Rosewood Guangzhou is situated on the top 39 stories of the 530-metre-tall CTF Finance Centre, which soars above bustling Zhujiang New Town (some hotel facilities are also located on lower floors). Wall-to-wall wooden floor is featured on the premises and epic views of downtown Guangzhou abound from this towering urban oasis. Here, Rosewood’s ‘A Sense of Place’ concept is evidently Cantonese, yet brought to life by Toronto-based firm Yabu Pushelberg. The resulting luxury hotel brims with an East-meets-West ambiance and elaborately displayed artworks.
Starting from the 95th floor of the skyscraper, each of the 251 guestrooms and suites overlooks the CBD from a ceiling-to-floor window – with the largest suite occupying a whopping 275 square meters. A painting of old Canton greets guests upon entering the rooms; a small self-produced guidebook to the best of the city is considerately placed alongside the sizable beds; and a mini bar delights thirsty patrons with complimentary mini bottles of booze. The sense of classiness is further amplified by books and art pieces.
Dining options at Rosewood Guangzhou include Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Lingnan House, with vintage decor and tableware modelled on antique articles; Brick Lane, a Western fare-serving bistro specialising in seafood; and Black Iron, which dishes out heavenly food from Japan. You can drown any sorrows at its casual, industrial-style pub or an upscale, 107-floor bar while accompanied by groovy live music in the evening. Working out on the treadmills in its gym while looking out over the Guangzhou metropolitan area is absolutely stunning. Rosewood’s two-floor spa and fitness facility , which also includes a swimming pool, is the largest of its kind in town.
Complete with a kitchen, the ‘Sky Mansion’ on the 108th floor functions as an executive lounge, and arriving there takes less than a minute, thanks to the world’s fastest elevator that travels at 20 metres per second. There’s also an entire floor at Rosewood Guangzhou dedicated to meeting, wedding or other corporate events, including a ballroom, several separate function rooms with kitchens as well as VIP rooms.