Luxury in Guangzhou
6 Five-Star Hotels Real Guests Rate 9.3–9.6

If you're choosing the single most luxurious place to stay in a city of skyscrapers — Rosewood Guangzhou occupies the top 39 floors of the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre (the East Tower, ~530 m), which makes it the tallest hotel in China. It opened in 2019 with 251 rooms and scores 9.4/10 on Trip.com from around 7,463 reviews — the most of any supertall tower hotel here. The draw is rooms and restaurants that float above the entire city, with a sky restaurant and bar on the 107th floor, an indoor pool and the Asaya Spa, all in Rosewood's ultra-luxury style. Guests say it with one voice: the city and Pearl River views from up high are unforgettable, and the service is meticulous. The thing to know: it's the priciest in the group — you're paying for the altitude and the brand — and it's a glassy ultra-luxury tower, not a riverside heritage stay. But for the 'highest stay in China' bragging right plus Rosewood service, this is the answer.

Open the curtains in the morning and the Canton Tower floats across the river, with the whole city laid out below you — the Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou sits on floors 69–100 of the Guangzhou IFC West Tower (~437 m), in the heart of Zhujiang New Town. It scores 9.5/10 on Trip.com from thousands of real reviews — the highest score of any tower hotel in this group. The draw is rooms and restaurants that float above the skyline, with floor-to-ceiling windows that catch the Canton Tower, the Pearl River and Huacheng Square, plus the Tian bar on the 99th floor and Catch on the 100th for dinner above the city. Guests say the view from the room is what stays with them, and that the Four Seasons service attends to everything. The thing to know: it's pricey — you're paying mainly for the altitude and the view — and lower-floor or city-facing rooms miss the full Canton Tower shot. It's a glossy tower, not a riverside heritage stay.

If you want a luxury hotel in the heart of the shopping district where you can eat Michelin food in-house — the Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou sits in central Tianhe CBD, connected straight into Taikoo Hui, the city's most upscale mall, and home to Jiang by Chef Fei, which has held two Michelin stars for years running (including the 2025 Guangzhou guide). It scores 9.3/10 on Trip.com from around 4,282 reviews. The draw is a location in the heart of the business-and-shopping district where you step out of the lobby into the mall, plus Michelin-level dining in-house — a real highlight in Guangzhou, the capital of Cantonese food. Guests praise the polished Mandarin Oriental service, smart, clean rooms and a varied breakfast. The thing to know: the tower is in the Tianhe shopping-and-business district, not on the river or among the supertalls, so room views are city views rather than a full Canton Tower panorama — but if location for shopping and Michelin dining matter most, it fits beautifully.

If you put service before the view — The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou is a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star for years running, in the heart of Zhujiang New Town by the Pearl River and Huacheng Square, a 5-minute walk to the Guangzhou Opera House, with 350 rooms and the Cantonese restaurant Lai Heen, a Michelin star since the inaugural Guangzhou guide in 2018. It scores 9.3/10 on Trip.com from thousands of real reviews. What guests talk about most is service that's 'beyond expectations' — staff who remember your name and look after the details — plus classic, luxurious design, comfortable beds and a generous breakfast. Guests say you come for the service and the food and aren't disappointed. The thing to know: the Ritz-Carlton tower is lower than the supertalls nearby, so the skyline view from the room is partial rather than a panorama, and the style is classic-and-formal — anyone after a lively, lifestyle feel may prefer elsewhere.

If you want to stay in Guangzhou with a sense of history — the White Swan Hotel is a legendary five-star on Shamian Island (Shamian), a riverside island in the old-town Liwan district full of colonial architecture and tree-lined streets; it opened in 1983 and reopened after a major refurbishment in 2015. It scores 9.6/10 on Trip.com from around 8,547 reviews — both the highest score and the most-reviewed in this article. The draw is the real rock waterfall in the lobby garden (故乡水), a legendary photo spot, full Pearl River-view rooms, and genuine Cantonese dim sum in the in-house Chinese restaurant. Guests say it feels like staying somewhere with a story, not just another glass tower. The thing to know: it's a classic, heritage hotel, not a supertall in the new district — which is why we place it at rank 5 despite the 9.6 score, since this list ranks by the tier of luxury of the tower/brand first, and the island setting means a walk or taxi off the island to the Metro. But for riverside charm and food, it's the most characterful stay in Guangzhou.

We close the luxury group with the hotel that has the city's liveliest nights — W Guangzhou is Marriott's design-and-lifestyle five-star in Pearl River New Town, Tianhe, two towers joined and lit up in the shape of a W on the banks of the Pearl River. It scores 9.3/10 on Trip.com from around 6,035 reviews. The draw is the bold, colourful design across 317 rooms and suites, the heated indoor WET pool you can use year-round, the AWAY Spa (the brand's first in China), and the WOOBAR, which turns into a popular nightspot in the evening — plus the easy-going Whatever/Whenever service and staff who speak good English. Guests call it the most fun design hotel in the city. The thing to know: the lively, music-filled W vibe isn't for everyone — some evenings the bar/lobby can be loud if you want a quiet stay — and the hotel sits a little out from the very core of Zhujiang New Town's tallest towers. But at a more reachable rate than the classic players, it's the lifestyle pick that fits best.