Art hotels go beyond brands and destinations, and always appeal to hospitality enthusiasts, whether they are art aficionados akin to curators or simply laymen who suck luxury.Two distinctively ultra luxury hotels, Le Royal Monceau and the Dolder grand epitomize the art hotel concept.  

Zeal at 4am in Taipei, I rarely stay up but make an exception for the hoteliers I truly admire. The announcement of the world’s 50 best hotels, or the Oscar awards of the hospitality industry, deserves my precious time as the chairs of the academy and recognized hoteliers gather in London, and impatiently wait for the result. The list of 2024 indeed reflects the post-COVID frenzy for luxury travel and accommodations and also delivers a clear view about the developmental trend and prospect in hospitality.

When I first flipped and read the novel, Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, and again as I watched the superb film adaptation starring Johnny Depp years later, I was intrigued by the lavishness of it all.

The House Car arrives punctually and awaits as I descend the gleaming staircase of the Landmark, Mandarin Oriental. The dedicated, beaming senior valet in a crisp white shirt loads up my luggage while the entire Landmark concierge congregates at the driveway for the farewell. It is a short ride from Central to Admiralty. The Upper House leaves a sleek first impression in the prompt travel as I flip a copy of Monocle magazine.

On entering the arrival hall of the airport, a shower of warm greetings from a duo of valets stuns me with boards of the familiar fan logo in gold and platinum. Intuitively I speak to Richard, the golden, legendary Mandarin Oriental airport representative. And he presents me the gleeful colleague in a cheery, silver hue suit. “John from the Landmark Mandarin Oriental will look after you today, Dr. Wan. And we all welcome you back home to the Mandarin and the Landmark.”

March begins with unprecedented hectic errands, the outburst of workloads diverts my spinning thought to another weekend getaway for the soma and soul. The late night whim to sojourn in the famed Rosewood Hong Kong and dive in the gleaming marble vanity heaven is absolutely beyond a fancy. My travel agent services affluent clients for long and reads my craving, she settles the booking in a click. If I had lost the sense of balance, it could only be regained through the sense of place.