The Upper House

Thanks to the clever way the team has engineered guest welcomes, the first time you’ll be awed by the views is when you set foot in your bedroom. For a few moments, the interiors don’t exist, as you’re drawn to the wraparound floor-to-ceiling windows. Because of the building’s layered, jutting design, most of the 117 bedrooms are corner suites, offering rotating views across the city, towards the mountains or – if you’re as lucky as us – over both. Pressing the remote control to shimmy open the blackout curtains each morning soon becomes a daily highlight.

In London, Andre Fu’s design is best showcased via his stunning suites at the Berkeley and the top two floors at the Emory just next door in Knightsbridge. His signature materials of natural bamboo, timber, shoji glass, limestone and lacquered paper are shown off to great effect in the Upper House too. The palette is neutral, the beds enormous and the lighting intuitive. Those huge panes are hugged by window seats, and coffee-table books are artfully stacked for the ultimate reading nook. Then there’s the Bamford-stocked bathrooms – visions of wood and limestone, with twin vanities, walk-in rain showers and enormous baths to soak away any residual jet lag. There are striking floor-to-ceiling windows here too, but as you’re given the tour, the team will suggest the blinds come down for modesty – unless you fancy being spied showering by office workers in the high-rises opposite. For all this on a supercharged scale, look to book the Andre Fu Suite or Penthouse.

We can’t write about the bedrooms without mentioning the ‘maxi’ bars. Filled with everything from AG1 Greens supplements to industry-best JING tea, a mountain of snacks and a fleet of Hong Kong drinks, these magical treat boxes are refilled every day, for no extra charge. We also want to shout out the filtered water tap in every room – an extra touch that’s both sustainable and so much better for guest experience than popping two plastic bottles of water in a mini bar.

There’s more food and drink to be found on the 49th floor. Cross the Sky Bridge, 40m above a striking water feature and sculpture at the foot of the hotel, and you’ll arrive at its signature restaurant, Salisterra. Headed up by Ricardo Chaneton of Michelin-starred Mono, it unexpectedly focuses on modern flavours of the Mediterranean: look for the likes of roasted leeks with romesco sauce and hazelnut; excellent stripy spinach ravioli with grana padano sauce and sage; and a wonderful caramelised-pineapple tarte tatin with vanilla ice-cream. There’s also the atmospheric Green Room, with loos as picture-worthy as the cocktails, and a bar menu of Asian and Med favourites (hint: order the scallop and asparagus fried rice).

We could write reams about the Chinese set breakfast alone. Beautifully presented – whether as room service or up in Salisterra – the full feast includes abalone congee, a trio of dim sum (chicken har gow, BBQ pork bun and a turnip puff), a bowl of stir-fried noodles, you tiao (a fried doughnut stick), chilli sauce, a soy dip, plus grapefruit juice and a pot of tea or coffee. Of course, there’s everything from croissants and granola to a full English and charcuterie platters on offer too, but it was the Chinese set that stole our heart – and stomach – each day.

The Guest Experience team at The Upper House are second to none. From organising tickets to Hong Kong’s many art galleries and museums, to reserving tables at hard-to-book restaurants, they are always on hand to arrange. They can also hook you up with Leo the Local for a tour of some of the city’s most storied temples and street markets, with a sunset harbour cruise on Aqua Luna, or help pull together a daytrip to Lantau Island to see the world’s second-largest buddha and eat a traditional vegetarian meal with the local monks.

The hotel also has a high-end hook-up with airline Cathay Pacific. At both Heathrow and Hong Kong, the Cathay Pacific Lounge is filled with pre-flight experience enhancers – from dim sum and champagne at the Noodle Bar to dedicated work areas, shower suites and speedy pre-flight massage treatments. Some flights offer Cathay Pacific’s new Business Class Aria Suite, which comes with a sliding door, fully lie-flat bed and extra storage, plus an inflight menu from Duddles, one of Hong Kong’s most popular Michelin-starred dim sum restaurants.