The Upper House, Hong Kong: Is this the best city hotel in the world?

Opened in 2009, The Upper House is widely regarded as one of the best city hotels in the world and is currently placed at number five on the prestigious World’s 50 Best Hotels list.

Undoubtedly Hong Kong’s classiest boutique hotel, The Upper House is famed for offering low-key yet luxurious residential-style design, spacious rooms, unbeatable views, and unrivalled peace and quiet in the heart of the busy city.

So does it live up to the hype? I checked in to find out.

The Upper House can be found at Pacific Place, a development of hotels and office buildings on Hong Kong Island. Its towering neighbours such as the Conrad and Shangri La dominate the area, but the Upper House is an altogether more understated affair, occupying the 38th to 49th floor of the JW Marriot building — it’s quite literally the upper house.

Below the hotels you’ll find the luxury store laden Pacific Place shopping mall, which also leads to Admiralty MTR station. Leaving the area on foot takes a bit of navigation over walkways and through parks, but once you have your bearings it’s a breeze, and you can easily walk to Central in about 20 minutes.

Avoiding all the usual design trappings of a large reception area or check in desk, entering The Upper House feels more like going into a modern apartment block than a hotel. Designed by celebrated local designer Andre Fu, the spaces are subtle and sophisticated with soft warm lighting, natural woods, limestone, and muted colour schemes.

Arriving back here after a day on the city’s busy streets, the interiors have a tranquil, instantly calming effect. There are 400 artworks around the hotel, all chosen by Andre Fu, ranging from towering 98-foot metal wall sculpture by Japanese artist Hirotoshi Sawada on the 38th-floor atrium, to smaller ceramics and that can be found in every quiet corner. And despite now being 15 years old, The Upper House hasn’t aged a bit. It looks as sleek, modern, and timeless as ever.

There are 117 rooms in total, which includes 21 suites, a penthouse suite and a signature Andre Fu suite which has its own dining room and spa room. Even the smaller Studio 70 and Studio 80 rooms are generously sized and have the feel of a modern apartment, with natural materials, and sleek minimalist furniture.

The suites up the homely feel further, with separate living rooms that feature a dining table, relaxing L shaped sofa, and a coffee table strewn with chunky art and design books. All bathrooms are stocked with Bamford products and comprehensive amenity kits, while the suites offer both epic bathtubs and rainforest showers.

Best of all, every room features frankly jaw-dropping panoramic views of Victoria Harbour or the Peak through near floor-to-ceiling windows — waking up and pulling back the (remote-controlled) curtains to be eye level with the city’s skyscrapers is very special indeed.

Slick service begins at the airport with the hotel’s pick-up service, which is well worth booking if you’re sleep-deprived after flying in overnight from London. You’ll be met in the arrival hall and whisked to an Upper House-branded BMW in minutes — you can even order food in the car to be delivered to your room on arrival.

At the hotel, there’s a small gym and early morning hot yoga classes to beat away the jet-lag, and although there’s no pool or dedicated spa you can arrange massages and beauty treatments to your room.

Then there’s the ‘Stone and Star Experience’, a private tarot card reading that takes place in a dedicated apartment opposite the hotel. It’s very fun and is more based on self-discovery rather than any terrifying predictions about the future (as we’d feared).

On the 49th floor is Salisterra, the hotel’s signature Mediterranean restaurant, which has spectacular views of the harbour. Breakfast is served here in the mornings, with a range of international set menus from a local menu of dim sum and congee to western options like pancakes, eggs and pastries — there’s even a full English. At lunch and dinner, chef Ricardo Chaneton’s menu draws inspiration both from his Italian heritage, and the wider Mediterranean, spanning the coastal areas of Spain, Italy, France, and Greece.

Among the many highlights are dishes like nduja arancini; beef carpaccio; squid ink linguine with smoked chorizo; and lamb shank a la Provençale. For something lighter, the sophisticated Salisterra Bar offers nibbles like croquettes and oysters, as well as cocktails, sake, and single malt Scotch.

The hotel’s central location and the densely packed nature of Hong Kong makes for easily accessible sights in every direction. Nearby is the iconic peak tram which will whisk you to the top of the Peak on an old vintage funicular. Walk to Central for high end shopping and some of the city’s best eating, from famous local spots like Mak’s Noodle to Michelin-starred VEA and World’s 50 Best-awarded Wing (currently No.20). There are parks, galleries and museums all without having to leave the island – although catching the Star Ferry over to Kowloon side is always fun too.

The crowd when we stayed was a mix of business travellers and smartly dressed young couples, but families are very much welcomed too. There’s a whole host of activities for kids from a toy-filed playroom designed with luxury store Bimbo Concept, to music classes and even a children’s nail bar.

Rooms from HK$5,280 (approx. £527 / $676USD) per room, per night, based on two sharing a Studio 70 Room on a room only basis. thehousecollective.com