• 🏢 Lobby and arrival entrance on the 9th floor — the building’s street-level lobby isn’t at street level. The car entrance and hotel arrival experience is on floor 9, which is also where the connection to Elements Shopping Mall is located
• 🛗 80-second elevator ride to the main lobby on floor 103 — this is your first statement-making moment. Ears pop. It’s part of the experience
• 🍽️ All five dining venues are on floors 102-118 — Tin Lung Heen (102F), Café 103 and The Lounge & Bar (103F), Club Lounge (116F), OZONE (118F)
• 🏊 Gym and world’s highest swimming pool on floor 118 — guest-only, separate from OZONE
• 🛍️ Direct mall connection — Elements Mall, one of Hong Kong’s premium shopping destinations, is directly below and accessible without going outside
• 🚇 Kowloon MTR station is below the building — Airport Express access, 21 minutes to Hong Kong International Airport

The West Kowloon location puts you steps from M+, the Hong Kong Palace Museum, the Xiqu Centre for Cantonese Opera, and the Avenue of Stars along the waterfront. The mirrored corridors between the Michelin-starred restaurants on the lower hotel floors have become their own photo destination. The hotel’s design language is dark marble, crystal, and neutral earth tones — modern, atmospheric, a bit dramatic. It suits the location.

The arrival experience – floors 9 and 103

The vlog covers the exterior and arrival lobby starting at 00:38, and the arrival sequence at this hotel is genuinely unlike any other. You pull up to the car entrance at the 9th floor — doormen are waiting, the lobby is clean and spacious, and a printed slip with your taxi driver’s details is handed over immediately in case you’ve left anything in the cab. A small touch that shows up in multiple reviews as a memorable first impression.

The elevator ride to floor 103 takes 80 seconds and the ear pressure change is real. When the doors open, you’re in the main lobby: black marble, crystal, the full Ritz-Carlton visual treatment with the added context that you’re looking out of floor-to-ceiling windows at Hong Kong from altitude. The reception lobby is at floor 103 and the vlog covers it from 03:31. Non-club guests check in here. Club guests take a second set of elevators directly to floor 116 for an in-lounge check-in — the process the vlog follows.

The Club Deluxe Victoria Harbour Room

The room tour runs from 18:00 and covers nearly ten minutes of footage — justified, because this room is worth ten minutes of your attention. The Club Deluxe Victoria Harbour Room is one of five Club-level room categories, the entry point into the Club tier, and the one that positions you facing the right direction.

Let’s address the direction question first because it matters more at this hotel than almost anywhere else: rooms facing Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island are the rooms you want. The base-level Deluxe Room faces Kowloon — which is still a view, but it’s not the view. If you’re spending $988 USD per night, book the Victoria Harbour-facing category from the start rather than hoping for an upgrade.

What the room delivers at this price:

• 🪟 Floor-to-ceiling windows with a built-in padded window seat — the natural place to spend most of your time, frankly
• 🛏️ King bed with Ritz-Carlton bedding — the bed quality here comes up in every review and it should
• 🛁 Large marble bathroom with dual sinks, soaking tub, separate rain shower, and premium amenities (the property has used Asprey bathroom products)
• 🔭 In-room telescope — not a gimmick. At this altitude, with this view, you’ll use it
• 📺 Dual televisions — one in the living area, one in the bedroom, sharing a common wall
• ☕ Espresso machine, minibar, and in-room fresh orange juice — the fresh OJ in the room is something reviewers consistently mention as a rare and welcome touch

The room is designed to maximize the view in every direction. At altitude, the window seat becomes the focal point of the entire stay. At night, Hong Kong’s skyline puts on a show — the Central district lights, the harbour ferries, the Symphony of Lights (weather permitting). And the vlog covers the turndown service at 45:33 and the sunrise view at 47:38, which closes the loop on why the Victoria Harbour facing direction is non-negotiable for a stay here.

The Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge – floor 116

This is where the Club Deluxe Victoria Harbour Room rate — $988 per night — makes sense as a calculation rather than just a price. The Club Lounge on floor 116 is covered in depth across multiple timestamps: check-in and lounge overview at 06:38, breakfast at 08:58, lunch at 34:34, and dessert service at 40:32.

The lounge features floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views of the city and harbour and runs multiple food presentations throughout the day, all included with Club access:

• 🍳 Breakfast (Mon-Fri 7:00-10:30 AM, Sat-Sun 7:00-11:00 AM) — both Western and Asian options, live action cooking station with omelets and noodles, the works. Reviewers consistently describe it as “impressive” and specifically praise the Asian breakfast selections. Dietary requirements noted at check-in are tracked by the lounge team
• ☕ Continental and snacks — available during lounge hours
• 🫖 Afternoon tea service — full proper English high tea setup including pastries, finger sandwiches, and real tea service
• 🍷 Hors d’oeuvres (6:00-8:00 PM daily) — rotating Western and Asian selections
• 🍮 Desserts and cordials — covered at 40:32 in the vlog
• 🍺 Beer and wine — included with the evening presentations

The vlog also addresses something at 36:56 that comes up in multiple reviews and deserves honest coverage: why there’s no dedicated afternoon tea or dinner scene in the Club Lounge at this hotel. The lounge presentations are structured differently here compared to some other Ritz-Carlton Club properties, and understanding that going in helps you plan your meals without expecting something that isn’t there. The lounge spa boutique is also covered at 36:03.

