The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong

International Commerce Centre
International Commerce Centre
環球貿易廣場
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Hotel, observation, office, dining, shopping, parking
Location	1 Austin Road West,; West Kowloon,; Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Construction started	24 July 2002; 22 years ago
Completed	3 May 2010; 14 years ago
Opening	2011; 13 years ago
Management	Kai Shing Management Services Limited
Height
Architectural	484 m (1,588 ft)
Tip	490 m (1,608 ft)
Top floor	476 m (1,562 ft)
Observatory	393 m (1,289 ft), Sky100
Technical details
Floor count	103 (without Elements); 108 (with Elements); 118 (official)
Floor area	274,064 m2 (2,950,000 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators	84
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (design); Belt Collins & Associates (landscape); Wong & Ouyang (HK) Ltd.
Developer	Sun Hung Kai Properties
Structural engineer	Arup
Main contractor	Sanfield Building Contractors Limited

The International Commerce Centre is a 103-storey, 454 m (1,490 ft)^[5]^[6] supertall skyscraper in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. On top of the shopping mall, Elements, near West Kowloon Cultural District, and the south side of ICC faces Victoria Harbour, directly opposite Hong Kong's 2nd tallest building, Two ifc.^[7]

Standing on about 30 m (98 ft)-tall podium floor (level 8), the tower itself would be 454 m (1,490 ft) tall while the top floor is 103 (official 118), but the official incorporates the levels of the mall, making it has a final height of 484 m (1,588 ft) with 108 storeys. With the 6 m (20 ft)-tall parapets on the roof, its official height is 490 m (1,608 ft). Compare with Two ifc, is on the ground, rather than a mall.

Following the most commonly used measurement worldwide – height to architectural top, it is the world's 13th tallest building, 10th tallest by number of floors, also Hong Kong's tallest and the only building with over 100 storeys. It was the world's 4th tallest and 3rd in Asia when completed in 2010.

History

MTR Corporation Limited and Sun Hung Kai Properties, Hong Kong's metro operator and largest property developer respectively, were responsible for the development. Known in development as Union Square Phase 7, its current name was officially announced in 2005. The building was completed in phases from 2007 to 2010, and opened in 2011, while The Ritz-Carlton opened in March and Sky100 in April. It was designed to be 574 m (1,883 ft) tall with 102 storeys, one of the reasons to the current height is airways.

Floor count

The top floor is "118". However, levels with "4" in the last digit were skipped because it sounds like "death" in Cantonese and Mandarin (tetraphobia), it also makes levels "higher", similar to Western superstition about the number 13 (triskaidekaphobia). e.g. the 68-storey building, The Cullinan, is declared 93 storeys.

Except for level 3, 103 and 113, levels with "3" in the last digit were also skipped, level 5, 6, 7, 26, 28, 29 and 105 were skipped as well for unknown reason. They are currently replaced by levels with "M" & "R", which stand for "Mechanical" and "Refuge". Although the levels missing, it still shows on the elevator's screen of Sky100 and Skydining 101 while going up and down.

28 floors were skipped: 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 23, 24, 26, 28, 29, 33, 34, 43, 44, 53, 54, 63, 64, 73, 74, 83, 84, 93, 94, 104, 105, 114

18 floors were added: UG, M1-1, M1-2, M1-3, M1-5, R1, R2, M2-1, M2-2, R3, M3-1, M3-2, R4, M4-1, M4-2, M4-3, M5, M6

Level	Tower level	Type	Elevation
118	103	The Ritz-Carlton (swimming pool, fitness centre & Ozone bar)	476 m (1,562 ft)
M6	102	Mechanical
117	101	The Ritz-Carlton (presidential suite)
116	100	The Ritz-Carlton (spa & club lounge)	465 m (1,526 ft)
115	99	The Ritz-Carlton (guest rooms)
113	98
112	97
111	96
110	95
109	94
108	93
107	92
106	91
M5	90	Mechanical
103	89	The Ritz-Carlton (reception lobby, Café 103 & buffet)	425 m (1,394 ft)
102	88	The Ritz-Carlton (dining)
M4-3	87	The Ritz-Carlton (staff only) / Mechanical
M4-2	86	Mechanical
M4-1	85	Mechanical
R4	84	Refuge
101	83	Skydining 101	399 m (1,309 ft)
100	82	Sky100 & Café 100	393 m (1,289 ft)
99	81	UBS
98	80
97	79
96	78	Office
95	77	UBS
92	76
91	75
90	74
89	73
88	72
87	71
86	70	IWG plc
85	69
82	68
81	67	Office
80	66
79	65
78	64
M3-2	63	Mechanical
M3-1	62	Mechanical
R3	61	Refuge
77	60	Office
76	59
75	58
72	57
71	56
70	55
69	54
68	53
67	52
66	51
65	50
62	49
61	48	Deutsche Bank
60	47
59	46
58	45
57	44
56	43
55	42
52	41
51	40
50	39	Office
49	38	Sky lobby
48	37	Sky lobby
M2-2	36	Mechanical
M2-1	35	Mechanical
R2	34	Refuge
47	33	Morgan Stanley
46	32
45	31
42	30
41	29
40	28
39	27
38	26
37	25
36	24
35	23
32	22
31	21
30	20
27	19	Office
25	18
22	17
21	16
20	15	SPACE (fitness centre)
19	14	Office
18	13
17	12
16	11
15	10
12	9
R1	8	Refuge
M1-5	7	Mechanical
M1-3	6
M1-2	5
M1-1	4
11	3	Office
10	2	Office
9	1	The Ritz-Carlton (entrance), office lobby & podium floor
8	G	The Ritz-Carlton (entrance), office lobby & podium floor
⬆ ICC ⬆ ⬇ Elements ⬇
3	4	The Ritz-Carlton (ballroom) & lobbies (office & Skydining 101)	25 m (82 ft)
2	3	Sky100 (tickets & entrance) & skyway to WKCD
1	2	-
UG	1	-
G	G	Entrance (Nga Cheung Road), bus stop & loading dock
B1	B1	Carpark
B2	B2
B3	B3
B4	B4

