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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?

Peter Turco is a writer, editor, and lately an aspiring drummer when he's not working on the marketing team at Starwood Hotels & Resorts. This week, he writes about his first trip to Asia, where he recently traveled to Singapore, Phuket and Bangkok.

A few people have referred to Singapore as "Asia for Beginners." There is no language barrier, it's lick-the-door-handles clean and very safe, and the food and shopping is fantastic. It's a relatively new city, so it's nicely organized and not etched in stone 300 years ago like some city we all know, and hence, easy to navigate. There are practically no uniformed police, almost all are undercover, and that adds even more to the feeling that you're in some sort of Utopia. And Singapore's efficient: one night, we called ahead for five taxis to take us home from the restaurant, and all five rolled up within minutes of our call, all within seconds of one another.

Thing is: there's nothing much to see. Well, this stuff:

Right outside the office is the world's largest fountain, known as the Fountain of Wealth.

Also, we went to the largest food court in the free world. It's all outdoors, and you just sit at a little table surrounded on all possible sides by a gazillion food stalls with all kinds of things--soup, satay, noodles, everything you'd expect. Waiters come over and show you menus with photographs on them, and you just point at what you want. They run around to the stalls and bring it to you, you give them a little money, and then it starts all over again every five seconds until your table is full of food, beer, plates, napkins--until you've reached capacity and they can't sell you anything because you can't fit it on the table. You sit there and eat like a slob and you've spent a total of about 20 bucks for four people. Nice, very very nice. The food here is amazing - everything has been out of this world.

Jaime Gottlieb is Manager of Online Communications for the Luxury Brands Group and the lobby.com's expert on all things W.

Where will you be on World AIDS Day? I don't know about you, but mix up exclusive music tracks, cocktail mingling and a meaningful cause, and I'm already in the waiting line. On December 1st in recognition of World AIDS Day, music-loving jetsetters and W loyalists will be mixing it up at W Hotels nationwide for the launch of (RED)s latest project called (RED)WIRE. This digital music magazine subscription service gives members VIP access to exclusive tracks by the hottest musicians and artists around including the likes of U2, John Legend and Sheryl Crow.

In support of the Global Fund, which provides medicine to people who need it in Africa, all are welcome to this one-time W Happening to sip the coolest cocktails and feast their eyes and ears at this online music viewing party in hotels across America. As just one of many ways W Hotels is getting involved with this global cause and exciting new music project, event-goers, including myself, are sure to end the year 2008 with a bang... and a few other beats.

Peter Foreman is the Director of Sales & Marketing at the Sheraton Haikou Resort in China and thelobby.com's expert on the region.

A great excursion in Taipei is the National Palace Museum (NPM) is a short taxi ride away from The Westin Taipei or the recently renovated Sheraton Taipei Hotel. It is said that the NPM is one of the four best museums in the world, equal to the Louvre, Metropolitan Museum of Art and the British Museum.

The NPM was originally founded in 1925 in the Forbidden City, Peking (now Beijing), P.R. China. In 1931, the collection was moved into the hinterland of China to avoid the ravages of the impending Sino-Japanese war. In 1949, with the civil war between the Nationalist and the Communist forces the government shipped 600,000 treasured objects to Taiwan and temporarily stored them in Taoyuan and Taichung. In 1965 the collection was moved to their present home in the Wai-Shuang-Hsi area of Shih-Lin, Taipei.

With over 650,000 pieces, this is the world's largest collection of Chinese artifacts. Some of the oldest artifacts are pieces of prehistoric pottery over 5,000 years old. The majority of the items on display are from the private collections of China's emperors. The museum is open daily, and admission is NT$160, around $5 US.

Peter Foreman is the Director of Sales & Marketing at the Sheraton Haikou Resort in China and thelobby.com's expert on Asia.

Wow! W Hong Kong is open and it is so easy to step from reality to Wonderland. The hotel is located right on top of Kowloon MTR station; just two stops from Hong Kong International Airport and one stop from Hong Kong Island station.

Elements shopping mall is sandwiched between the lower levels of the train station and the hotel lobby with great designer boutique shopping, movie cinema and ice skating rink. Upstairs, the first Bliss spa in Asia is located on the top floors of the hotel. I sat back and took in the views of Hong Kong while enjoying 'foot patrol' - the ultimate power-pedi, giving your feet the major overhaul they need after a day of shopping in Hong Kong. Of course, the lemon+sage bathroom amenities which are found in your room are available in take home size packs from the Bliss store.

