From March 2011 the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong will be able to lay claim to the title of 'World's Highest Hotel', until the next one comes along that is. For now though the hotel, built on floors 102 to 118 of the International Commerce Centre (ICC) in Kowloon, marks a magnificent return to Hong Kong for the Ritz-Carlton group. This looks set to be one of the grandest comebacks in hotel history, it is certainly one of the most anticipated in Asia. The hotel will perch at 490 metres (1,608 ft.) high, a new landmark for HK.

Clearly the elevation means that those booking into the 312 guestrooms will have panoramic views across Victoria Harour and Hong Kong Island. We'd hum 'on a clear day you can see forever' but how many of those do you get in Hong Kong?

You an also swim in the worlds highest swimming pool on the 118 floor.

Enough about the height, what about the interiors? The decoration is of the opulent over-the-top variety. For example, the pool's ceiling is made entirely of LCD screens that can show video, images or a feed from a camera on the roof of the hotel pointing straight up at the sky. We predict a lot of patrons swimming backstroke. Elsewhere crystal chandeliers drip from the ballroom ceiling, indoor fountains splash, walls glow - it is all satisfyingly glitzy. Book us in.