World's tallest hotel, Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, opens in Kowloon

The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong opened its doors today, making it officially the tallest hotel in the world. Covering floors 102-118 of the new International Commerce Centre in West Kowloon and looking out over the harbour, views from the new hotel are bound to be stunning. 

But business travellers using the hotel's 1,300 square metres of meeting space won't be distracted from the issues at hand by the view -- the meeting rooms are on levels 3 and 8 of the hotel.

Everything else about the hotel is superlatively high, though, from bars to outdoor terraces to swimming pools.

On the top floor, new bar Ozone (also the highest in the world) is aimed at the high end, with "contemporary Asian tapas" and an outdoor terrace (also the world's highest).

Floor 102 includes three restaurants: upmarket Cantonese eatery Tin Lung Heen, Southern Italian Tosca, and swanky international The Lounge & Bar with open kitchens and fire pits. Chocoholics will love the Chocolate Library lounge on the 103rd floor.

A spa on the 116th floor and an indoor infinity pool on floor 118 (yes, the world's highest) will help guests recover from all those eating and drinking options. 

The 312 rooms and suites have marble bathrooms, 42-inch flatscreen TVs, Blu-Ray players, iPod-compatible music docking stations, and Nespresso coffee machines. Wired and wireless Internet is available in all rooms. 

Oh, yes, and each room also comes with its own telescope.

Business travellers making long transit connections in Hong Kong will be pleased that there's another convenient option for something to do while escaping the airport. The Sky100 observation deck on the 100th floor of the ICC tower is only 20 minutes away from Hong Kong International Airport, and the views (on a clear day or evening) will be suitably panoramic. 

As ever with observation decks in hotel buildings, though, skip the ones that have an entry fee and head to the bar up at the top of the hotel. The A$20 or so that an observation deck might cost you will go some way to an overpriced yet refreshing beverage of your choice and complimentary view.

The Ritz Carlton Hong Kong can be found atop the International Commerce Centre at 1 Austin Road West in West Kowloon, just to the southwest of Kowloon MTR and Airport Express station.