If staying in the most expensive hotel in town is not an option, members of the business community will have another option by mid-June: Four Points Hotel in Chung Ho (
The first international hotel in Chung Ho, Four Points is a four-star hotel specifically designed for and catering to business people who want the "full-service hotel experience at a competitive price."
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
This new facility boasts accommodations matching the "lodging needs of the mid-scale business person, leisure traveler, and meeting planner" and the chain was voted the No.1 US Mid-Priced Chain by Business Travel News readers beating out popular chains in the US like Courtyard by Marriott and Hilton Garden Inn.
To some, mid-scale may mean substandard quality but, according to the public relations officer for Four Points Kelly Chiu (
"It's kind of like the Nissan Cefiro," Chiu mused of the Four Points, "with the current instability of the Taiwan economy, consumers need more things like this." The Nissan Cefiro is a luxury sedan modeled after the Infinity Q45 offering basic luxuries but lacking extravagant trimmings, which trims down the price making it more affordable.
Some of these basic luxuries include guest rooms featuring king or twin beds, a large desk, two telephone lines per room, with a data port and 24-hour internet access.
The hotel itself has two food and beverage outlets, a ballroom that accommodates up to 300 people, meeting rooms, a health club with spa, sauna, and steam bath and a business center.
According to Chiu, this new hotel represents brand marketing at its best.
The hotel itself is part of Four Points, which is actually a branch of Sheraton. Sheraton is a subsidiary of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, which owns such other well-known hotel brands as Westin, St. Regis, and The Luxury Collection. The Four Points in Chung Ho is owned and operated by The Union Enterprise Group (聯邦集團), one of Taiwan's leading corporations with interests in property, banking, textiles and publishing (including this publication).
Chiu said the combined strengths of Starwood and Union make Four Points a likely success. "If Four Points stood alone, it wouldn't be that successful, but since [the alliance] is associated with six hotel brands, it is better off," Chiu stated.
"Taiwan is attracting a growing number of business travelers who visit not only the capital city of Taipei, but also regional cities such as Chung Ho, where manufacturing centers and industrial parks are being established and growing. They need value-priced hotels which offer international business services," managing director of the Union Enterprise Group Kevin Lin (
Four Points will be the first international hotel in Chung Ho, one of the designated technology parks in Taipei with office buildings and factories for the manufacturing, electronics and information technology industries. The hotel is adjacent to the Second Northern Highway (北二高) which offers direct access to downtown Taipei as well as CKS International Airport. Four Points says that it is a 20-minute car ride away from downtown Taipei as well as a 10-minute walk from the Ching An MRT station.
Chiu noted that Four Points hopes to attract an equal mix of international business people and local business people from central and southern Taiwan. "The hotel will meet all their business needs comfortably while providing them with convenient access to Chung Ho City as well as Taipei itself."
With the Starwood and Sheraton brand names come benefits. The Starlink system allows business people from all over the world to book a room in any Four Points hotel directly through the Internet.
There are also toll free numbers worldwide for reservations.
Frequent travelers can also apply to be a Starwood Preferred Guest. Membership perks include discounted rates at all Starwood hotels as well as collected points that can be used, like frequent flyer miles, to upgrade hotel accommodations.
As Chiu puts it, "The best thing about the Starwood Preferred Guest system is that no matter where you go, the doors of the best international business hotels are open to you."
The 126-room Four Points hotel also has the option of transferring extra guests to other hotels that belong to Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Through a system called "Team HOT," Four Points can exchange guests with Starwood hotels in Taipei like the Lai Lai Sheraton and the Westin when it is overbooked.
Sheraton started Four Points in 1995 as a "mid-scale hotel brand in North America." Now, Starwood Hotels and Resorts has launched an aggressive campaign in Asia planning the opening of the first three Four Points hotels in Taiwan, Australia and China this year, and expecting to have at least 10 Four Points hotels signed and under development by the end of this year. There are currently 120 Four Points hotels in 10 different countries including Germany, Kenya and Israel.
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