OCATED just a few minutes’ stroll from the Zhong Shan metro station, and with splendidly easy access to offices, shopping and entertainment, The Regent Taipei, is a formidable competitor in the best Taipei business hotels sweepstakes. Formerly the Grand Formosa Regent, this award-winning address has been synonymous with quality and service in the Taiwan capital for a long while, opening its doors in 1990 under the prestigious Regent marque and adding several refinements since.

While the exterior is neat and unprepossessing, inside a gleaming world of attention to service and detail await business travellers and leisure trippers. The 538 rooms, including 60 suites, offer some of the most spacious accommodations around, starting at an arm-swinging 45 square metres. Rooms do not strain to impress, choosing to offer classic simplicity with starched white linen, impressive work areas, flat-screen TVs, and a few bright cushions to offset the warm inviting hues. Expect a pillow menu, high-speed Wi-Fi, and a marbled bathroom with a separate soaking tub. Recharged, whip out your wallet and head to the duty-free shop in the basement.

If you wish to burn off calories or simply play, the rooftop pool offers a superb refuge. Other choices include a health club and sauna, and spa facilities for those aching post-work limbs. The Wellspring Spa – designed by Four Seasons Bali spa consultants – serves up wellness by the litre with all manner of unguents and potions and aromatic oils. Go for a straightforward jetlag relief massage or a complex exfoliating “lulur” skin polish. Men can ask for that “perfect shave”. And why not?

Business traveller gourmands are not forgotten. Palate ticklers offer plenty of options from Japanese cuisine, American-style steaks, and steaming neo-Shanghainese, to top-drawer Chinese and Japanese fare at the Formosa Club. The Grand Ballroom and a multitude of well-appointed function rooms are equipped with the latest in hi-tech to deal with up to 1,000 guests in a variety of seating styles. Unsurprisingly, this hotel is highly rated as one of the best Taipei conference hotels around. But why stop here? Head up to the Franklin Po-designed penthouses with 10 rooms created as “urban resort” retreats. On the highest floors too is the premium TAIPAN Residence & Club with its ever-present butlers ready to do your bidding.