The ICC Light and Music Show

The LED light show set a new Guinness World Record for the “largest light and sound show on a single building” using a total of 50,000 m² on two facades of ICC.^[8] The Show is designed by the lighting design supervisor, Hirohito Totsune,^[9] who already designed the lighting system of the Tokyo Skytree.^[10] It creates a theme and story line by using lights and music elements, similar to "A Symphony of Lights" in Victoria Harbour.

Sky100 & Skydining 101

Sky100
Office lobby with the passage to Skydining 101, while L4 to 7 missing!

A 67-second journey takes guests to the 360-degree, 393-metre high indoor observation deck Sky100 on level 100 from level 2. It is the 2nd highest observation deck in Hong Kong, after outdoor Sky Terrace 428 on The Peak Tower.^[11]^[12] It opens from 1000 to 2030 daily (last entry at 2000), but depends on the weather and sometimes for private only,^[13] the admission fee of aged 12 to 64 is $198. The Hong Kong action film, Cold War, which stars Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Ka-fai as the main character, was also filmed here in 2011.

Skydining 101 (Inakaya, Odyssée, The Sky Boss and The Kitin) sits on level 101 at 399 m (1,309 ft).

The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong

The original hotel was demolished in 2009^[14]
View from The Ritz-Carlton
Tin Lung Heen on L102
The Lounge & Bar on L102
Lobby on L103

The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong is the highest five-star hotel in Hong Kong and 3rd highest in the world, which occupies level 3, 8, 9 and the top 17 floors (M4-3 to 118), offering 312 rooms. The Ritz-Carlton is a brand of the American company Marriott International. It was the world's highest hotel when opened in March 2011, and was surpassed by Rosewood Guangzhou on the top 16 floors of 530 m-tall Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre in September 2019,^[15] and Heavenly Jin Restaurant of J Hotel Shanghai Tower on the 120th floor at 556.36 m (1,825.33 ft) in June 2021,^[16]^[17] although it says "HIGHEST HOTEL IN THE WORLD AT THE RITZ-CARLTON, HONG KONG" on its official website until present day (November 2024).^[18]

The hotel was located on Chater Road, Central from August 1993 to January 2008, and re-opened at ICC on 29 March 2011. Its interior lighting is designed by British lighting designer, Sally Storey.^[19]

Features

A 90-second journey takes guests to the reception lobby and Café 103 (buffet) on level 103 from level 9; another coffee zone, Café 100, located on the west side of Sky100 on level 100. The Michelin-dining can be experienced on level 102, including a one-starred Italian cuisine, Tosca di Angelo, and two-starred Cantonese cuisine, Tin Lung Heen,^[20] which has been awarded since 2013 and was one-starred in 2012; the Hong Kong action film, Raging Fire, which stars Donnie Yen as the main character, was also filmed here in 2019.

The spa and club lounge are on level 116 at 465 m (1,526 ft);^[21] the world's highest presidential suite sits on level 117, covering an area of 366 m² (3,940 sq ft), with a 270-degree, floor-to-ceiling city view of Hong Kong Island, Victoria Harbour, and Kowloon Peninsula;^[22] the world's highest swimming pool, fitness centre and outdoor Ozone bar set on the top floor 118 at 476 m (1,562 ft), although it says "490 metres above sea level" on its official website, Facebook page, and the sign on that level.

Suicide & homicide of The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong

A woman jumped to death from 84th floor

On 8 August 2017, a 29-year-old guest, Liao Yi-lin, was found dead on the ground outside of level 8 at 0300. She was a daughter of Liao Rong-jiu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Political Consultative Conference. She climbed over the fence and jumped from the fire barrier on level "R4", which is the 84th floor at about 404 m (1,325 ft) above sea level. The protruding windows on level M1-1 were shattered after she fell.^[23]

A South Korean CEO murdered wife and son

On 14 January 2018, a 42-year-old South Korean CEO of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, murdered his 42-year-old wife and 7-year-old son in Room 31 on level 109 because of business failure and told his friend who was in South Korea that he was going to commit suicide. The South Korean police and the Consulate General in Hong Kong intervened.^[24]^[25] He was arrested at the crime scene and remanded in Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre. On 16 April, he hanged himself with a bed sheet.^[26]

Murder of yoga instructor

A 23-year-old yoga instructor, Aqua Chow, was going to the United States for studying and boarding by 0200 on 30 June 2022. She disappeared after leaving her apartment, Seaside Sonata in Sham Shui Po, at 1634 of 29 June with her 28-year-old ex-boyfriend, Alex Lo, who was arrested next day. Her corpse with more than 30 stab wounds, and the 27-centimetre-long knife were found in a bathtub in Room 05 on level 106.^[27]^[28]^[29]