Grand Hyatt Taipei

A gold-and-marble fountain anchors the white atrium lobby, which sets the tone for a hotel of 850 rooms that was never shy about its ambitions. This is a full-scale luxury property near the Taipei World Trade Centre, with nine restaurants, a heated outdoor pool with an underwater sound system, a fitness center, and an on-staff physician, because apparently a treadmill alone isn't enough. Rooms are spacious with city views, and the service has a way of knowing your name before the luggage cart does.