St. Regis Lhasa opened November 15, 2010 with 150 guest rooms and 12 villas and suites. The Starwood Hotels luxury resort is located 12,000 feet in elevation on a valley plateau surrounded by towering mountains of the Himalayas with a hotel descriptor, “Standing on the Roof of the World.†The resort is situated on 8 acres of land. The hotel is currently ranked SPG category 5 for award nights at 12,000 points or $90 + 4,800 points for a Cash & Points award.
Rooms have mountain views and some rooms and suites view the Potala Palace, the iconic historical structure of Lhasa that formerly housed the Dalai Lama until 1959 and is now a museum.
Deluxe rooms are the standard room category and currently priced in the US$300 per night range for a 61 sq. m room with Bose sound system, wi-fi, 42-in TV, separate study and separate shower and bath. 24 hour butler service is included. The basic room is about 650 sq ft which is a sizeable room for extended stay comfort. The average size of a standard luxury hotel room in the U.S. is around 550 sq. ft. There are not many room photos for St. Regis Lhasa on the Starwood site.
Villa Grand Deluxe Room is the next room category at about 85 sq. m. or 914 sq. ft. This is a sizeable room comparable to the size of most large two-room suites in U.S. hotels. (A basic size hotel room is about 275 to 325 sq. ft.). The description of room amenities is the same as the Deluxe room. The Villa Grand Deluxe room is priced around US$500 per night.
Shigatse Suite is around 100 sq. m. room or about 1,100 sq. ft. The main difference noticed here is a 50-in plasma screen tv in the room.
Lhasa Suite – Taste of Luxury Limited Time Offer Rate is a 4th night free rate plan available for stays through March 2011 and includes daily breakfast. The Lhasa Suite is 115 sq.m. or about 1,300 sq. ft. with a pantry, Potala Palace view, butler, two 42-in TVs. This rate is about 18,000 CNY for December 17-21, 2010 or US$2,710 using the 4th night free rate.
12,000 feet is quite an altitude for a vacation. If you are going to be altitude sick, then the St. Regis Lhasa is probably as good as any place to acclimate on your journey to the roof of the world.
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