The short answer: the world's highest hotel rooftop bar is Ozone, on the 118th floor of The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong, at roughly 490 metres. The highest in the Americas is Spire 73 in Los Angeles; the highest in Europe is GONG at Shangri-La The Shard in London. A handful of enclosed sky lounges sit higher still, but as open-air rooftops, these are the summit, and we flag the distinction below.
By the Hotels for Kings Editorial Team · Last updated: June 15, 2026
We may earn a commission when you book through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Rankings are editorial — we never accept payment for placement. Floors, heights and designers below are verified against each venue's own listings, the towers' published records and reputable rooftop and travel sources, not estimated.
Quick comparison
| Bar | Hotel & city | Floor | Approx. height | Claim to fame |
|---|
| Ozone | Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong | 118th | ~490 m | World's highest rooftop bar |
| Spire 73 | InterContinental, Los Angeles | 73rd | 1,100 ft tower | Highest in the Western Hemisphere |
| Sky Bar | lebua at State Tower, Bangkok | 63rd | ~247 m | Open-air pioneer (2003) |
| GONG | Shangri-La The Shard, London | 52nd | ~210 m | Highest in Western Europe |
| CE LA VI | Marina Bay Sands, Singapore | 57th | ~200 m | Atop the Safdie SkyPark |
| Vertigo | Banyan Tree, Bangkok | 61st | ~193 m | Open-air dining in the sky |
How we ranked and verified this
We rank by the altitude of the bar itself, how high above the street you are actually drinking, not by the height of the building. We count open-air rooftop and terrace bars inside operating hotels; enclosed sky lounges and non-hotel observation-deck bars are noted where they sit higher, but are kept out of the ranking because they are a different thing. Floors, heights and designers are taken from each venue's own listings, the towers' published records and established rooftop and travel sources, then cross-checked. Where a height is approximate or contested, we say so rather than invent precision. Every bar below was open and operating in 2026 at the time of writing.
The ranked list
1
Hong Kong
118th floor · ~490 m · ICC tower
Why it's number one: Ozone is the highest rooftop bar in the world, sitting on the 118th floor of the 484-metre International Commerce Centre, the Kohn Pedersen Fox tower that anchors West Kowloon. At roughly 490 metres, the bar pairs an open-air terrace over Victoria Harbour with a long marble bar, lounges and a small sushi counter, in an interior designed by Masamichi Katayama of Wonderwall, all faceted angles and backlit colour. Nothing else in the open-air category comes close to its altitude.
Who it's for: the definitive sunset-in-the-sky drink over one of the world's great harbour views. What to order: a signature cocktail on the terrace as the Hong Kong Island towers light up across the water.
Honest note: it is a destination bar at destination prices, with a minimum spend at peak and a smart dress code, and low cloud over Kowloon can sit below the 118th floor and erase the view entirely. Go on a clear evening or not at all.
Source: The Rooftop Guide; The Points Guy.
Read our Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong review →
2
Los Angeles, United States
73rd floor · 1,100 ft Wilshire Grand Center
Why it's here: Spire 73 is the highest open-air rooftop bar in the Western Hemisphere. It crowns the 73rd floor of the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, set in the 1,100-foot Wilshire Grand Center, the tallest building west of the Mississippi, designed by AC Martin. Opened in 2017, the terrace wraps the tower with fire pits, low seating and a whiskey-led list, with the whole Los Angeles basin laid out below from downtown to the Pacific on a clear day.
Who it's for: the best altitude drink in the Americas, and a rare genuinely high rooftop in a city that mostly builds outward. What to order: a whiskey at dusk as the grid of city lights switches on.
Honest note: the bar is set back behind a glass parapet for wind and safety, so it feels less vertiginous than the photos promise, and LA's marine layer can grey out the view on summer evenings.
Source: The Rooftop Guide; Wilshire Grand Center.
See InterContinental LA Downtown →
3
Bangkok, Thailand
Sky Bar by lebua, lebua at State Tower
63rd floor · ~247 m
Why it's here: the golden-domed Sky Bar at the lebua at State Tower is one of the bars that started the genre. Cantilevered off the 63rd-floor dome at roughly 247 metres above the Chao Phraya River, it opened in 2003 as a roofless, illuminated open-air bar and was made globally famous by The Hangover Part II. The circular bar glows through changing colours while the river curls below, a piece of early-2000s skyline theatre that still holds up.
Who it's for: the classic Bangkok rooftop moment, and travellers who want the bar that the films and the imitators all copied. What to order: a sundowner on the parapet edge as the river traffic lights up.
Honest note: its fame is the catch, it is busy, photo-driven and priced for tourists, with a strict dress code and a queue for the famous step. Come for the spectacle, not a quiet drink.
Source: The Rooftop Guide.
Browse Bangkok luxury hotels →
4
London, United Kingdom
52nd floor · ~210 m · The Shard
Why it's here: GONG is the highest hotel bar in Western Europe, on the 52nd floor of Shangri-La The Shard at around 210 metres. The Shard is Renzo Piano's tapering glass shard on the South Bank, Western Europe's tallest building, and Shangri-La occupies floors 34 to 52, with GONG and the Sky Pool near the summit looking down the Thames over the City and Tower Bridge. It is a sky bar rather than an open-air rooftop, the altitude here comes with floor-to-ceiling glass, not open air.
