10 of the Tallest Hotels in the World

JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai holds the record for the tallest hotel in the world. From the bottom to the top, it stands at 1,165 feet high in Dubai. It was designed by Ashok Korgaonkar, with the first tower opening in 2012. Today, the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai is a sleek five-pearl property with a clean and modern design that attracts mostly business travelers and couples. It’ comprises two towers with 1,608 rooms, 14 dining options, a spa, and 8,000 square feet of meeting space between them. The outdoor pool has lovely views of other skyscrapers of Dubai.

Some could argue that the Park Hyatt Shanghai is the tallest hotel in the world, as the building’s topmost point sits at 1,614 feet in the air. However, that claim is a bit of a stretch, as the hotel is only housed on the 79th to 93rd floors of the Shanghai World Financial Center. Park Hyatt Shanghai is a fairly small hotel with only 179 rooms that overlook the Bund, the Huangpu River, and Pudong. The interiors are smart and go for a modern take on Chinese-style -- note the tai chi courtyard where classes are held each day. A pool, spa, and a gym are other great perks here, but they can’t compete with the views from the on-site restaurants.

Rose Rayhann by Rotana Dubai was crowned the world’s second tallest hotel by the Guinness Book of World Records. With 72 stories and 462 suites and rooms, the upscale property sits at 1,093 feet high in Dubai, just a 12-minute drive away from JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, the tallest hotel in the world. As a four-pearl hotel, the design is modern, though not quite luxurious. That’s not to say that it’s not impressive, especially in terms of amenities like a rooftop pool, seven meeting rooms, and diverse dining options.

The Ritz Carlton, Hong Kong boasts the highest bar in the world at 1,608 feet up -- much higher than the top of the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai. However, like the Park Hyatt Shanghai, The Ritz Carlton, Hong Kong only occupies the top 17 floors of the International Commerce Center in Hong Kong, making its “tallest" reputation a little hazy. Despite such technicalities, it’s hard not to be impressed with the views from the indoor pool, rooms, and restaurants -- when it’s not cloudy, that is. Unfortunately, it’s a little out of the way, located in the business area of Tsim Sha Tsui, which doesn’t make it ideal for leisure travelers on vacation.

Baiyoke Sky Hotel is the tallest building in Thailand, and, subsequently, one of the tallest buildings in the world at 1,014 feet high. The hotel is far from upscale, but it's quite affordable -- an added perk for guests, as most of the tallest hotels in the world are quite pricey. If not staying at the hotel, there is a revolving observation deck on the 84th floor, though it costs a fee to enter unless you eat at the restaurant just below it. It’s definitely well-worth a visit to the Bangkok Balcony on the 81st floor -- the country’s highest open-air restaurant with beautiful city views.

Waking up in the Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou is a spectacular experience, thanks to curved floor-to-ceiling windows at the 1,439-foot-tall hotel in Guangzhou, China. The chic hotel is situated on the 74th through 98th floors of the Guangzhou IFC and is often visited by business travelers. Views of the Pearl River are especially dazzling from Catch, the seafood restaurant on the 100th floor. Just like its contemporaries on this list, the views are dependent on the day’s smog conditions.

With a contemporary design and basic amenities, the best thing that the 85 Sky Tower Hotel has going for it are the views. It sits at 1,240 feet high in Taiwan in the New Bay Area in Kaohsiung. The rooms are a bit plain in decor, but all come with bay views, some even from 70 stories high. The 74th floor is home to the View Deck, which allows for stunning Instagram-worthy pictures. However, take the opportunity to eat in the Chinese or Japanese restaurants on the 77th floor for a dining experience in the sky.

Corner rooms at the Grand Hyatt Shanghai are breathtaking, especially at night when the lights of Shanghai twinkle 1,380 feet below. During the day, some rooms overlook the Bund. Located on the 53rd to the 87th floors of the Jin Mao Tower, the Grand Hyatt Shanghai has a sophisticated design and a phenomenal central atrium. The bar Cloud 9 offers 360-degree panoramic views, while Club Jin Mao has skyline views. With a pool, gym, and many meeting spaces, it’s often visited by business travelers, though with a nearby metro stop, it’s not a bad place for vacationers either.

Standing at 753 feet high, the Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Central Park doesn’t seem so impressive when compared to the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai. But in the United States, 753 feet high makes it very impressive, and, consequently, the tallest hotel in the country. It opened in 2013 and is just a five-minute walk from Central Park and a 10-minute walk from Times Square. The hotel features a stylish design and rooms with kitchenettes and floor-to-ceiling windows. Free breakfast buffets and free Wi-Fi are pretty fantastic amenities for a New York City hotel, too.

Dubai is home to many of the world’s tallest hotels, including Burj Al Arab. The hotel stands at 1,053 feet high and was designed to resemble a billowing Arabian Dhow sail. It may not be the tallest hotel in the world, but Burj Al Arab does have the tallest atrium in the world. The five-pearl property sits on a beachy private island and has great ocean views from rooms and the rooftop pool. Burj Al Arab offers an opulent stay with such decadent amenities like 24-karat-gold iPads in all the suites. 


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