IGHT in the heart of the neatly ordered and green Xinyi district, is the quintessential Taipei conference hotel - The Grand Hyatt Taipei. A Muscle MICE venue with a gentle touch and an elegant feel, the hotel has gone through an extensive refit that sees a jaunty new stride and several exciting design touches, especially in the rooms.

This address serves up a mammoth 850-plus rooms including suites and Grand Club Rooms - all refitted with a contemporary pastel feel following a US$100 million renovation. The newly minted rooms range from 33sq m to 40sq m with refreshingly bright white window panels, timbre flooring with tan rugs under the beds, flat-screen TVs and a welcoming residential feel. Bathrooms are lavish and marbled with the usual soak-and-shower distractions. Still very minimal, in the Grand Hyatt mould, the rooms are bright, not bland, with personality. The pace is always busy and the hotel

exudes a strong business vibe. The expansive white-marble lobby with its soaring pillars, skylight atrium, lit-up ficus trees, and calming central fountain, does little to quell the buzz. Service is outstanding and the clicking of fast moving high heels echoes constantly. The Grand Club is on the 22nd floor and looks out at the Taipei 101 tower. Grand Club floors run from floors 20 to 25. A mix of excellent dining options apres-work await, from the signature grills to Cantonese at Pearl Liang, Japanese at Irodori and the new Yun Jin Chinese restaurant with a taste of China.

Meetings, weddings and banquets are the staple here and this is where the hotel really shows its class. A pillar-less Grand Ballroom anchors the function space with 13 more meeting rooms and a unique residential event venue - The Grand Residence. Conferences for up to 1,200 and small corporate meetings are a breeze. This is one of the best Taipei conference hotels, and with good reason.