Grand Hyatt Taipei

The Grand Hyatt Taipei is the archetypal Far East megahotel, an enormous palace on a hillside overlooking the city, where even the humblest of its 850 rooms are quite justifiably named Grand Rooms. Intimate and funky it certainly isn’t, but smaller isn’t always better—you haven’t lived until you’ve experienced hospitality on this grand scale.

The Grand Hyatt boasts not just one or two but nine restaurants, from haute Asian to traditional Italian; and not just a health club but an on-staff physician as well. The location, adjacent to the Taipei World Trade Centre, is ideal for business as well as leisure travelers, with easy access to the New Taipei shopping and entertainment district.

Rooms are spacious and as modern as they come, most with stunning city views, all with broadband internet and satellite television. The fitness center rivals any downtown health club, with comprehensive workout facilities and an outdoor pool with underwater sound system. Business facilities won’t disappoint—in fact you’ll wish this could be your permanent office.

And the hotel’s size doesn’t impair the service at all; it’s no secret that the Asian grand hotels excel in this area above all others, and this one is no different. There’s no request too large or too bizarre for this crew, all of whom seem to know your name before your bags are out of the car — it might even be enough to ruin “boutique” hotels for you forever.