InterContinental Tashkent

The InterContinental crowns Tashkent City, the business district of towers and fountains that has risen west of the centre as the emblem of Uzbekistan's opening to the world. Occupying a slim high-rise above the district's landscaped park, the hotel gives the capital something it never had before 2021: genuinely high rooms with views across the low, green sprawl of the city towards the Chatkal mountains on clear days.

The interiors aim for cosmopolitan glamour—a double-height lobby in bronze and stone, rooms in muted golds with floor-to-ceiling windows and marble bathrooms—and the execution is confident. The club lounge on an upper floor is the best in the city, and the rooftop-level dining and bar have quickly become fixtures for Tashkent's new business class, along with the terrace overlooking the park's evening fountain shows.

Facilities include a sizeable indoor pool under a feature ceiling, a spa with hammam and a serious gym. The location trades old-town proximity for the new district's restaurants, mall and congress centre, with Chorsu Bazaar and the metro's ornate stations a short drive east. Between the Hyatt's establishment steadiness and this tower's newer shine, Tashkent finally has a genuine luxury choice; the InterContinental is the more glamorous of the pair.