Since Westin Tashee Resort General Manager Jan-Hendrik Meidinger arrived in Asia 23 years ago, he has consistently striven to understand others without making assumptions. His 30 years of experience spanning six countries has taught him about what truly matters in the complex and ever-changing hospitality industry, and he takes joy in coaching new talent. From…
The COVID-19 outbreak that began in mid-May has brought hotels to their knees. Without a larger relief package, some may not survive. For most of the coronavirus pandemic, domestic tourism has been a bright spot for Taiwan’s hotel industry. Many hotels and B&Bs outside of Taipei – which is more reliant on the international market…
With no end to the pandemic yet in sight, it may take years for the travel industry to fully recover. In the short term, the leisure market has the best prospects. As Taiwan faces a difficult coronavirus outbreak, imagining the future of travel in the country is a challenge. After all, besides containing the outbreak,…
A weekly snapshot of Taiwan business news stories brought to you by CommonWealth and AmCham Taiwan’s TOPICS Strong Demand for Technology Drives Increased GDP Growth Even as Taiwan has struggled to contain a local outbreak of COVID-19, the international community continues to have confidence in Taiwan’s economy. Taiwan Ratings, the Taiwan subsidiary of S&P Global…
A bi-weekly snapshot of Taiwan business news stories brought to you by CommonWealth and AmCham Taiwan’s TOPICS Microsoft begins hiring to boost Taiwan R&D Microsoft announced on February 5 that it would work to make Taiwan a global technology research and development hub. The company said it is confident in the island’s strong integration of…
Mandarin Oriental General Manager Karan Berry’s 23-year-long career in hospitality has taken him from India to Indonesia, and now to Taiwan. To successfully run a luxury hotel, he says, you need to understand and respect not only the most visible parts of the operation, but also all of the various back-end roles – what he…
As the Ko Hospitality Group opens it first U.S. restaurant, CEO Stan Ko talks about the family business and why he’s fiercely dedicated to the dining experience. Ignoring the “Opening Soon” sign on the door of Ramen Nagi restaurant in Palo Alto, California, two curious pedestrians try the handle. The door opens, but not far….
Brenda Tang has a passion for sales and is not afraid to admit it. Starting off her post-college career as a general sales associate at Delta Airlines, Brenda worked her way up through middle and upper management in the travel, publishing, and hospitality sectors. She has been General Manager for Taiwan Sales at United Airlines…
The home-sharing company’s business has grown steadily while it has largely dodged penalties for hosting unlicensed properties on its platform. For years, Airbnb and Taiwanese regulators have been playing a cat-and-mouse game. Local regulations limit short-stay accommodation rentals to licensed hotels or inns, but most Taiwan properties listed on the home-sharing platform do not meet…
Current rules discourage hotels from offering attractive special packages. Regulations in Taiwan aimed at protecting consumers require hotels to provide a full refund on room bookings canceled at least three days before the scheduled arrival. But as AmCham Taipei’s Travel and Tourism Committee has been arguing in the past several years’ Taiwan White Paper, that…
