Press Release: Westin Hotels & Resorts
October 19, 1999
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Westin Hotels & Resorts continues its expansion in Asia-Pacific with the opening of two Westin
hotels in Taiwan, its first in the country. Over 113 Westin hotels are now located in 24 countries around the world,
of which 18 are located in 10 countries in Asia- Pacific.
The Westin Taipei proudly opened its doors on October 12, 1999 to welcome visitors to its deluxe facilities and
services. The opening of the hotel was eagerly awaited as it is the first new-built upscale hotel to open in Taipei
in the last seven years. The owning company of The Westin Taipei, Leofoo Development Company Limited, is a well-established
public listed company in Taiwan with interests in real estate, entertainment centers and recreational parks. The
hotel was constructed by Taisei, one of the most highly regarded construction companies of Japan, and the interior
design was led by the award- winning team at Hirsch Bedner Associates.
The 15-story Westin Taipei is located in the most central site of Taipei's downtown business and financial district.
Special Westin services such as Service Express® (``one call does it all'' -- touch the same one button on
your guest room telephone for any service you require, whether it is for room service, laundry or luggage pick-up)
and Westin's Guest Office® (guest rooms designed to incorporate the luxury of the hotel room with the technology
of the office) ensure that business travelers can work efficiently and in comfort. The Westin Taipei will also
feature Westin's newest signature product, the Heavenly Bed, in all its guest rooms. First unveiled in August 1999,
the Heavenly Bed was born after months of testing and research. Sumptuous, stylish and plush, the all-white Heavenly
Bed consists of a custom designed Simmons Beautyrest® pillow-top mattress set; a cozy down blanket; three crisp
sheets ranging in thread count from 180 to 250; a comforter, duvet and six of the best pillows in bed. The Heavenly
Bed will provide the ultimate guest room experience in bed and distinguishes Westin from its competitors, setting
the pace for the hotel industry.
The Westin Taipei caters mainly to the corporate and meetings market and its facilities include the following:
--288 guest rooms, including 42 suites
--Every guest room features an electronic door lock, two-line speaker phones with data port for personal computer
connection, four-fixture marble bathroom, in-room safe, refreshment center with coffee maker, large screen cable
television and in-room movies.
--Twelve food and beverage outlets, featuring cuisines as varied as Taiwanese, Pekingese, Shanghainese, Cantonese,
Japanese and Italian. Coffee connoisseurs can meet at the Cappuccino Bar to sip their favorite coffee brew or try
new exotic brews. Another meeting place is the Piano Bar and Cigar Lounge which provides a relaxing atmosphere
for drinks. An authentic full-service New York delicatessen and a fun Irish pub will open in January 2000.
--Extensive meeting and banquet facilities, including the Grand Ballroom which boasts a 7-meter (23-foot) high
ceiling and accommodates up to 900 persons.
--Full service business center (secretarial and business services, notebooks and cellular telephones for rent,
personal computers and printers for guest use).
--Two-floor fitness center with a fully-equipped gym, aerobics studio, lounge, spa, jacuzzi, sauna, steambath and
a spacious indoor pool on the roof level.
The Westin Resort, Ta Shee, Taiwan
The second Westin hotel announced in Taiwan is The Westin Resort in Ta Shee. A signing ceremony was held on October
15, 1999 to announce the partnership between Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc and the Hone Shee Group
for the franchise agreement of The Westin Resort, Ta Shee (formerly known as Ta Shee Resort).
Ta Shee is located in the historically-rich northern region of the Taoyuan County of Taiwan. Although it is only
a short distance from Taipei, it offers a different world to the bustling attractions of the capital city. It is
popular for its natural setting with rolling hills, striking gorges, countryside landscape and the surrounding
streams which provides the lushness all year round. The Ta Shee community is also a showcase of fascinating cultural
aspects of Taiwan as the township reflects the days of early Taiwan. The nearby town of Yinko is a quaint little
community with 2,000 cottage shops and craftsmen and it is well-known as the center of ceramic and pottery in Taiwan.
Amidst such a landscape of rich history and natural surroundings, The Westin Resort in Ta Shee provides world-class
well-integrated recreational facilities catering to local residents as well as overseas visitors. The entire resort
complex encompasses approximately 200 hectares (500 acres), and it includes the 208-room Westin Resort, a 27-hole
championship golf course, a golf estate and a 50,000 square meters (164,000 square foot) sports plaza.
The championship 27-hole golf course at The Westin Resort, Ta Shee, will soon be a household name to golf enthusiasts
as it prepares to welcome 130 professional golfers and over 100 members of the media from around the world when
it hosts the ``Johnnie Walker Classic 1999'' competition from November 9- 14, 1999. Legendary players such as Tiger
Woods, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Nick Faldo and Jim Furyk, will be competing for honors at Ta Shee. Never before
have so many of the world's best golf players gathered for such a competition in Asia and The Westin Resort in
Ta Shee, Taiwan, is proud to be the first golf resort in this region to host such a world-class golfing event.
Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., the golf course is actually made up of three nine hole courses with three distinct
sections offering interesting variations of play. The Babbler Course (western zone) is a gentle course that allows
for relaxing play and also has a modern lighting system that enables golfers to continue their enthusiastic golfing
in the evening. The Egret Course (central zone) is for golfers looking for spectacular scenery as it has dramatic
and hilly topography with wider fairways. The Kingfisher Course (eastern zone) is the most challenging course as
golfers take on the sweeping rises and falls of the terrain.
The Westin Resort offers a wide range of guest facilities and services, including:
--208 guest rooms fully equipped with IDD telephone, in-room safe, in- room refreshment center and a television
with in-room entertainment programs. All guest rooms have outdoor verandas with scenic views of the resort.
--Four restaurants featuring a variety of Chinese, International and BBQ dining.
--Four lounges (poolside bar, entertainment pub, health club lounge, lobby lounge overlooking the golf course and
outdoor pool).
--Sports plaza with ten lighted tennis courts, two squash courts, 4-lane bowling alley, three swimming pools.
--Health club with fully-equipped gymnasium, saunas, steam room, plunge pools, massage facilities.
--Extensive meeting and banquet facilities.
Guests who stay at either The Westin Taipei or The Westin Resort, Ta Shee are able to earn their way toward free
travel in Westin's new frequent guest program, Starwood Preferred Guest. With more than 600 participating hotels
and resorts in more than 70 countries, including 100 resorts around the world, the program is the industry's most
global and offers hotel rewards with no black-out dates and capacity controls and includes a structure focused
on simplicity, flexibility in redemption options and inclusion of all of Starwood's brands.
Westin Hotels & Resorts, with more than 113 hotels and resorts in 24 countries, is owned by Starwood Hotels
& Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Starwood through its St. Regis, Luxury Collection, Westin, Sheraton, Four Points
and W subsidiaries, is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 700 hotels in
76 countries and 130,000 employees at its owned and managed companies.
www.westin.com.
SOURCE: Westin Hotels & Resorts