W Taipei

Class: Deluxe

Style: Cutting edge

Rooms: 405

A shining beacon in a bustling cityscape, W Taipei's radiant glass-fronted façade captures the heart of what we've come to associate with this buzzing city. Taking stock from the rural surroundings, the Cising Mountain and Yangmingshan National Park, and fusing this with the vibrant, electric core of the city, the recently unveiled hotel is an urbanite's dream.

London's G.A. Design International were charged with the task to create the urban setting for the hotel, which is located in the central business district of Xinyi and enjoys unrivalled panoramic views of the city's iconic 101 Tower. Quirky exterior features like a giant chain made from stainless steel and a mirror finish, and a green wall filled with plants organically grown in Taiwan, are continued upon entering the building, where an interactive light installation - created by the W Hotels Designer of the Future winners Random International - works in sync with its environment to perpetually change its shape, look and feel.

All 405 rooms, flanked by cityscape views, have been designed as private sanctuaries inspired by nature. Featuring an interior balcony, or 'play pad', and enhanced by all the luxury and cutting-edge mod-cons we've come to expect from W Hotels, the feel is modern but at the same time refreshingly nature-driven - with an aesthetic stress on warm-coloured stones, burnished wood and lush floral carpeting.

Away from rooms, culinary considerations have been made to include an eclectic assortment of restaurants and lounges throughout the hotel. The pièce de résistance however, comes in the form of their wet pool skydeck, equipped for swimming and al fresco urban barbeques, while guests soak in the rays from Taipei's technicolour city lights.