The short answer: the highest hotel in the world is the J Hotel, Shanghai Tower, whose guest floors climb to the 120th floor of the 632-metre Shanghai Tower; its restaurant at 556 metres holds the Guinness record for the highest in any building. Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shanghai hold the next four places. A separate record — the tallest hotel building — belongs to Dubai's Gevora Hotel, and we explain the difference below.
By the Hotels for Kings Editorial Team · Last updated: May 31, 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. Heights below are verified against Guinness World Records, CNN and the buildings' own records, not estimated.
Quick comparison
| Hotel | Tower & city | Guest floors | Tower height | Claim to fame |
|---|
| J Hotel | Shanghai Tower, Shanghai | to 120th | 632 m | World's highest hotel |
| Rosewood | CTF Centre, Guangzhou | top 39 floors | 530 m | China's highest club lounge |
| Ritz-Carlton | ICC, Hong Kong | 102–118 | 484 m | World's highest bar (Ozone) |
| Park Hyatt | SWFC, Shanghai | 79–93 | 492 m | World's highest hotel, 2008–11 |
| Four Seasons | IFC, Guangzhou | ~70–98 | 439 m | 70th-floor sky atrium |
| Shangri-La | The Shard, London | 34–52 | 310 m | Highest hotel in W. Europe |
How we ranked and verified this
We rank by the altitude of the guest floors — how high off the ground you actually sleep — not by the height of the building, which is a separate record we cover in its own section. Heights and floor counts are taken from Guinness World Records, CNN, the Council on Tall Buildings data and each tower's own figures, then cross-checked. Where a "highest pool" or "highest bar" claim is contested between towers, we say so rather than repeat one hotel's marketing. We rank hotels that are open and operating in 2026; record-resetting towers are noted where relevant.
The ranked list
1
Shanghai, China
J Hotel, Shanghai Tower
Guest floors to the 120th · 632 m tower
Why it's number one: the J Hotel is the highest hotel on earth. It occupies floors 86 to 98 and 101 to 120 of the Shanghai Tower — at 632 metres the tallest building in China — with 165 rooms, a sky lobby and seven restaurants near the summit. Its Tianzhijin restaurant, at 556.36 metres, holds the Guinness World Record for the highest restaurant in a building, beating the previous holder in the Burj Khalifa. The 84th-floor swimming pool is among the highest anywhere.
Who it's for: a once-in-a-lifetime night above the clouds over the Huangpu and the Pudong skyline. What to book: a high-floor room facing the Bund for the classic Shanghai view.
Honest note: Shanghai's humidity and low cloud routinely swallow the view, sometimes for a full stay — gamble on clear-air seasons (autumn) and a high floor.
Source: CNN Travel; Shanghai Tower.
Browse Shanghai luxury hotels →
2
Guangzhou, China
Rosewood Guangzhou
Top 39 floors · 530 m tower
Why it's here: Rosewood occupies the top 39 floors of the 530-metre Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, with its sky lobby, restaurants and club lounge stacked above the 100th floor. The Manor Club, on the 108th floor, is mainland China's highest club lounge, and the property's mirror-still sky pool has become one of the most photographed in Asia. It opened in 2019 as Rosewood's flagship China statement.
Who it's for: design-led travellers who want the altitude with Rosewood's residential, art-filled style rather than a corporate sky hotel. What to book: a high Club River Room for the Pearl River view and lounge access.
Honest note: Guangzhou is a business city first; come for the hotel and the river, not a leisure-destination base.
Source: Rosewood Hotels.
Explore the Rosewood collection →
3
Hong Kong
Floors 102–118 · 484 m tower
Why it's here: the world's highest hotel when it opened in 2011, and still the altitude champion of Hong Kong. It occupies floors 102 to 118 of the 484-metre International Commerce Centre, with the lobby on the 103rd. Ozone, on the 118th floor, is recognised as the world's highest hotel bar, and the 118th-floor pool — with a ceiling of screens — sits among the highest in any building, at roughly 469 metres.
Who it's for: a Victoria Harbour view that no rooftop in Kowloon can touch, with full Ritz-Carlton service. What to book: a harbour-view room on the highest floor available; sunset at Ozone is the set-piece.
Honest note: it shares the tower with offices and a mall, so arrival is via a high-rise lift core, not a grand porte-cochère — the drama is all up top.
Source: Wikipedia; The Points Guy.
Read our Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong review →
4
Shanghai, China
Park Hyatt Shanghai
Floors 79–93 · 492 m tower
Why it's here: the world's highest hotel from its 2008 opening until Hong Kong overtook it, the Park Hyatt occupies floors 79 to 93 of the 492-metre Shanghai World Financial Center — the "bottle-opener" tower next door to the Shanghai Tower. Its 174 rooms, the 87th-floor Water's Edge spa and the Dining Room on the 91st floor set the template every later sky hotel followed.
Who it's for: travellers who want the quietest, most understated of the Shanghai sky hotels. What to book: a high room facing the Shanghai Tower and the river.