The critical context for Marriott Bonvoy members considering this stay: Ritz-Carlton properties do not offer complimentary Club Lounge access to Marriott Bonvoy elite members regardless of status tier. Even Titanium and Ambassador Elite members at a Ritz-Carlton pay for Club access. This is a brand-wide policy. The only way to access the Club Lounge is to book a Club-level room directly, or pay an upgrade fee at check-in — quoted at around HK$2,300 per night plus a 10% service charge in recent reviews. If you’re calculating the value proposition: two people using the Club for breakfast, afternoon tea, evening drinks, and desserts across a multi-night stay will likely recoup the Club premium through saved dining costs, especially given that breakfast at The Lounge & Bar (the paid buffet option) runs approximately HK$450 per person.

Floor 118: World’s highest swimming pool and gym

The pool section runs from 15:40 in the vlog. The gym from 12:18. Both are on floor 118, but separated from OZONE, which is also on the top floor and accessed via a dedicated elevator from the 103rd floor lobby.

The indoor infinity pool is guest-only and has become one of the most photographed hotel pools on earth for good reason. The pool runs along a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows with a shallow ledge designed for sitting and photographing Hong Kong below. There’s a mirrored ceiling above reflecting the water and the city. A faux fireplace, lounge chairs with harbour views, and a TV screen cycling between aerial Hong Kong footage and marine footage round out a space that was clearly designed with the Instagram moment in mind — and actually delivers on it in person. You have to walk through the gym to access the pool, which the property uses as a feature rather than a quirk.

The gym is also on floor 118 and has its own outdoor viewing area overlooking Kowloon and the direction of the airport. Multiple reviews from serious fitness travelers note the gym equipment is genuinely good and the setting makes it the most ridiculous backdrop for a workout most people have ever experienced. Note that the dressing rooms at this level are on the smaller side relative to the rest of the hotel — a result of fitting everything into the tower’s floor plate at altitude.

The dining lineup

Five venues. No hotel buffet among them. This is the kind of dining stack that makes you consider not leaving the building for 48 hours.

🐉 Tin Lung Heen – two Michelin stars, floor 102

The name means “Dragon in the Clouds.” The restaurant lives up to it. Authentic Cantonese cuisine with a particular focus on dim sum, positioned on floor 102 with full views of Victoria Harbour. Eight private dining rooms available. Two Michelin stars, consistently rated among Hong Kong’s finest Cantonese restaurants — which is saying something in a city with the world’s most competitive Cantonese dining scene. Dress code applies. Book well in advance, especially for weekend dim sum.

🍝 Tosca di Angelo – one Michelin star, floor 102

Chef Angelo Agliano’s Italian fine dining restaurant, inspired by the Puccini opera, with high ceilings, majestic chandeliers, stately fountains, and an open kitchen. Views over Victoria Harbour. Seasonal ingredients sourced from Italy, innovative Mediterranean-inflected cuisine, master sommelier on site. One Michelin star. The corridor between Tosca and Tin Lung Heen — mirrored and dramatically lit — has its own following as a photograph location.

🥂 The Lounge & Bar – all-day dining, floor 112

Covered in the vlog at 27:30 for breakfast. The all-day dining venue with Victoria Harbour views, breakfast buffet, organic salad bar, à la carte menu, afternoon tea, and cocktails. This is where non-club guests eat breakfast (HK$450 per person approximately) and where anyone can come for afternoon tea or a meal without the Michelin-starred price point. The setting is quieter and more relaxed than the formal restaurants but the Victoria Harbour view is the same one you’re paying for across the entire hotel.

☕ Café 103 – floor 103

Located directly in the main lobby floor. Lunch and dinner buffets featuring Hong Kong local specialties and international favorites alongside a velvet-and-marble interior. Named for its floor. Also serves afternoon tea. More casual than Tosca or Tin Lung Heen and a good option when you want a full meal without the formality of the Michelin-starred venues.

🍸 OZONE – world’s highest bar, floor 118

This gets its own section below because it deserves it.

OZONE – the world’s highest bar

The vlog covers OZONE from 41:50 and this is the part of any Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong stay that non-guests can also access. OZONE on floor 118 is the world’s highest bar, with its own dedicated elevator from the 103rd floor lobby — completely separate from the pool and gym access on the same floor. The blue-hued interior, live DJs, and outdoor terrace overlooking Hong Kong are the signature experience.

