Palais de Chine

The name is French: a stylistic detail that hints at the experience awaiting you when you breeze smoothly through check-in. (Ever notice how an ordinary name like ‘China Plaza’ — also the name of your local Chinese takeout place — suddenly sounds elegant in French?) The Palais de Chine is one of Taipei’s most upscale hotels. Unlike many other properties in its category, this hotel isn’t about Asian-inspired minimalism.The look is East meets West — Eastern simplicity meets the eager Francophile — with nearly 300 guest rooms and suites outfitted in imported French furniture and artwork.

Yet the concept is less ostentatiously French than you might imagine. The designers call it neo-classicism, another way of saying that these guest rooms are characterized by clean lines, dark wood and crisp white, with few flourishes in sight, save for a gilded mirror here and a modern claw-foot bathtub over there. Rooms at all price points come with private balconies or verandas, some with impressive views over the skyline. Further amenities include large flat-screen TVs, in-room coffee and tea facilities, and, of course, the ‘e-butler’ service that’s becoming widespread in high-end Asian hotels.

The Palais de Chine also features a 17th-story fitness center and a plush lounge for guests staying on the executive level, plus a range of dining venues. Don’t mind the French names: Le Palais serves Cantonese seafood and traditional dim sum, while the showier Le Rotisserie does international cuisine and serious wine lists. Le Thé, on the other hand, is a European-inspired tearoom — not that you’d guess it from the moody interior, a space that feels more appropriate for a cold martini than a cup of Earl Grey. The more fanciful Moroccan-inspired Le Bar is the ideal spot for late-night drinks or a nightcap. What’s that, you say? Morocco, France, wines from Italy? That’s right: the owners of the Palais de Chine may be looking back to Europe through rose-colored glasses, but at least they have a specific vision.