Honest note: now the second-tallest of the cluster after its neighbour, so it no longer holds the bragging rights it opened with — but it is the more serene stay.
Source: Shanghai World Financial Center; Park Hyatt.
Explore the Park Hyatt collection →
5
Guangzhou, China
Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou
Floors ~70–98 · 439 m tower
Why it's here: the Four Seasons sits in the upper third of the 438.6-metre Guangzhou International Finance Center, with a soaring sky atrium on the 70th floor and guest rooms climbing toward the 98th, beneath a 99th/100th-floor observation deck. It was one of the first true sky hotels in China and remains a benchmark for service at altitude.
Who it's for: the reliable, polished sky-hotel stay — Four Seasons consistency with a Pearl River panorama. What to book: a Premier River-view room high in the tower.
Honest note: the IFC is shorter than the Shanghai and Hong Kong towers, so it is "only" one of the world's highest rather than the highest — and Guangzhou's haze can blur the view.
Source: Guangzhou IFC; Four Seasons.
Explore the Four Seasons collection →
6
London, United Kingdom
Floors 34–52 · 310 m tower
Why it's here: the highest hotel in Western Europe, and the only entry outside Asia. Shangri-La occupies floors 34 to 52 of The Shard — Western Europe's tallest building — starting about 125 metres up, with 200 rooms looking down the Thames over the City and Tower Bridge. GONG, on the 52nd floor, is the highest hotel bar in London, and the Sky Pool is the highest hotel pool in Western Europe.
Who it's for: the best high-altitude view in Europe, paired with central London on the doorstep. What to book: a City-view room facing north over the river.
Honest note: The Shard's glass is angled, so some rooms catch reflections, and London cloud is London cloud — a clear evening is the prize, not a guarantee.
Source: Shangri-La The Shard; The Shard.
Browse London luxury hotels →
A different record: the tallest hotel buildings
The hotels above are high because they sit near the top of much taller mixed-use skyscrapers. A separate question — and a separate Guinness record — is the tallest building used only as a hotel. Both record-holders are in Dubai.
Gevora Hotel, Dubai (356.33 m) took the title of world's tallest hotel in 2018. Its 75 storeys hold 528 rooms reaching to the 71st floor, plus a 71st-floor pool deck and spa on Sheikh Zayed Road. JW Marriott Marquis Dubai (355 m), the twin-towered former record-holder it beat by about a metre, is just down the road. Both are genuinely all-hotel towers — but because they are not stacked on top of offices, their highest rooms sit well below the sky hotels of Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Browse more of the city's giants in our Dubai hotel guide.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the highest hotel in the world?
- The J Hotel, Shanghai Tower. Its guest floors run up to the 120th floor of the 632-metre Shanghai Tower, and its Tianzhijin restaurant, at 556.36 metres above ground, holds the Guinness World Record for the highest restaurant in a building. It opened in 2021 and is the highest luxury hotel on earth by altitude.
- Where is the world's highest hotel bar?
- Ozone, on the 118th floor of The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong, at roughly 490 metres, is recognised as the world's highest hotel bar. The hotel occupies floors 102 to 118 of the 484-metre International Commerce Centre, and its 118th-floor pool is among the highest in any building.
- What is the difference between the highest hotel and the tallest hotel?
- They are two different records. The highest hotels sit near the top of much taller mixed-use skyscrapers, so their rooms are higher off the ground even though the building also holds offices. The tallest hotel building is a tower used only as a hotel — currently the 356-metre Gevora Hotel in Dubai — whose rooms top out lower than the sky hotels of Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong.
- What is the tallest hotel building in the world?
- The Gevora Hotel in Dubai, at 356.33 metres and 75 storeys, certified by Guinness World Records in 2018. It edged out the nearby JW Marriott Marquis Dubai (355 metres) by about a metre. Both are dedicated hotel towers, unlike the mixed-use skyscrapers that hold the highest hotel rooms.
- What is the highest hotel in Europe?
- Shangri-La The Shard, London. It occupies floors 34 to 52 of The Shard, Western Europe's tallest building, starting at about 125 metres up. Its GONG bar on the 52nd floor is the highest hotel bar in London, and its Sky Pool is the highest hotel pool in Western Europe.
- Are high-floor hotel rooms worth the premium?
- For the view, once — these are genuinely extraordinary outlooks. The honest caveats: low cloud can erase the view for days, ear-popping express lifts and a long trip to street level are part of daily life, and the highest rooms carry a clear premium. Book a corner or high-floor room facing the city's signature view rather than simply the highest available.
- Which hotel has the highest swimming pool?
- The claim is contested between the sky hotels. The 118th-floor pool at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong sits at about 469 metres, among the highest in any building; the J Hotel Shanghai Tower's pool is on its 84th floor. Always confirm the current record-holder with the hotel, as new towers regularly reset these claims.
- When did each of these become the world's highest hotel?
- The title has moved east and up: Park Hyatt Shanghai claimed it in 2008, The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong took it in 2011, and the J Hotel atop the Shanghai Tower has held it since opening in 2021. Each new record has come from a taller mixed-use skyscraper in China.