Who it's for: the best high-altitude drink in Europe, with central London on the doorstep. What to order: a glass by the north-facing glass at dusk, with the river bending below.
Honest note: it is enclosed, so purists chasing open-air rooftops should know they are drinking behind glass, and The Shard's angled panes can throw reflections into some seats.
Source: Shangri-La The Shard; The Shard.
Read our Shangri-La The Shard review →
5
Singapore
57th floor · ~200 m · SkyPark
Why it's here: CE LA VI's SkyBar sits on the 57th floor of Marina Bay Sands, about 200 metres up on the cantilevered SkyPark that Moshe Safdie famously slung across the resort's three towers like a ship run aground in the sky. The open-air bar shares that deck with the resort's celebrated infinity pool, looking straight down Marina Bay to the financial district and the Gardens by the Bay supertrees.
Who it's for: the postcard Singapore skyline view, and anyone who wants the SkyPark experience without being a hotel guest. What to order: a cocktail at golden hour as the bay lights and the nightly Gardens show come on.
Honest note: the legendary infinity pool itself is reserved for hotel guests, so SkyBar visitors get the view and the deck but not the swim, and the whole SkyPark runs busy and ticketed.
Source: The Rooftop Guide; Marina Bay Sands.
See Marina Bay Sands →
6
Bangkok, Thailand
61st floor · ~193 m
Why it's here: Vertigo and its companion Moon Bar crown the 61st floor of Banyan Tree Bangkok at about 193 metres, an open-air grill-and-cocktail terrace with no roof and only a low rail between you and the city. Where the lebua Sky Bar trades on film fame, Vertigo trades on exposure, a narrow deck of tables set high in the open air over the Sathorn district.
Who it's for: open-air rooftop purists who want the wind and the drop, paired with a proper dinner rather than just a drink. What to order: a Moon Bar cocktail at sunset before moving to a Vertigo table for the grill.
Honest note: being genuinely open-air, it closes or relocates in Bangkok's frequent rain, so build in a wet-weather plan, and the narrow deck feels exposed if heights unsettle you.
Source: The Rooftop Guide; Banyan Tree.
See Banyan Tree Bangkok →
Rooftop bar, sky bar, or observation deck?
The "highest bar in the world" headline gets muddled because three different things compete for it. An open-air rooftop bar, where Ozone leads, means you are drinking in the open air on top of a hotel. An enclosed sky bar sits behind glass high in a tower: GONG at The Shard is one, and the lounges near the tops of the J Hotel in the Shanghai Tower and Rosewood Guangzhou sit higher than Ozone but are not rooftops. An observation-deck bar, such as the non-hotel At.mosphere in the Burj Khalifa, is higher again but is not part of a hotel at all. We rank only open-air hotel rooftops, which is why Ozone, not a Burj Khalifa lounge, sits at the top.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the world's highest hotel rooftop bar?
- Ozone, on the 118th floor of The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong, at roughly 490 metres. It occupies the top of the 484-metre International Commerce Centre and is widely recognised as the highest rooftop bar in the world, with an open-air terrace and a long marble bar designed by Masamichi Katayama of Wonderwall.
- Is Ozone really the highest bar in the world, or just the highest rooftop bar?
- It is the highest open-air rooftop bar. A few enclosed sky lounges and restaurants sit physically higher, including venues near the tops of the J Hotel in the Shanghai Tower and Rosewood Guangzhou, and the non-hotel At.mosphere in the Burj Khalifa. Ozone's claim is specifically about open-air rooftop bars, where it remains the world leader.
- What is the highest hotel rooftop bar in the Americas?
- Spire 73, on the 73rd floor of the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, atop the 1,100-foot Wilshire Grand Center. It is the highest open-air rooftop bar in the Western Hemisphere, open since 2017, with fire pits and city-wide views from the tallest building west of the Mississippi.
- What is the highest hotel rooftop bar in Europe?
- GONG at Shangri-La The Shard in London, on the 52nd floor at around 210 metres, is the highest hotel bar in Western Europe. The Shard was designed by Renzo Piano, and the hotel occupies floors 34 to 52, with GONG and the Sky Pool near the top.
- How high is the Sky Bar at lebua in Bangkok?
- The Sky Bar by lebua sits on the 63rd-floor dome of the lebua at State Tower, roughly 247 metres above the Chao Phraya River. Opened in 2003, it was one of the world's first true high-altitude open-air hotel bars and became globally famous through the film The Hangover Part II.
- Do these rooftop bars require reservations or have a dress code?
- Most do. Ozone, Spire 73, GONG and the lebua Sky Bar all enforce smart dress codes, typically no shorts, flip-flops or sportswear, and reservations are strongly advised for sunset, the busiest slot. Several charge a minimum spend or sell timed sunset tickets. Always check the current policy with the bar, as rules and hours change seasonally.
