An Electrifying
Sanctuary
Opened last February in the buzzing central business district of Xinyi, W Taipei has quickly made its mark as an electrifying sanctuary of serenity and energy, fusing Taiwan’s natural beauty with its urban core. story Kyle Gregorio
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“Stepping inside W Taipei, guests will experience an overall sensory immersion into W Hotels’ unique world of ‘Wow’.”
Passion for Living
W Hotels, the hotel category buster and industry innovator, has brought a jolt of high-voltage design to Taiwan with the debut last February of W Taipei. Located in the buzzing central business district of Xinyi — which is for Taipei what Manhattan is for New York City, W Taipei will be an electrifying sanctuary of serenity and energy in the heart of this bustling neighborhood, reflecting the surrounding natural beauty of the Cising Mountain and the Yangmingshan National Park.
changing shape, look and feel in sync with its surroundings. Created by rAndom International, a “W Hotels Designer of the Future”, the installation “To Light You Fade” is mounted on a reclaimed wooden wall on the ground floor and allows guests to engage with the light itself in an intuitive manner. Developed with custom software, this installation consists of several hundred unique OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes) from the world’s first ever production line in Aachen, Germany.
Designed by renowned architects G.A. Design International Ltd. of London and encased in radiant glass that elevates to 31 stories tall, W Taipei will be the only hotel in the city with a panoramic vista of the uber-hip and vibrant Xinyi district and the iconic Taipei 101 Tower, one of the world’s tallest buildings stretching more than 500 meters into the sky. Upon arriving at the hotel, guests will marvel at The Chain — made of the strongest stainless steel with a mirror finish — that symbolically anchors the W Taipei building to Taipei city, as well as a gigantic green wall filled with plants organically grown in Taiwan, providing a refreshing welcome experience.
In the W Living Room, guests find a carpet of electric red flowers in front of the Welcome Desks that has been constructed of vertical stacks of “stripped” timber saplings. The Living Room is flanked by an 11-meter high “W” screen facing an equally tall fireplace, providing a modern, cozy place to curl up in the cool evenings of Taipei. With one entire side consisting of glass, the W Living Room is as much outside as inside with direct access to the WET pool skydeck through generous sliding glass panels. The WET pool skydeck features modern, clean lines surrounded by a boardwalk deck, open style fire place lush foliage and live green walls.
Stepping inside W Taipei, guests will experience an overall sensory immersion into W Hotels’ unique world of “Wow”. W Taipei presents a wondrous collection of design installations throughout the hotel that synergizes with the design of the space while charging the senses. Upon entering the building, an interactive light installation flirts with guests,
W Taiwan’s signature WOOBAR exudes rich, natural Tunisian stone flooring called “Autumn Brown”, with innovative oversized circular white leather ottomans spreading out across the space, further evoking the water droplet design of the floor lights of the entryway and the droplets of water from the pool. Towering 10-meters high and with an adjustable
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ceiling depending on the time of the day, WOOBAR has a high-tech fireplace and at the other side a DJ island where world-class DJs control the state-of-theart sound and light systems integrated into the design and guaranteed to delight the most discerning club aficionado. Back inside on the tenth floor, The Kitchen Table restaurant has been inspired by a light, airy garden cottage with a contemporary twist, where the interior is as bright as a sun-filled morning mixed with bold acid yellows and refreshing whites. The sub-tropical climate of Taipei has been considered in the design of The Kitchen Table so that two walls of the space are fitted with extra-high sliding doors that will open to embrace the al fresco dining areas next to the WET pool skydeck. Finally, high atop W Taipei on the 31st floor is YEN,
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the hotel’s signature Cantonese restaurant and the first W-inspired Chinese restaurant in the world. YEN features floor-to-ceiling windows that showcase the pulsating Xinyi district and the ubiquitous neon current that unifies the city, extending to the natural mountain ranges that surround Taipei. YEN also showcases bold, original art pieces that incorporate traditional Chinese culinary tools of the trade. W Taipei’s 405 guestrooms and suites, the largest of Taipei’s luxury hotels, have been designed as private sanctuaries inspired by nature with spectacular urban views. Warm-colored stones, burnished wood and lush electrified floral carpeting that contrast with modern, subtle lighting inspired by Chinese lantern boxes. An oversized vacation-style islander tub takes command in the bathroom, set against red or chartreuse-colored subway-inspired wall tile and a wooden partition.
Several guestrooms also receive a Taipei-infused twist with a deconstructed map, entitled “Where Are You,” mounted on the wooden wall of the guestrooms, overlooking the surrounding Yangmingshan range of mountains that cradle the red-hot crucible of electrified Taipei. The deconstructed map is a representation of electrified Taipei and gives guests a sense of escape. With design, character and luxury such as this, the W Taipei will definitely be the next destination of the high-flying and well-heeled set from around the world. d
W Taipei 10 Zhongxiao East Road Sec. 5, Xinyi District, Taipei, 110 Taiwan Tel: +886 2 7703 8888 www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels
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