Go niche

Forget about your race to the bottom. With hotels it’s all about getting to the top. And right at the pinnacle is the Park Hyatt Shanghai.

This new hotel is in Shanghai World Financial Centre, which stands 492m tall and looks not unlike a giant carrier bag mislaid by God. More frequently likened to a bottle opener, the centre overshadows Jin Mao Tower – now China’s second-tallest edifice – which stands alongside it. To give it an occidental perspective, the building is 40m taller than New York’s Empire State.

Occupying floors 79 to 93, and thereby holding the title of the world’s highest hotel, is the new Park Hyatt. The 174-room hotel has bars and restaurants that put you – quite literally – on Cloud 9 (as one of its bars is called). Everything about the hotel is lofty, including a patio lounge at the base of a 33-storey atrium. With floor-to-ceiling plate glass everywhere, the views are panoramic. Unfortunately, what that often means in this part of the world is 360 degrees of smog.

Still, enjoy it while you can; this time next year a new hotel will have stolen its mantle. The International Commerce Centre in Kowloon, Hong Kong, will have a 300-room, “seven-star” Ritz-Carlton when it opens. Although the building will be slightly shorter (484m), the hotel will be higher up the building, so pipping the Hyatt Shanghai.

shanghai.park.hyatt.com