Rosewood Hong Kong

Rosewood’s return to Asia in 2014 with the debut of the Rosewood Beijing turned plenty of heads, and so have its subsequent openings in the region. But the brand’s towering new Hong Kong flagship outshines them all. This is CEO Sonia Cheng’s hometown, after all, and no expense seems to have been spared in creating a property that both celebrates the Cheng family’s legacy (the 413-room hotel rises from the former site of the New World Centre, a waterfront complex in East Tsim Sha Tsui built by her grandfather, Cheng Yu-tung) and anchors the nascent Victoria Dockside development. New York–based designer Tony Chi has crafted some of the best-looking guest rooms in the city (starting at 53 square meters, they’re also among the biggest) — a lavish blend of patterns and textures that extends to cashmere wall coverings, lacquered panels, Giorgetti armchairs, and, in the bathrooms, hammered copper sinks and twin showers clad in richly veined marble. A small fortune has also been spent on artwork, from the life-size elephant by Indian sculptor Bharti Kher displayed off the lobby, to the Damien Hirst butterflies on the walls of the nearby tea lounge. Chi designed all the public spaces as well; these include The Legacy House, which specializes in the refined cuisine of Shunde, the Cantonese town where grandfather Cheng grew up; and DarkSide, a sultry bar with live jazz and a fine stock of dark spirits. Look up, and you’ll see a ceiling installation of rotating hourglasses. Perhaps they mark that this waterfront’s time has come. — 852/3891-8888; rosewood hotels.com; doubles from US$575