Whether you are a W fan or a first timer to W - take a step into the wonderful world of W at W Hong Kong .. I know you will love it!

Peter Foreman is the Director of Sales & Marketing at the Sheraton Haikou Resort in China and thelobby.com's expert on Asia.

On a recent visit to Singapore, I was fortunate to stay at the newly opened St Regis Singapore. You'll love the pink couches in the guest rooms, which are complete with 42" flat-screen TV and BOSE stereo systems, but it is the Remède Spa - the first to open outside the USA - that will sweep you away from the Singapore heat. Offering the best treatments in town, you can also enjoy a few hours of relaxation in the steam chamber (featuring three different steam baths - allowing you to progressively adapt to the increasing temperature), the Finnish sauna offers the traditional dry heat experience whilst the ice fountain is an different approach to the cold plunge pool, you 'pack' your body with handfuls of crushed ice to cool yourself after sweating in the saunas. My favorite treatment is the natural stone heated wave loungers, ergonomically designed for ultimate comfort. The loungers offer an infrared heating system which warms the body in the same manner as natural sunlight.

My insider tip: arrive in real style - in one of the St Regis's Bentleys, and ask your butler for an Earl Grey chocolate - yummy!

Peter Foreman is the Director of Sales & Marketing at the Sheraton Haikou Resort in China and thelobby.com's expert on Asia.

The Grand Tower has opened at Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers and offers visitors to Ho Chi Minh City, 112 spacious rooms in addition to its existing 371 guest rooms. The entry level rooms of the Grand Tower are a spacious 51 square meters and a gadget lover's paradise. All rooms are equipped with a 42 inch LCD television including a built-in digital video recorder with up to 33 hours of recording time. The television is complimented by a DVD player which is connected to a BOSE surround sound system. In addition, a 37" LCD television is in the Grand Tower suite bedrooms and a 19" LCD television in the roomy suite bathrooms.

Allowing guests to bring their lifestyle with them on the road and make connections while traveling, the tower offers wired and wireless broadband with "plug and play" connectivity to this system, providing seamless connectivity to the internet. The new EPIC (Entertainment, Power, Information Connectivity), provides remote access to the 42" LCD television from your own devices such as notebook, ipod / MP3 player and USB storage port. All rooms feature Ipod docking stations to ensure you start your day with your favorite wake-up music. The Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers was named on the Conde Nast Traveler's 2007 Gold List and voted "Vietnam's Leading Conference Hotel" at its 2007 World Travel Awards.

Peter Foreman is the Director of Sales & Marketing at the Sheraton Haikou Resort in China and thelobby.com's expert on the region.

Located off the north western shore of Peninsular Malaysia, Langkawi is an ancient group of 99 islands steeped in tales of legends passed down from generation to generation. Rising above the island is the Langkawi Cable Car. Modern gondolas carry you up the Manchinchang range to the middle viewing platform where you alight 12 minutes later, 650 meters above sea level. Back on board, you are carried a further 450 meters higher to the top two viewing platforms overlooking the islands of Langkawi, the state of Kedah and Southern Thailand. Be sure to take a short trek to the curved hanging bridge which consists of a 125 meter suspended platform. Open daily, admission is 25 ringgit, around $8 US. Langkawi is a one hour flight from Kuala Lumpur and a 90 minute flight from Singapore. Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort nestled amongst 38 acres of lush tropical gardens is a 15 minute drive away from the cable car.

Peter Foreman is the Director of Sales & Marketing at the Sheraton Haikou Resort in China and thelobby.com's expert on the region.

Recently, I spent some time enjoying the hustle and bustle of Shanghai. I recommend that you start your night, as I did, with pre-dinner drinks (and to take in the ever changing skyline of Shanghai) at 789 Nanjing Lu Ba. The bar occupies the top 3 floors (64-66) of the Le Royal Meridien Shanghai and offers 360 degree views of the city skyline. Arrive early to grab the best seats that face toward PuDong! Shanghai takes on a very peaceful feeling from this high vantage point. If you can tear yourself away from the view, you don't have to travel far for dinner. The hotel boasts a number of chic restaurants; Ai Mei (Chinese), Allure (French), Favola (Italian) and Le Bistrot (All-day dining).

My tips: Be sure to book yourself a Grand Deluxe Bund View room. Discover the beauty of Shanghai without even leaving your room! Don't miss the Dim Sum brunch in Ai Mei, the restaurant with the spectacular aquarium at the entrance. Starwood has a number of hotels in Shanghai. Visit Destination China to start planning your trip.