Taipei's top hotels are hoping to reap a windfall from Christmas Taiwan style: a romantic dinner and a night in a five-star hotel.
"The majority of our guests -- both in the restaurant and in the hotel -- are normally couples who want to spend this special night with their lovers," Charlotte Chen (陳靜儀), PR manager at The Landis Taipei, told the Taipei Times yesterday. "Both our restaurants are always packed at Christmas time, and I don't expect this year to be any different," she said.
Being out on the town appears to be the `in' thing to do at Christmas.
"We are seeing more and more young professionals using our hotel to celebrate Christmas," Luanne Li (
Other international hotels such as The Westin Taipei and the Far Eastern Plaza Hotel were also optimistic that this year would bring back holiday revellers and their cash.
"People are more in the mood to celebrate this year," Joyce Weng (翁梅珠), PR manager at The Westin Taipei, said Monday. This time last year the Sept. 11 attacks and fall flooding of Taipei had put a damper on the holiday spirit, Weng said.
But with the business climate recovered, Christmas Eve bookings are looking good.
"Our restaurants should all be full at Christmas," Wang said.
Enjoying an expensive dinner in a fancy Western restaurant has for years proven to be a popular way to enjoy Christmas for Taiwanese.
Many believe Christmas -- a holiday from Europe and America -- should be celebrated in places where Euro-Americans go.
"Most of the reservations for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner are for our Western restaurants," Sharon Hsu (
She added that guests come to the hotel wanting to try something"exotic."
Hsu said that she expected the hotel's restaurants to be full on Christmas Eve, although it was too early to tell until the day.
Hotels are not the only ones who are looking forward to a Christmas bonus.
Ikea, Fnac and B&Q are just some of the stores looking to capitalize on Christmas this year and are offering a variety of holiday-realted items, including trees, decorations and gifts.
French hypermarket chain Carrefour is also trying to gain market share in an area previously viewed as exclusive department-store territory.
"This is the first year that a hypermarket in Taiwan has ever dedicated an entire catalogue to Christmas promotions," Alice Lee (李雅惠) marketing manager of Carrefour, told the Taipei Times Monday.
"We want to make people appreciate that it is possible to spend a warm family Christmas together," she said.
According to Lee, Carrefour is offering a complete line of discount holiday goodies, including Christmas dinners ready to go and tree decorations bargain priced.
"We want to provide a good-value and hastle-free Christmas for our customers and to add a touch of fairytale to the celebration for children," Lee said.
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