That sail-shaped tower rising above Baku's Caspian Boulevard is among the most recognizable silhouettes in a skyline that has remade itself at remarkable speed. Designed by Günay Architects and completed in 2014, the 33-floor structure houses The Ritz-Carlton, Baku across 171 rooms and suites, its curved glass curtain wall tapering to a single point — an unmistakable civic gesture visible from the waterfront promenade and, on clear days, from across the water itself. Inside, the interiors navigate a tension that many Caspian-facing luxury hotels have struggled with: how to feel international without feeling placeless. The answer here arrives through restraint in the architecture and colour in the details — rooms finished in warm taupe velvets and herringbone oak flooring, punctuated by ikat-patterned cushions in the reds and teals of traditional Azerbaijani textile work. Floor-to-ceiling glazing frames the Heydar Aliyev Centre, Zaha Hadid's white-formed cultural complex, directly below, making the view itself part of the room's design argument. In the restaurant, open walnut shelving units divide the dining floor into softer zones, trailing greenery softening what would otherwise be a fairly corporate volume, while the indoor pool below carries its most dramatic move overhead — a rippled metallic ceiling that mirrors the water's surface, the reflected light animating dark timber walls with constant, quiet movement.

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