A silkworm cocoon-shaped bronze sculpture in front of the A.Roma Lifestyle Hotel in Rome soundlessly declares the arrival of a Taiwanese hotel chain in Italy’s capital in a meeting of Western and Eastern cultures. The four-star hotel, founded by the L’hotel de Chine (LDC) Group of Taiwan, was formally inaugurated on Thursday in an opening ceremony that included music, a sand painting performance and a lion dance.
The unique sand painting, which took place live in the hotel, tells the story of the Silk Road and the core spirit of A.Roma.
“In 1266, Marco Polo arrived in China; and LDC came to Italy this year,” LDC general manager Emile Sheng (盛治仁) said, touting his hotel, located 20 minutes from the city center, as a new landmark in Europe-Asia interaction.
Photo: CNA
Decorated with sculptures created by European and Taiwanese artists, and Giulia Augusta fresco replicas, the hotel is a “platform for cultural exchanges and learning about (different Western and Eastern) lifestyles,” Sheng said.
A.Roma is part of LDC Group’s collection of five luxury hotels in Italy. The other four are located in Venice, Florence, Piedmont and Umbria. LDC is the third Taiwanese hotel chain to make inroads into the European market, following Evergreen International Corp (長榮國際) and the FIH Regent Group (晶華麗晶酒店集團).
One of A.Roma’s features is its so-called Taiwanese-style buffet, which is made up of individual open kitchens serving Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Italian gourmet dishes.
With 276 rooms and conference rooms of all sizes, the hotel has already made a name for itself during three months of trial operations with services for international conferences, Sheng said.
“Finding a good position, cutting into a unique market” is the way A.Roma can stand out in the competitive European market, the hotelier said, citing the evidence of the constant inflow of travelers since the trial run began.
The opening ceremony drew Italian Senator Lucio Malan, who heads the Italy-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, Taiwan’s Ambassador to the Holy See Larry Wang (王豫元) and Representative to Italy Stanley Kao (高碩泰).
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