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Lady Gaga Gives The Regent Taipei's 8 Restaurants A Run For Their Money

Where: 41 Chung Shan North Road, Taipei, Taiwan

Let them eat burgers

It must have been a difficult request for the hotel to accommodate. On Friday afternoon, hundreds of fans waited outside the Regent Taipei for the arrival of their queen, Lady Gaga. And though the Turquoise-Haired One managed to enter the hotel unseen, she made it clear that her commitment to her fans is as strong as ever.

Hours after she arrived, hotel staffers were instructed to deliver 100 burger-and-fries combos to the crowd waiting downstairs. Not every hotel is equipped with their own hidden hotel burger shop, so we're guessing some bellhops had to dash to a local fast food chain. But it sure beat Lady Gaga having to maneuver around the hotel in those mile-high platforms!

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Espresso and Taipei 101 From the Le Meridien Taipei

Where: 38 SongRen Road, Taipei, Taiwan, 110

We are suckers for a room with a killer view. We find that we are even more likely to forgive some minor hotel inconveniences if we can stare out the window at something pretty--yeah we are that shallow. Let's help out our fellow hotel mavens by uploading rooms with killer views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. We will feature our favorites in this space from time to time. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number of the hot view.

The window might be a touch dirty but we're loving this arty shot of the Taipei 101 Skyscraper from the Le Meridien Taipei. HotelChatter Flickr member Ken Lee dropped in this shot back in December and while not as shiny and new as the W Taipei which opened in February, the Le Meridien did just open last year. So it's got all the important shiny and new amenities we like such as flat-screen TVs, rain showers, separate bathtubs, white leather ergonomic desk chairs and Nespresso machines--hence the espresso cup.

Rooms are predictably modern and muted but totally affordable at around 6,900 TWD a night, or $237.

[Photo: Ken Lee]

Snapshot / W Hotels / Taipei Hotels / HotelChatter Flickr Pool / Hotel Pools / → All Tags

W Hotels Has Got Its Mojo Back with the W Taipei's Rooftop Pool

Where: 10 Zhongxiao East Road Sec. 5, Taipei, Xinyi District , Taiwan, 110

When the W Taipei opened last month, we were relieved to see the guestrooms looked far better than the W London. And now we're heaving another sigh of relief over the hotel's pool scene.

HotelChatter Flickr member Ken Lee dropped in this shot of the rooftop pool and it looks just like what we'd expect from a W hotel. Lately, W Hotels has seem to lost some of their design libido, perhaps a side effect of over-expansion into some questionable markets. But the W Taipei pool has us ready to strip down, particularly those lounge chairs siting in a few inches of water.

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First Look at W Taipei, Rooms Nicer Than London

Where: 10 Zhongxiao East Road Sec. 5, Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan, 110

Here’s a Friday treat: the first pictures of the W Taipei, which opened on Monday. We’ve been itching to see the place since it opened without, shock horror, updating its Facebook page, and we’re not disappointed.

From what they posted on their Facebook page in their album of opening night shots, the interior looks pretty nice, too. The Lounge looks a little bare (although we love the lofty ceilings) and could maybe be jazzed up a little, but we like the entrance, the DJ corner complete with bookshelves, and the rooftop pool looks both spacious and lush.

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W Taipei Opens, is 'Nature Electrified'

Where: 10 Zhongxiao East Road Sec. 5, Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan, 110

Nature electrified. In progress.

Ok, so all the attention in hotel opening world yesterday may have gone on the W London Leicester Square, thanks to its stellar guestlist for its pre-opening party, but hey, technically the W Taipei stole London’s thunder by opening on a time zone eight hours ahead.

The hotel is in the Xinyi district, by the massive Taipei 101. In fact, according to Incentive Travel, it’s the only hotel in the city with a “panoramic vista” of the tower. There are two restaurants – The Kitchen Table, serving international food, and Yen, a Cantonese restaurant and bar.

The decor sounds pretty groovy – according to the hotel,

Upon arriving at W Taipei, guests will marvel at “The Chain” - made of the strongest stainless steel with a mirror finish – that symbolically anchors the energy of the W Taipei into the ground and is juxtaposed with a gigantic green wall filled with plants organically grown throughout Taiwan. W Taipei showcases a cutting-edge collection of design installations that bring to life the hotel’s design concept of “nature electrified.” For instance, an interactive light installation interacts with guests as they enter the building, by changing shape, look and feel in sync with its surroundings.

Sounds gorgeous, right? Sadly the hotel’s Facebook page has yet to be updated with any new pictures, and the website only shows renderings. Sad face! We’re imagining something awesome, though. And we’ll keep checking in on them until they get something up.

