Time In Taipei

 W Taipei Extreme WOW Suite Living Room affords 270 degree views of the city and Taipei 101.W Taipei Extreme WOW Suite Living Room affords 270 degree views of the city and Taipei 101.

 

Walking through Xinyi, Taipei’s hot spot for culture, entertainment and nightlife, we asked a passerby where we could find the W Taipei (www.wtaipei.com) and got the answer “big colored building.” And brightly colored it is, both inside and out. The 10th-floor reception area and open-space Living Room lobby lounge and Woobar buzz at all hours, with lipstick-red and white predominating by day and mesmeric patterns of psychedelic colors pirouetting at night.  The Landis Taipei whispers elegant Art Deco from its façade.

The 405 bedrooms and suites run the gamut of the W’s range of extravagant names, from the Wonderful Rooms to the Extreme WOW Suite, and we learned that for families the five sets of Fabulous Rooms that connect with Marvelous Suites are very popular. If your clients want sunset views ask for one of the Fabulous Rooms in the west wing. And for clients who want to feast their eyes on the iconic bamboo-stalk shaped 101 Tower, currently the world’s third tallest building, ask for one of the 54 Spectacular Rooms.

In the rooms and bathrooms lavish touches like the über-comfortable W beds and ultra-thick bathrobes abound. We were tickled by whimsical features such as toilet seats that make you jump by opening as you approach, beanbags, and Munchie Boxes packed with tempting goodies.

 

The Landis Taipei whispers elegant Art Deco from its façade.

 

We have a real thing about corner rooms, so we loved the two spacious Cool Corner Rooms. Marketing and Communications Director Wina Chen ([email protected]; 011-888-2-7703-8890) says Anthony Bourdain stayed in one. Other VIP guests have included movie director Ang Lee and Lady Gaga who plumbed for the Extreme WOW Suite—the largest in Taiwan on 3,928 square feet—which is on two levels and has a master bedroom with an open-concept bathroom.

All rooms and suites can be booked through the GDS but to customize the experience for your VIPs contact Sales & Marketing Executive Assistant Manager Ashley Hansen ([email protected]; 011-886-2-7703-8868) who will liaise with General Manger Cary M. Gray ([email protected]; 011-886-2-7703-8808). 

With only three treatment rooms you should book the AWAY@SPA ahead of your client’s arrival through Manager Terren Lai ([email protected]; 011-886-2-7703-8742). Concierge duties are looked after by W Insider staff like Joyce Hsu ([email protected]), who uploads must-visit places with images to W Taipei’s Facebook Insider Instagram, providing guests with up-to-minute knowledge of the city.

Yen, the W brand’s debutant Chinese restaurant, has a chef’s table next to the open kitchen and is a must for clients who want to dive into Taiwan’s food culture. There is all-day dining in the 10th-floor Kitchen Table that spills out to the WET sky deck for alfresco dining and urban barbeques, right beside the Olympic-sized WET pool.  

The Landis Taipei (taipei.landishotelsresorts.com), in the central financial and business district, whispers elegant Art Deco from its façade to its elegant lobby and 209 guest rooms and suites where muted grays, beiges and earth shades set the tone. The Superior and Deluxe Rooms have LCD TVs and executive writing desks and the 16 Executive Suites have separate bedrooms and sitting rooms. Tip: The 20 Corner Suites are larger and L-shaped, have four-poster beds and XL bathrooms, all with soaking tubs and showers and also washlets with heated seats and there is complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the hotel. Marcoms Manager Anita Huang ([email protected]; 011-886-2-2598-5506) says to book at least two months ahead for New Year and when there are trade shows on in town. 

The Jurlique DAY SPA has four treatment rooms and Yunian Cheng ([email protected]; 011-888-2-2536-5391, ext.49) is the contact for booking relaxing massages for your VIPs. For those arriving on private jets, the Song Shan domestic airport is only 10 minutes away. The Landis is a favorite with the artsy crowd and Huang says cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Vivienne Westwood and the Three Tenors have all stayed here. Resident Manager Ivan Ramos (ivan.ramos@landistpe,com.tw; 011-886-2-2536-5391, ext 49) is in charge of VIP service and also arranges transport and city visits.

The 43-floor Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel (www.shangri-la.com/taipei/fareasternplaza) is the tallest hotel in Taipei and has 420 guest rooms, including 53 suites, all of which are currently undergoing total renovation. Communications Manager Tricia Chen ([email protected]; 011-886-2-2378-8888, ext. 5041) says the first new rooms and suites will be unveiled in February 2014 and will have the signature Shangri-La classical elegance with Chinese dynasty paintings and ornaments like those featured throughout the hotel.

The Superior and Deluxe Rooms are comfortable and spacious and the Executive Rooms have an additional cozy sitting area. The 59 Horizon Club Rooms, on the 33rd to 37th floors, facilitate private check-in and all-day access to the Horizon Club Lounge; and the Plaza Suites occupants also enjoy Horizon Club privileges. For a family group the Specialty Suite is the ne plus ultra in comfort while the Presidential Suite, which is twice as large, is on the highest residential floor and has a gracious living room with a two-story high ceiling. For your important clients’ needs, contact Director of VIP Service Judy Lu ([email protected]; 011-886-2-2378-8888, ext. 5812) or General Manager Marcel N. A. Holman ([email protected]; 011-886-2-2378-8888, ext. 5000).Shangri-la’s Marco polo lounge is a hot spot for the city’s trendsetters.

The Shangri-La has more restaurants than any other luxury hotel in Taipei. The extensive buffet in the Café at Far Eastern is an all-day temptation. The Ibuki is à la carte Japanese and the Shang Palace features Cantonese cuisine. Chef Marco Priolo from Brescia “makes all the magic happen” in the red and black Marco Polo restaurant on the 39th floor. For lovebirds, you should book table no. 7—called the “Proposal Table”—as Chef Priolo’s team is skillful at hiding diamond engagement rings in the set menu which comes with complimentary flowers.  

 

Shangri-la’s Marco polo lounge is a hot spot for the city’s trendsetters.

 

During the summer months, the rooftop heated pool on the 43rd floor vies with the outdoor swimming pool on the 7th floor. For bookings in the Qi Shiseido Salon and Spa, with 11 treatment rooms, contact Joan Lee ([email protected]; 011-886-2-2378-8888, ext. 5455). Head Concierge Jeffrey Chung ([email protected]; 011-886-2-2378-8888, ext. 5414) will direct shopaholics to The Mall next door with its up-market multi-brand stores, to the nearby Tong Hua night market and arrange visits to the stunning National Palace Museum, the world’s greatest collection of Chinese art—a treasure-trove of over 650,000 art works from ancient imperial dynasties.