Ritz Carlton Hong Kong = Bucket List Worthy for Views
Introduction Ritz Carlton Hong Kong might be one of the best city hotels anywhere in the world I have ever stayed at. The views from the hotel are bucket list worthy, the service was excellent in many ways, and the hotel has a club lounge which is actually worth paying for. I can easily recommend this hotel for anybody looking for an out of the ordinary experience. Highest Hotel in the World From what I gather there are a couple of newly opened hotels (in Shanghai and Guangzhou) who claim to be the tallest hotels, but I think RC HK remains the highest as far as I know because it's on the upper floors (103-118) of the ICC building. In contrast, J Hotel in Shanghai is in a higher tower (128 floors) but the hotel rooms are "only" on floors 86-98.City views are arguably subjective, but personally I think HK city views beat NYC, Tokyo, etc. And since Ritz Carlton is on the "wrong" side of the city (Kowloon), that means RC has the views of Central. I thought it was worth having a room at RC simply for a photo shoot, actually many tourists go to the ICC Sky100 Observation Deck just for the views and they are still below the hotel. It’s an attraction by itself. Our daughter thoroughly enjoyed the views and taking pictures from the little nook of our suite which was perfectly designed to maximize those views.The hotel is so high that on some days the tip of the hotel is in the clouds so the views become a total whiteout. Room I booked the entry level room and was upgraded as Ambassador Elite to a deluxe suite on the Victoria Harbour side. Those suites are more desirable than the suites looking at the other side so arguably it was a premium suite, not a standard suite. Our suite was a bit compact (60 sqm) but this is HK after all, which is not a city which tends to have the largest hotel suites one can find. Personally I think the best city hotel suites should have 1.5 bath not 1.0 bath but at this hotel it would require a higher level of suites. Dining The club lounge is one of the best I have seen with quality ingredients and imaginative dishes which changed daily. There was a nice buffet along with a chef station with dishes prepared live. One evening the staff also prepared a little celebration for our daughter to recognize a special occasion. The club lounge also has a couple of meeting rooms which we both used for different purposes. One evening we had an external guest joining us for happy hour and the hotel prepared the room for us with a baby high chair for dinner. It was very comfortable to have the entire room to ourselves and we could be a bit loud without disturbing other guests. Service Service was excellent throughout the hotel, not only in the lounge but also housekeeping was done every day exactly at the time we requested without any slip ups. Gym Interestingly the top floor is not a restaurant or bar, it’s the fitness gym and the pool. There is an outdoors area to enjoy the view for people who cannot get enough from their room. Wifi Wifi worked well with speed of 50 Mbps. Overall Overall it would be difficult to find flaws to this hotel except the location which might not work well for everybody but for guests who like views then it will make up for it. RC HK leaves a lasting impression and stands out from the crowd, the complete opposite of a boring copy cat – highly recommended for a unique experience.