Today we take you behind the closed doors of the presidential suite of the prestigious Ritz Carlton hotel in Hong Kong. Located on the highest floor of the ICC tower in Kowloon it currently holds the title for the highest hotel in the world and it literally looks down on Hong Kong and its skyline full skyscrapers.
But before we open the door to one of the world’s most exclusive suites we first have to make our way to the 117th floor. We arrive at the main entrance of the Ritz Carlton hotel on the 9th floor. Just the entrance is worth a visit – not only does the drive-way offer a panoramic view of the Hong Kong harbor and the skyline of Hong Kong island – a sight you sure have to take some time to soak in before you walk through the door or get in your limousine on departure – but the entrance lobby features a few spectacular light sculptures and an outlet from Pierre Hermé Paris offering some incredibly tasty chocolate and macaroon creations.
From the 9th floor four express elevators whisk you up to the 103rd floor in just 52 seconds – ear popping fast. On the 103rd floor you will find the main reception and Cafe 103 – a relaxed cafe and buffet restaurant with stunning views. Level 103 also provides escalator access to three more restaurants and private dining facilities on the 102nd floor. The lobby is decorated by art work of a famous Chinese artist.
Vivian Li is waiting for me in the lobby and already holds the key to the Presidential Suite in her hand. From the 103rd floor up there is a set of four guest elevators that will only take you to the floor you have access to. Guest privacy is a key priority at the Ritz-Carlton and for that reason the Ozone bar on the 118th floor is served by two separate elevators from the lobby.
I swipe the keycard over the security pad in the elevator and it blinks green – time to hit the button for the 117th floor, it complies. From the elevator we take a right out in the hallway that is decorated with artistic photographs from the ICC Tower and other skyscrapers in Hong Kong.
The presidential suite is marked as the Ritz-Carlton Suite and it occupies the entire Southwest corner of the 117th floor. We hold the keycard against the card reader below the door handle and a short beep tells me I’m good to go. The main entrance opens up into a large dining / meeting room with a large round table with a large chandelier right above it.
The large near floor-to-ceiling windows offer a spectacular view of Hong Kong, located a mere 460 meters below. Our favorite skyscraper, the Bank of China tower on Hong Kong island, prominently lit up at night.
At the dining room we take a right where you can either walk into the study or straight into the living room. Thanks to the buildings design each corner of the building sticks out from the rest of the building creating spectacular viewing points.
With a view like this it made a lot of sense to make the view a key part of the rooms design, so all rooms feature small benches next to the windows. The presidential suite is no exception in this regard; everywhere around the 415 m² suite you find places to sit and stare down at Hong Kong. In the corner of the living room you will find a telescope to take a closer look at anything you see in the distance, this alone provides hours of fun. At 490 meter the tower is even taller than the famous Hong Kong peak located directly opposite of the hotel on Hong Kong Island.
The bedroom includes a large king bed from where you can watch the light show that plays every night on several skyscrapers across the water. Right next to the bed is a spacious dressing room with enough capacity to bring your entire wardrobe from home.
We continue that the room that really wow-ed us: the bathroom! This spacious room – don’t forget we are on the 117th floor of a skyscraper here – features his- and hers sinks, a double rain shower, massage table and large windows offering amazing views of the harbor and nearly the entire skyline. But the absolute highlight in this room is the jacuzzi conveniently placed next to the window for hours of bathing fun.
The bathroom is a very obvious surprise that is not that hard to overlook. But there are also some better hidden surprises in this Ritz-Carlton Suite. The hallway that leads from the bedroom to the bathroom is lined with mirrors and behind one of these mirrors you will find your very own sauna. So no need to go to the Spa you can just go to the sauna and have a massage in your suite.
Another cool feature is found in the study / office where you’ll find a working desk with iMac and a small library. It wouldn’t look out of place on Air Force One. What could also come straight from Air Force One are the four full-size screens that can be used to watch TV or for teleconferencing, they are hidden by two solid sliding doors that mask their presence when not in use.
Guests who stay in the Presidential Ritz-Carlton Suite also have 24-hour access to the exclusive Club guest-only Club Lounge on the 116th floor. Here complimentary food and drinks are served around the clock including the famous Ritz-Carlton high-tea. Another service guests in the suite can enjoy is a complimentary Mercedes-Benz S-Class shuttle to meetings, shops or restaurants in the area.
Now you might wonder how much this all cost – and so did we do be honest. When asked Ritz-Carlton’s Vivian Li whispered a number in my ear that dazzled at first but once converted from HKD to Euro sounds like a fair deal for a suite this exclusive: 139,000 HKD or a mere 16,600 Euro per night. The suite is booked out the majority of the year and in its three year history has achieved an impressive guest record: from real presidents to music idols and captains of industry to Chinese real estate moguls.
dang son