Cool Design Hotels in Hong Kong You'll Love

Shoot 43 floors up the Pacific Place building to reach this lofty hotel, created to feel like a private residence above the bustle. Designer Andre Fu is the brains behind the light-filled look at the Upper House, where beyond the minimalist lobby are 117 rooms and glass-fronted apartments. Dine in the Michelin-starred fusion restaurant before taking in the skyline from the 49th-floor cocktail lounge.

The Rosewood, positioned steps from the Avenue of Stars, makes you feel like a celebrity. By day, you’ll find yourself lapping the infinity pool, perusing the contemporary art collection and getting flex with free hatha yoga; by night, you’ll feast on dim sum and Peking duck before hitting the rare whiskies and cigars at the black marble bar. And although space in Hong Kong is notoriously tight, even the entry-level rooms here are sizeable.

Retro red and dark wood fittings in the reception give this 66-room boutique hotel a sense of nostalgia. It’s inspired by the Star Ferry, the Hong Kong icon that chugs across the harbour each day, with nautical nods such as geometric prints and porthole motifs. The Extra Large rooms look like suites on a superyacht, with free-standing beds in the centre of the space. Even the restaurant, Osteria Marzia, matches the maritime theme, serving coastal Italian cuisine.

One of the coolest small hotels in the city is found in one of the most underrated neighbourhoods – the foodie haven of Tin Hau, a few minutes from Victoria Park. The industrial design has a calming feel, with a monochrome palette and natural light bathing the concrete walls in the rooms. The walk-in showers and Le Labo bath amenities are the perfect reviver before Italian seafood or pasta dinner in the ground-floor restaurant, Silver Room.

The first warehouse-turned-hotel in Hong Kong is as cool as you’d expect, with graffiti murals and striking contemporary art within the dark interior. It doesn’t scrimp on luxury touches though, with a free sundowner drink at ‘social hour’, feather bedding and floor-to-ceiling windows. You can even request an Xbox be sent to your room. Corner rooms are worth splashing out on, for the extra floor space and 180-degree views.

Each of the 29 rooms at One96 is a full-floor suite, with sweeping views of Sheung Wan, and, in the highest rooms, of the harbour and skyline too. You access your room via a private lift vestibule, stepping into a world of peace above thronging Queen’s Road. More like mini-apartments, the rooms have separate living-dining rooms and kitchens – you can truly live like a (very flash) local.

Looking for a room with a view? Then book a bed in one of the world’s highest hotels. Occupying floors 103 to 118 of the International Commerce Centre in the West Kowloon District, The Ritz-Carlton provides unobstructed views of Victoria Harbour, almost 500m (1,600ft) below. The facilities in the 312 rooms are also five-star – reserve the presidential suite at the top for the loftiest vista, a private spa and whirlpool, a personal butler and airport transfers in a Rolls-Royce.

This five-star central property is home to four restaurants and two bars, including Lung King Heen, the first Chinese restaurant in the world to earn three Michelin stars. The 399 rooms enjoy views either of the harbour or the peak on Hong Kong Island, plus access to a bevvy of pools – there’s a lap pool, plunge pool, whirlpool and even an infinity pool with underwater music.

This five-star hotel lays claim to the best urban spa in Asia, and it’s hard to disagree. The Oriental Spa takes up two floors of The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, with a state-of-the-art fitness centre, an indoor heated swimming pool, and pilates and yoga studios. The 111 suites also enjoy the largest average room size of any hotel in Hong Kong.

Located in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui with a rooftop pool overlooking Victoria Harbour, Hotel ICON offers a stylish stay in the most exciting neighbourhood in Hong Kong. The 262 rooms are bright and comfy, the vertical garden in the lobby is enormous and the cheery second-floor restaurant is styled after the street food markets in the city. The prices are more reasonable than most other high-end properties in town and your booking will help the local hospitality industry – ICON is owned by Hong Kong Polytechnic University and is used to train budding hotel operators.

This 25-storey Modernist tower was a government building when it was built in the 1960s before a facelift converted this Hong Kong landmark into yet another five-star hotel in the Central skyline. Sitting on Cotton Tree Drive between Hong Kong Park and the Botanical Gardens, The Murray is made of 336 elegant rooms loaded with historical character and modern facilities.

If you see a Rolls-Royce painted “Peninsula green” cruising the Tsim Sha Tsui streets, then it’s heading to the Peninsula – the grande-dame of hotels in Asia. Opened in 1928, this luxury hotel has forged a formidable reputation, with 300 opulent suites, seven avant-garde restaurants, various wellness offerings and, of course, the huge fleet of luxury vehicles.

This five-star property is as luxurious as it is large. Featuring 542 rooms across 46 floors, the Grand Hyatt has nine first-class dining options, a full-service spa, a 24-hour fitness club and even a garden with a running track. Oh, and then there’s the pièce de résistance: an Olympic-size heated outdoor pool on the 11th floor, overlooking the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and the Star Ferry Pier.

Much like Hong Kong itself, this five-star hotel perfectly fuses British refinement and Chinese grandeur. The original Langham opened in London, England, in 1865 and brought that Victorian-era elegance to Tsim Sha Tsui in 2003 – creating 498 stylish rooms, the generous Chuan Body+Soul wellness sanctuary and four classy restaurants, including the three-Michelin-starred T’ang Court.

Working-class Jordan isn’t brimming with as many luxury hotels as Central or nearby Tsim Sha Tsui, which makes this boutique four-star offering a standout in the area. Hotel Stage is one of the trendiest places to stay in the city, with 97 minimal rooms, modern restaurant Kitchen Savvy and avant-garde design store The Muse.

This glamorous five-star hotel really makes the most of the glittering Kowloon waterfront location, with a leafy al fresco terrace and an infinity pool perched above the bay. The majority of the 546 guest rooms have harbour views, the Kerry Sports Base Camp fitness centre is open 24 hours, and the four restaurants and bar all have outdoor areas to capitalise on those water views.