Fairmont Baku, Flame Towers

The Flame Towers are modern Baku's signature—three curved glass skyscrapers on the ridge above the bay, lit nightly with sweeping animations of fire—and the Fairmont occupies one of them. Staying here means sleeping inside the postcard, and the reward is the view: floor-to-ceiling glass in every room, with the city, the Old City's medieval knot and the great curve of the Caspian spread below.

Interiors are contemporary-glamorous, all curved corridors following the tower's flame profile, with rooms in soft neutrals that leave the panorama to do the work. The higher the floor, the better; bay-facing rooms at sunset, with the boulevard lights coming on along the crescent of the shore, are genuinely spectacular. Facilities are extensive in the manner of a flagship: a serious spa with an indoor pool, multiple restaurants from international grills to Azerbaijani dishes, and some of the city's largest event spaces.

The trade-off is position. The ridge-top site beside the Martyrs' Alley memorial means the Old City and boulevard are a funicular ride or short taxi below rather than a stroll away. For travellers who prioritise the skyline experience—and for anyone who wants to look out at Baku rather than up at it—the Fairmont makes the more dramatic argument of the city's big hotels.