The operator of Lalu (涵碧樓), one of the nation’s most expensive hotels, situated on the shores of Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan, plans to open a second Lalu in Qingdao, in China’s Shandong Province, the developer said yesterday.
“Lalu’s average room price of is US$600 per night. The accommodation accounts for US$200 of this amount, while the unique ambiance accounts for the remaining US$400,” Shining Group (鄉林集團) president Lai Cheng-i (賴正鎰) said.
According to Lai, this gives “a new interpretation” to the concept of a resort hotel. He said the hotel not only sells accommodation, but also meticulous service.
Lai said that 40 percent of its patrons are foreign tourists, while 8 percent are high-profile guests from China. The hotel does not cater to Chinese tour groups, he said.
He said he plans to build 30 hotels based on the Lalu model in China’s most scenic locations over the next decade.
Australian designer Kerry Hill, who headed the design of the Lalu in 2002, classified his architectural design for the facility “ongoing style,” or a unique style of moving forward. It is an ageless, ongoing style that will remain fresh, even after 10 or 20 years, he said at a news conference yesterday to announce the Qingdao project.
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