World's highest five-star hotel opens in Lhasa

The new St. Regis hotel, slated to be the world's highest five-star hotel, has opened in Lhasa, Tibet, China.

The hotel is located 3,600 metres above sea level on a three hectare land. It incorporates a Tibetan traditional design which has been inspired by the design of the Sera Monastery in Lhasa. It comprises 150 suites and 12 private villas. All the rooms are fitted with an oxygen tank to facilitate guests during symptoms of altitude mountain sickness owing to the building's placement at extreme high altitude.

Other features of the building include a spa with an indoor pool, a wine bar and three restaurants. One of the restaurants is an international one whereas the other two offer local Tibetan and traditional Chinese cuisines. The facility allows glimpses of the Himalayas and Lhasa Valley.

The hotel includes various sustainable features which include use of solar panels to maximise energy-efficiency, in addition to an underground water recycling system which will help conserve water. Further, all the three restaurants of the facility will serve delicacies procured from locally-sourced productions.

The St. Regis Lhasa Resort is one of five planned hotels to be built by 2015 under the region’s five-year plan. The Shangri-La and the Intercontinental Hotels will be the next ones coming up in Lhasa.