Staying At The Rosewood Hong Kong, Recently Rated The World’s Best Hotel

We just had the chance to spend a couple of nights at the Rosewood Hong Kong, which is the hotel on this trip that I was most excited to check out.

Rosewood in general is a great hotel brand, and the Hong Kong property is the company’s flagship — Rosewood is based in Hong Kong, the hotel is owned by the Cheng family, which also owns Rosewood. So this is a point of pride for the brand and owners, and Rosewood CEO Sonia Cheng was heavily involved in designing this property, and clearly no expense was spared.

On The 50 Best Hotels 2025 list, the Rosewood Hong Kong took the number one spot, which is obviously a massive honor. I wondered if the hotel would actually live up to the hype. While I think that list does a good job highlighting excellent hotels, I’m absolutely not willing to declare any property as the best in the world (on top of that, the list is heavily skewed toward larger hotels — there’s not a single safari lodge on there, for example).

I have to be honest, prior to my stay, I wasn’t expecting to be that impressed by the Rosewood Hong Kong. How good can a 400+ room city hotel really be? Well, after staying there, I can positively say that this is an incredible property, and all the praise I’ve heard of it from others is justified. In this post, I’d like to share some initial thoughts, and then soon I’ll have a full trip report.

Full disclosure — Ford attended a Rosewood event a while back where participants were given two-night stays at the Rosewood Hong Kong, including Manor Club access. So our accommodation were covered by the hotel, though we paid for incidentals, and all opinions expressed are my own. If you’re at all into the hotel industry, hopefully you find it interesting to see what such a highly regarded property is like.

The Rosewood Hong Kong’s interior design is unreal

Before my stay, I wasn’t sure what to make of the Rosewood’s interior design, based on the pictures on the hotel’s website. The design looks unique, and I couldn’t quite place it.

Let me take it a step further — I’ve had several OMAAT readers rave about this property’s design, while saying the pictures on the website don’t do it justice. For example, reader Clem recently wrote “room design looks a little random on the pictures, but in person it’s stunning.” I couldn’t agree more.

This really is a property you have to see in person. New York-based Tony Chi was behind the property’s interiors, and I don’t want to know how much money was spent. This property’s design feels so luxurious and unique, in a way that’s hard to describe, because I’ve never seen a design aesthetic quite like this before.

It’s elegant and quirky, and there’s an unreal attention to detail with design. More than anything, it just feels expensive and excessive. It’s sort of like the Burj Al Arab Dubai, except it doesn’t hurt your eyes. 😉 The hotel has mirrors almost everywhere except the lobby, but not in an obnoxious, W Hotels kind of way.

The lobby has more of a traditional, shiny, elegant design.

Meanwhile it’s amazing how each guest room floor has a huge seating area with what almost feels like an art exhibit.

I also realized that the reason the pictures of the hotel look kind of strange is because pictures don’t let you appreciate the amount of money that went into all of the finishes.

I’ve never seen such a deliberate and over-the-top design in terms of the amount of effort that went into it. I mean, the wallpaper in the toilets is from Loro Piana. And the design wasn’t just cool, but it was also functional.

For example, our shower had what looked like a bookshelf within it, where towels were stored, so that you could grab a towel after showering, without even having to open the door. Genius… talk about something I never knew I “needed!”

The Rosewood Hong Kong has an amazing spa, gym, and pool

As someone who likes going to the gym while traveling, the Rosewood Hong Kong might have my favorite hotel gym I’ve ever seen. It’s massive, has modern equipment, and most importantly, it has direct views of Victoria Harbour. All too often, hotels just cram gyms into windowless basements, but the gym here is a destination in and of itself.

Similarly, how cool is this infinity-edge pool overlooking Victoria Harbour (the hotel is located in Kowloon, right next to the Regent)?

The spa almost feels like a secluded resort within a city hotel, given the outdoor space. While the hotel is in a 65-story tower, this really is an escape, with all kinds of outdoor spaces.

The Rosewood Hong Kong is a dining powerhouse

The Rosewood Hong Kong feels like an urban resort, and you could easily eat here for a week without getting bored. Hong Kong is of course an amazing food city, but many of the great “fancy” restaurants are also in hotels.

The Rosewood Hong Kong has two Michelin-starred restaurants, and we had lunch at each of them. This includes the Chinese restaurant, The Legacy House, as well as the Indian restaurant, CHAAT.

These restaurants were phenomenal. And I’ve gotta say, as much as aspects of Hong Kong are expensive, dining there is quite the value. Both of our meals cost significantly less than we’d typically pay if going out to eat in Miami at a nice but unmemorable restaurant (sadly).

But that’s only the start of the food & beverage outlets. There’s also the Spanish restaurant, Bayfare Social, which had such a fun and lively vibe.

Even the jazz bar, DarkSide, is a destination in and of itself. I mean, just take a look at these ceiling sculptures — they’re meant to look like light bulbs that act as hourglasses, as they’re constantly turning, with sand flowing between them. I was amazed that every time I turned my head in this hotel, I noticed something new, in terms of design.

The Rosewood Hong Kong Manor Club is worth the splurge

Before our visit, virtually everyone had said “if you stay at the Rosewood Hong Kong, you have to do the Manor Club.” For context, this is Rosewood’s version of a club lounge, and it’s open exclusively to those who book a Manor Club room, as well as being open to all suite guests. I’m going to dedicate a separate post to this, because I think this might be the best club lounge in the world.

But here’s the bigger picture point. While the Rosewood Hong Kong is an impressive hotel, obviously it’s not going to feel super intimate in the lobby, given the amount of foot traffic (not just due to the number of rooms, but also due to the number of people visiting food & beverage outlets).

Similarly, I can imagine the general challenge with managing expectations for service, when people are expecting “the world’s best hotel,” whatever that means. All the staff we interacted with were friendly and proud to work there, but with the number of rooms, service likely won’t consistently feel that personalized for most guests.

This is why I think that if you’re going to stay at the Rosewood Hong Kong, stay in a Manor Club room. The Manor Club really feels like a hotel within a hotel, and if you book a suite, you also get butler service.

The Manor Club is physically the most beautiful hotel lounge I’ve seen, and the views from the 40th floor are incredible. The food presentations are also top notch, as is the service. Though I have to say, perhaps my favorite thing was the people watching. It felt like something straight out of “Crazy Rich Asians,” as I’ve never seen anything quite like.

Obviously this hotel is expensive in the first place, but I really do think if you’re going to splurge, the Manor Club is worth the premium. That will really give you the level of service you expect from a property of this caliber.

Just as an example, on our dates, the base rooms were going for around $800, a Manor Club room was going for around $1,100, and suites started at around $1,200. These are steep rates in absolute terms, though Hong Kong is one of the better value luxury hotel markets (considering the price of real estate in the city), when compared to places like London, New York, Paris, etc. In particular, the incremental pricing for suites isn’t that high, and you get a lot of value (compare that to places like the Tampa EDITION).

Bottom line

The Rosewood Hong Kong is probably the most impressive large city hotel I’ve ever stayed in. The hotel has design unlike anything I’ve seen before, and you really have to see it in person to appreciate it.

Beyond that, the hotel has amazing views of Victoria Harbour, friendly service, extensive and impressive food & beverage outlets, and a top notch gym with views. If you are going to stay here, I think the Manor Club really is worth the splurge, because otherwise aspects of the experience might feel a bit impersonal.

What’s your take on the Rosewood Hong Kong?