Hi all.

We are going to be in Taipei for New Years 2009 (and for the two days prior).

I'm looking for advice on luxury hotels in Taipei and to which of the four we're looking at is the best bet for the New Years period.

We'd like to be close to Taipei 101 for New Years Festivities, but at least 2 of the other 3 hotels we are considering look like they are more centrally located.

We are looking at the following four:

Grand Hyatt Taipei: Executive Club Room (this hotel is connected to Taipei 101, but is understandably quite expensive during this period)

Sheraton Taipei: Executive Premiere Room. This seems the most our style as it is central, near shopping, and elegant in that very Starwood way.

Sherwood Hotel Taipei: This hotel looks very nice, and not far from the Sheraton, so similar location-wise.

Westin Taipei: This hotel seems to be more towards 4-star, and not located in the center of town.

Any experience or advice on any of these hotels is most welcome.

I stay at the Sheraton Taipei 3-4 times/year. It's a nice hotel with convenient access to the subway. Exec rooms are fine and you'll get access to the lounge for breakfast and happy hour in the evenings. A couple other hotels you might look at are the Far Eastern and the Formosa Regent.

Westin--still central but not in the middle of luxury/shopping area. Room was ok but nothing fantastic, ditto for service. Good if you're collecting/using points, but not really a "Wow" place.

Sherwood--rooms are big. Service is discreet but perfectly on the spot. The only gripe was breakfast buffet could have been better (was looking for more chinese items) and was not a good value. My most favourite place.

Formosa Regent--IMHO this is one of hotels that looks more impressive (esp public space) but service can be hit/miss. Staff seems to follow manual, which means difficulty solving issues not on the manual.

I stayed at the Sheraton Taipei in Dec 2007 and it was very convenient - there's a major subway station at the end of the block so it was very easy to get to Taipei 101 and other sights. The hotel is pretty much what you'd expect from a 5* international chain - nice lobby, well-appointed rooms with amenities, good restaurant/buffet, efficient service, etc...

I haven't stayed at the other hotels so I can't compare, but I would recommend the Sheraton.

The Sheraton (which has just recently been redone), the Shangri-la, the Hyatt and the Regent are probably your best choices. The Sherwood is also quite nice, but to my mind, the public spaces are not as special; it really is a business person's hotel.

We've stayed at Les Suites Taipei, a small boutique-y hotel. It won't have all the services (no dinner) but it was quite lovely.