Massive NT$1.8bn luxury hotel opens at Sun Moon Lake

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) presided over a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday for the inauguration of a luxury hotel at Sun Moon Lake (日月潭). The 10-hectare, NT$1.8 billion (US$51.42 million) Hanpilou Hotel was formally open to the public yesterday.

The site of the hotel, Hanpilou (涵碧樓, the Hanpi building), was once a vacation residence of the late President Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石). The building and its surroundings were only opened to the public after Chiang died in 1975.

A 7.3-magnitude earthquake jolted central Taiwan on Sept. 21, 1999, causing serious casualties and property damage, including the Hanpilou.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chen said that he was very happy to see the completion of the five-star international hotel.

He quoted official statistics that showed that Sun Moon Lake was the most popular scenic spot during the Chinese New Year holiday. Nearly 500,000 visited the area over the week holiday.

Chen said that this was evidence of the economic recovery in the tourist sector in the area and highlighted that government's successful efforts to rebuild areas damaged by the quake.