Hotel One: Taichung, Taiwan

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Were Austin Powers to arrive in Taichung, the Hotel One is where he’d stay – along with the Hollywood producers and executives filming Mr. Powers. A harmonious blend of contemporary design and multi-tasking functionality, Hotel One is the embodiment of modern life.

Located in a stunning ovoid glass tower that rises out of the Taichung grid, Hotel One evokes the monolith from “2001: A Space Odyssey.” The tallest hotel in Taichung, Hotel One was recently a Trip Advisor winner for “Trendiest Hotel.” For those wary of the word “trendy,” fear not, for Hotel One has enough substance and foundation to weather fickle design movements.

Opened in 2007, Hotel One has more than 200 guest rooms and suites on the 24th through 46th floors. Book a corner room for jaw-dropping vistas. Sink back into your king-sized bed and push the buttons for the electric curtains – and watch in awe as the sky opens up around you. The capacious rooms are furnished in an amalgam of Eastern and Western design and all are equipped with a generously-sized workstation with 37-inch LCD TV, DVD player, laser printer, iPod connector – and 5.1 Surround sound system. There’s also free Wireless Internet access and a 24-hour health center. In short, this is the hotel into which you check in – and check out – while you polish up that screenplay that has Oscar written all over it.

© Hotel One

© Hotel One

Soak in the tub overlooking the Taichung skyline – or shower in the walk-in rain forest shower with full-length window. Go ahead and grind against the glass; from way up here, only the angels can see you dancing.

Breakfast is served amongst the clouds on the 28th floor at IN Restaurant, a contemporary brasserie where the extensive buffet includes an array of Western dishes, alongside Chinese, Indian, Thai, and Japanese specialties, all prepared with seasonal, local ingredients.

Downstairs, a bakery named Liz serves fresh-baked breads, cookies, and pastries in the lobby where it’s pleasant to watch office workers hurrying to and fro. Before long, however, you’ll probably pine for the giant windows and the unparalleled views from your room. Head back upstairs to your playboy aerie – and sink into your penthouse fantasies. Go ahead, admit it: you’re “King of the World.”

LINK: Hotel One

Mark Thompson

About Mark Thompson

A member of Authors Guild, Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), and New York Travel Writers (NYTW), Mark Thompson is an editor, journalist, and photographer whose work appears in various periodicals, including Travel Weekly, Metrosource, Huffington Post, Global Traveler, Out There, and OutTraveler. The author of the novels Wolfchild (2000) and My Hawaiian Penthouse (2007), Mark completed a Ph.D. in American Studies. He has been a Fellow and a resident at various artists' communities, including MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center.

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