The Ritz-Carlton, Chengdu

What the classifiers highlight

Built in 2013 on the site of a newly found imperial palace, the 41-story tower overlooks Tianfu Square with 350 rooms styled after traditional courtyard homes. Forbes calls the 24,756-square-foot spa among the city's finest, with ten treatment rooms and a lap pool, and singles out an afternoon tea served on a bed of moss with cakes shaped like mushrooms.