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Hotel Openings / W Hotels / Taipei Hotels / Taiwan Hotels / Starwood Hotels / → All Tags

W Taipei Says It's Opening 14 February, Mysteriously Sold Out For the First 12 Days

Where: 10 Zhongxiao East Road Sec. 5, Xinyi District , Taipei, Taiwan, 110

There’s a Whole lot of W news going on at the moment, what with free nights at the W Vieques Resort, Istanbul’s makeover and the imminent arrival of W London, and obviously the forthcoming W Taipei is feeling left out, because it’s announced an opening date of Valentine’s Day (stealing London’s thunder, seeing as Taiwan’s slightly ahead than the UK, when it comes to timezones).

Or rather, that's the official plan, and that's what the website says. Having said that, the website isn’t taking reservations for 14 February. Or the day after. In fact, the first date you can book is 26 February, nearly two weeks after scheduled opening date (we say “scheduled” but don’t forget it was originally down for a December 2010 opening).

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The W Taipei Has a Date: Opening December 28

Where: No. 10, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road, Taipei, Taiwan, 110

The theme this week seems to be the expansion in Asia, and Starwood continues the charge with the first W Hotel in Taiwan, opening in Taipei on December 28, 2010.

If you don't already recognize the skyscraper looming in the background of the rendering above, that's Taipei 101, once the world's tallest building and still the most recognizable in the country. The W won't be next door exactly, but they're hoping the sleek glass facade will make it an attraction all its own in the energetic Xinyi district. It also helps that the W Taipei will boast two scenester restaurants, a W retail store and a rooftop WET pool and bar.

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Meaningful Rice Dumplings Served for Breakfast at Grand Hotel Taipei

Where: 1 Chung Shan N Road Sec 4, Taipei, Taiwan, 104

Thanks to an obsessive labeler on Flickr, we can give you a rundown on the breakfast at the Grand Hotel Taipei in some detail.

This version vaguely resembles a Western breakfast--in so far as there's tea, juice and some food--but then the similarities end, and the interesting cultural influences we go on holidays for begin. Some of the less-easily-identified components include the cucumber gelatin concoction (bottom left of the plate) and in the second cup from the left, the Thousand-Year-Old Egg (which we hope is not too accurately named).

Then there's a few versions of rice, starting with the congee in the far left cup (a kind of porridge), the fairly standard riceball and the Zong-zi (rice dumpling), which comes complete with a nice story:

Qu Yuan, a well-loved poet, drowned himself in the river and to prevent the fish from eating his body, people made rice dumplings (zong-zi) and threw them into the river.

All this learning, and you haven't even left the hotel yet, or even finished breakfast. Just for the record, recent visitors to Taipei's Grand Hotel have left incredibly mixed reviews, from those who loved it and considered it fantastic value, through those who appreciate the architecture but not the service, right down to some who think it's faded and past it (perhaps like the thousand-year-old-egg). All we know for certain is the breakfast looks pretty cool.

[Photo: seamusiv]

Related Stories:
· Grand Hotel Taipei reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Taiwan Airport's New Name (And Nickname) [Jaunted]
· Taiwan's Lantern Festival Goes Porcine [Jaunted]

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Bad English Translations

We just can't get enough of hotel signs with poor English translations. This is from a hotel in Taiwan posted before the fitness center.

The only one we really understand is that the place is for adults only.

Related Stories:
· Absentminded Prof's photostream [Flickr]

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Oasis of Calm found at the Wellspring Spa, Grand Formosa Regent Taipei

Where: 41 Chung Shan N. Road, Section 2, Taipei, Taiwan

[Publisher’s note: Every once in a while we get a hotel review from someone in the “industry”. These travel writers are amongst our members here at HotelChatter, and from time to time they submit their stories. Though these stories seem a bit more, umm, PR oriented, we try to weed out the obvious puff pieces, and publish these tales from time to time. The thinking? It is good to get all perspectives, as long as they come equipped with full disclosure. And remember, if you disagree with stories, agree with them, or fall somewhere in between, you know where the comments section is at, so go ahead and use it. In this case, this HotelChatter member was traveling on a culinary trip and found a hotel spa to her liking.]

Take it away, Susan.

When I am traveling for business or for pleasure, I try to indulge myself with some sort of spa treatment, even if it is just a 20-minute foot reflexology session. While on a recent culinary press trip to Taiwan consisting of back-to-back-to-back meals for seven days straight (not that I am complaining mind you), I felt the need to escape from the hectic pace and treat myself and my engorged abdomen to some down time. At the Grand Formosa Regent in Taipei, I found the perfect retreat in the Wellspring Spa. On the top floor of the hotel, you exit the elevator into a dimly lit hallway, a la the Park Hyatt Tokyo that starred in the movie "Lost in Translation," and enter a whole other world reminiscent of Bali.

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