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Peter Foreman is the Director of Sales & Marketing at Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur and thelobby.com's expert on Asia.

When in Taipei, be sure to ride the world's fastest elevator at the Taipei 101 Observatory. At speeds of 1,010mpm or about 60mph, this pressurized elevator offers the comforts of an airplane cabin and takes just 37 seconds from the 5th floor to the 89th floor observatory where you will enjoy sweeping views of Taipei city and the surrounding areas. The building is designed on the Chinese pagoda and the shape of bamboo flowers. The lucky number eight, which means blooming or success, is represented by the eight clearly delineated exterior sections of the building.

Don't spend all your time looking out the windows, there is just as much to see inside Taipei 101, such as the world's largest damper. With a diameter of 5.5 meters and weighing 660 metric tons, it was made at a cost of NT$132 million, around 4 million US.
I suggest you take the internal stairs to the 91st floor outdoor observatory where it is possible to see the clouds surrounding the building and view at close up the spire at the highest point of 508 meters. Taipei 101 can withstand gale winds of 60 meters per second and the biggest earthquakes experienced in a 2,500 year cycle. The double glazed glass curtain walls can sustain impacts of 8 tons. The Westin Taipei is a short 15 minute drive from Taipei 101, which is also home to five floors of shopping and restaurants.

Jeremy McCarthy is the Director of Spa Operations Development and Marketing for Starwood Hotels & Resorts and thelobby.com's expert on everything spa.

Two new Heavenly Spas have opened their doors in Hawaii. The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas opened their new spa earlier this year. It joins its sister property, The Westin Maui, which lays claim to being not only the first Heavenly Spa in Hawaii, but in the world. Now the Moana Surfrider has just opened a new Heavenly Spa in Waikiki on the Island of Oahu. While Heavenly Spas are starting to open around the world, with India, China and Dubai, all having opened new spas in the past year, it is interesting that three of the 13 now open are located in Hawaii. Could it be that the spirit of "Aloha" is just the perfect fit for the uplifting Heavenly Spa brand?

Niall Twamley is the Branded Experience Analyst at the Starwood Cork CCC office and the lobby.com's expert on Ireland.

There is no better way to discover what makes a destination unique than to attend a local sporting event. It is a great way to meet locals and see what life is like away from the regular tourist haunts. Among the biggest events of Ireland's sporting year are the All Ireland Finals which are held in Croke Park on the Northside of Dublin every September.

The stadium plays host to the finals for all of the games governed by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), but the 2 showpieces which catch the imagination of Ireland and Irish communities around the world are the senior Hurling and Gaelic football finals. These finals bring fans from all around Ireland and the world to Dublin to watch their heroes fight it out for the Liam McCarthy or Sam Maguire cups and bragging rights over their neighbours for the rest of the year!

Even if you do not have a ticket, there is a great atmosphere in the city and in the pubs close to Croke Park running up to the finals. Tickets for the final games are very hard to come by, but a visit to the GAA website can sometimes be rewarded with information on how to get tickets for some of the less high profile games in Croke Park or in one of the other county grounds around Ireland such as Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork which is a short drive away from the Sheraton Fota Island Hotel and Spa on the Eastern side of Cork City.