What’s there: inventive cocktails, Asian tapas, sushi, and a Sunday brunch that multiple reviews describe as unmissable if your timing allows. Live music transitions to DJ sets as the night progresses. The outdoor terrace is the spot for sunset — watching the buildings on Hong Kong Island start to light up as the sky changes color from the highest bar in the world is not a moment you’ll forget quickly.

Dress code: no shorts, beach sandals, open-toed shoes, or sleeveless shirts for gentlemen after 9 PM. Children are welcome between 5 PM and 9 PM daily. Reservations are recommended and for weekend evenings, booking in advance is essential — this is one of the busiest bars in Hong Kong regardless of the time of year.

The most practical tip from multiple reviews: go for sunset. The transition from golden hour to full city-lights-at-night happens from OZONE with a view that has no equal in Hong Kong. Arrive 30-45 minutes before sunset and stay through dark.

The shopping mall connection

Covered at 34:34 in the vlog. Elements Mall is directly below the ICC tower and accessible from the hotel’s 9th floor lobby without going outside. This is more useful than it first sounds. For a hotel at this altitude, direct mall access means you can get to MTR, the West Kowloon HSR station (for Mainland China connections), and an entire floor of restaurants and shops without navigating street level. In Hong Kong’s December weather this is perfectly fine regardless, but the connection adds genuine practical value to the stay — particularly for guests arriving from the Airport Express who can walk directly from the train to the hotel interior.

Getting there and location context

The hotel is at 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon, inside the ICC building in the West Kowloon district. Getting there from Hong Kong International Airport: take the Airport Express to Kowloon station (21 minutes, the station is beneath the building), walk into Elements Mall, and take the building’s lifts to floor 9. It is genuinely one of the most seamless hotel-to-airport connections in the world once you know the route.

From Hong Kong Island: MTR via the Tung Chung Line or a taxi via the cross-harbour tunnel. The Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront is about two kilometers from the hotel and the M+ museum and Hong Kong Palace Museum are both within walking distance. The Avenue of Stars is also reachable on foot.

Best time to visit: Hong Kong has two distinct windows. October to December is the sweet spot — clear skies, lower humidity, comfortable temperatures in the low-to-mid 20s Celsius, and the city is at its most photogenic. The views from floors 102-118 are best in clear conditions; arriving during winter means a higher probability of unobstructed visibility across the harbour. December specifically adds the Christmas decorations across the hotel (the teddy bear displays that come up in reviews are a real thing) and the city’s festive energy. March through May is acceptable. June through September is typhoon season and high humidity — visibility can be compromised and the view from your window is exactly where you don’t want clouds. For the view experience this hotel is selling, October to December is the correct call.

The price and the Marriott Bonvoy calculation

The Club Deluxe Victoria Harbour Room runs approximately 7,684 HKD / $988 USD per night as of December 2025. Cash rates across the property vary: base Deluxe rooms start lower, Suites move significantly higher, and the Presidential Suite is a different conversation entirely.

The Marriott Bonvoy points situation at this specific property:

• Award redemption — the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong has been tracked at around 70,000-85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night depending on dates and room type. Under dynamic pricing this fluctuates. For a $988 USD cash rate night, this can represent reasonable-to-good value per point depending on your accumulation method
• Free Night Certificates — the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card (US) issues an 85,000-point FNC annually that can be applied here. If the award price for the night falls at or below that ceiling, this certificate covers the room entirely
• Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts — booking through FHR adds meaningful value: a $100 food and beverage credit (useful toward OZONE cocktails or The Lounge & Bar breakfast), room upgrade subject to availability, and complimentary third night on three-night bookings. Given this hotel’s restaurant prices, the F&B credit offsets real spending
• No elite breakfast benefit — Ritz-Carlton properties do not honor Marriott Bonvoy Platinum/Titanium/Ambassador breakfast benefits. This is the brand-wide policy that makes the Club Lounge calculation important: the Club access built into the Club Deluxe Victoria Harbour Room rate covers breakfast where the standard Marriott elite breakfast benefit does not apply
• Nightly Upgrade Awards — if you book a base Deluxe room at a lower rate and hold a Marriott Nightly Upgrade Award (available as a Titanium annual choice benefit), some guests have successfully cleared an upgrade to a Victoria Harbour View room a few days before arrival. Not guaranteed but worth attempting

The practical conclusion: at this property, the Club-level room is the right booking for most luxury travelers because it builds in the lounge access and the Victoria Harbour view that makes the stay what it is. The base Deluxe Room without Club access and without the harbour view is a significantly diminished version of what this hotel offers. The math favors booking the Club room directly and using points or FHR benefits to offset the cost where possible.

Frequently asked questions

📹 Video by ST Travel