The 6 Best Luxury Hotels in Qingdao
From the Top of the City's Tallest Tower over Fushan Bay to a Beach Resort at Laoshan, Real Guests Rate 9.2–9.7

If you want to wake to the whole of Fushan Bay beneath you from a room atop the tallest tower in the city, with a personal butler on hand, this is the most luxurious stay in Qingdao — The St. Regis Qingdao (青岛瑞吉酒店) is a luxury 5★ St. Regis (Marriott) occupying the top floors of the Haitian Center (海天中心, ~369 m), the tallest building in the city, in the Fushan Bay area of Shinan District, where bay-side rooms look clear across Fushan Bay to May Fourth Square (五四广场) and the Olympic Sailing Center. It scores 9.6/10 on Trip.com from around 6,036 reviews. The draw is the panoramic bay view from the high-floor rooms that almost every reviewer mentions, especially at sunset and when the lights come on over the bay, plus the brand's signature personal butler who handles everything from unpacking to pressing a shirt, an indoor pool, a spa, a gym, and a breakfast and afternoon tea many praise. Guests say it with one voice — the view and the butler service are what make it worth the rate. The thing to know: it's the priciest stay on the list, and it's a city luxury hotel high in a mixed office/mall tower, not a beach resort, so if you want to step onto the sand look at another pick; and city-side rooms have a far weaker view than the bay side, so specify Ocean View when you book. But for the bay view from the tallest tower, the butler service and the St. Regis name, it's the most luxurious answer in the city.

If you want a luxury hotel where you wake to green seafront gardens, set in the prettiest old villa quarter in the city, with a breakfast the whole city talks about — Sea View Garden Hotel (青岛海景花园大酒店) is a legendary Qingdao five-star set in seafront gardens in the Badaguan villa quarter (八大关) by Huiquan Bay, at 2 Zhanghua Road in Shinan District, a walk to No. 2 Beach and the tree-lined streets of the old villa quarter. It scores 9.7/10 on Trip.com from around 6,395 reviews, the highest in our Qingdao list. The draw is the leafy seafront-garden setting that feels a world apart from the city's tower hotels, the buffet breakfast almost every reviewer ranks as the number-one highlight, and the warm local service that makes you feel like a regular, plus an indoor pool and a kids' club for families. Guests say walking and photographing the Badaguan quarter all day and coming back to a quiet garden is a balance you rarely find. The thing to know: it's an older hotel with a classic look rather than a sharp modern one, so if you want a brand-new minimalist room it may not be your thing; and the Badaguan location is a little out from the metro, so getting into town and the CBD means a car or a transfer. But for the seafront-garden setting, the legendary breakfast, the highest score and the lovely villa quarter, it's the most satisfying five-star in the city.

If you want a luxury hotel right on the beach, where you open the door straight onto the sand, wake to the sea and the rocks, and have room for the family to relax — Hyatt Regency Qingdao (青岛凯悦酒店) is a 5★ Hyatt resort right on Shilaoren Beach (石老人) in eastern Laoshan District, at 88 Donghai East Road, where sea-side rooms look out over the beach and the landmark Old Stone Man rock. It scores 9.5/10 on Trip.com from around 8,055 reviews. The draw is a true beachfront location you can step straight onto, sea-view rooms where you open the curtains to the open water, and resort facilities done well — a heated indoor pool, a spa, a gym, and a 2 km seaside boardwalk to walk or cycle. Guests say the Laoshan side is quieter than the city centre, and it suits families who want the kids on the sand and travellers in no rush, with Mount Laoshan and Polar Ocean World close by. The thing to know: the location is in eastern Laoshan District, well out from the centre, the old quarter and May Fourth Square, so you take a taxi/DiDi or a bus and transfer to the metro to get into town; and it's a beach resort that gets busy in summer. But for a true beachfront location, sea-view rooms and family pool facilities, it's the most natural beach-resort pick.

If you want a trusted luxury brand in the heart of the business district, easy to walk out to shop and eat and to hop on the metro — Shangri-La Qingdao (青岛香格里拉大酒店) is a luxury 5★ Shangri-La, a long-running stalwart in the city, in the heart of the CBD at 9 Hong Kong Middle Road (香港中路) in Shinan District, beside MixC mall and a walk from May Fourth Square. It scores 9.4/10 on Trip.com from around 11,525 reviews, the biggest review base in this article — a sign of how many people stay and how steady the score is. The draw is a CBD location that's about as convenient as it gets, beside MixC mall, a walk to May Fourth Square and the shopping, near Metro Lines 2/3, plus 680 spacious rooms across two wings (the original City Wing and the more recently renovated Valley Wing), the Shang Palace Chinese restaurant, the CHI Spa, an indoor pool, and Shangri-La's reliable service. Guests say it's the most complete, convenient base for seeing the city. The thing to know: it's been open a long time, and the original City Wing is older than the renovated Valley Wing, so ask for Valley Wing if you want a newer room; and it's a CBD hotel, not on the sea or a beach, so if you want to wake to the water look at another pick. But for the CBD location beside the mall, the metro nearby and the trusted Shangri-La brand, it's the most complete city pick.

If you want a sleek, modern luxury hotel in the business district that's all about a good night's sleep and easy on the metro — The Westin Qingdao (青岛威斯汀酒店) is a luxury 5★ Westin (Marriott) in the Shinan business district by Fushan Bay, at 8 Hong Kong Middle Road, a walk from May Fourth Square (五四广场) and by Wusi Square Station on Metro Lines 2/3. It scores 9.3/10 on Trip.com from around 4,981 reviews. The draw is Westin's signature Heavenly Bed, which reviewers say really does deliver a great night's sleep, sleek clean modern rooms, a heated indoor pool, a spa and a gym, plus a CBD location right by the metro station, a walk to May Fourth Square and the shopping. Guests say it's a hotel you wake up fresh in because you sleep well, and easy to get out and about from because the metro is on the doorstep. The thing to know: it's a CBD hotel, not directly on the sea or a beach, and the Fushan Bay-view rooms are limited and pricier, so specify one if you want the view; and it's a city hotel rather than a beach resort. But for a great Westin sleep, a CBD location right by the metro and sleek modern rooms, it's the most natural city pick.

If you want a luxury hotel where you wake to the yacht harbour and the skyscraper skyline over the bay, with a walk along the marina to May Fourth Square — InterContinental Qingdao (青岛海尔洲际酒店) is a luxury 5★ InterContinental (IHG) on the Olympic Sailing Center marina on Fushan Bay, at 98 Aomen Road in Shinan District, where sea-side rooms look out over the sailing harbour and the newer CBD skyline. It scores 9.2/10 on Trip.com from around 9,023 reviews. The draw is the marina-side location with views of the sailing harbour and the skyscrapers that reviewers love to photograph, especially at night when the towers light up over the bay, plus spacious luxury rooms, an indoor pool, a spa, a gym, several restaurants, InterContinental's service standards, and an easy walk along the marina to May Fourth Square. Guests say the marina view at night is the highlight that makes it worth it. The thing to know: city-side rooms have a far weaker view than the marina side, so specify Marina/Sea-View when you book; and it's in the newer bayfront CBD on the marina, not directly on a sandy beach you can step onto, so if you want the sand look at another pick. But for the sailing-harbour and skyline view, a marina location a walk to May Fourth Square and the InterContinental brand, it's the most natural bayfront pick.