In the years preceding the Grand Hyatt Taipei's silver anniversary, the
property had perhaps lost some of its luster.
In the years preceding the Grand Hyatt Taipei's silver anniversary, the
property had perhaps lost some of its luster.
But as the hotel prepares to commemorate its 25th anniversary in
September, it's marking its official relaunch this month, putting the finishing
touches on a $100 million, top-to-bottom renovation aimed at maintaining its
position as one of the city's top hotels for meetings and conventions while
also attracting more leisure travellers. During my stay at the property last
month, I got a look at how the renovation was proceeding.
Part of a slate of Grand Hyatts and Park Hyatts opened by the hotelier
throughout Asia during the late '80s and early '90s, the Grand Hyatt Taipei
quickly became a major player in the Taiwanese capital's burgeoning hotel
market, said general manager Kai Speth.
But as the years went on, new players began entering the Taipei hotel
market, which "had somewhat stagnated," he said.
Properties such as
the W Taipei, which opened in 2011, and the Le Meridien Taipei, which opened in
2010, "triggered an accelerated process" of renovation for the Grand
Hyatt and competitors such as the Regent Taipei and Shangri-La's Far Eastern
Plaza Hotel, Speth said.
And motivation went beyond the local competition: Given Taipei's status
as a hub for international commerce, customers "don't just compare you to
your competitor in town but to their experiences in Hong Kong, Singapore,
Beijing and Shanghai," Speth said. "So it's also important for us to
somewhat match those expectations of travellers who see these markets."
During my visit, display cases in the enormous lobby's Baguette shop
contained macarons, chocolates and other goods from the hotel's recently opened
in-house bakery and confectioner, one of several changes on the culinary
front.
According to Speth, the property's food-and-beverage operations are
"very much driven not only by the hotel guests but the local
community," since the Grand Hyatt has long been a favored venue for
special events such as weddings, graduation parties and other celebrations, and
its eight restaurants are frequented by the city's lunch and dinner crowds.
Earning praise from locals and guests alike, said Speth, is Yun Jin, the
hotel's newest dining option, which offers a menu inspired by the cuisines of
Taiwan and several regions of China.
Whereas Yun Jin's predecessor, Shanghai
Court, offered a take on cuisine from one region, "with Yun Jin we now
have a restaurant that's going to allow us to bring in different regions of
China if we want to; we can easily swap out the various regions, we can put
more emphasis on one region and less emphasis on another, and as long as we
stay authentic with the food that we serve that will work," Speth said.
Highlights during lunch included scallion pancakes and braised pork
belly with fermented wine sauce.
Changes are also in the works for the Cafe
buffet restaurant, which will get a tandoor oven to prepare the Indian cuisine
it's adding to its offerings; the Cheers bar and pub, set for a face-lift; and
the Bel Air restaurant, a Continental venue that will become a steakhouse.
Source: Travel
Weekly