It was the worst meeting ever. My translator did her best to salvage the situation, but the odds were stacked against her. I had arrived at a government ministry without a tie. I was 20 minutes late. And when the minister asked for my contact details in Taipei, I named a three-star hotel.

As we drove away, my translator went through a litany of my faux pas. “When you meet someone in Asia,” she said, “you must remember that they see themselves reflected in you. If you are badly dressed, if you are not punctual or if you do not appear successful, they are the ones who lose face. Today you made the minister feel that he is not important.”

It was a lesson learned the hard way: when you are doing business in Asia, there is no virtue in modesty or cost-cutting. You must look the part, act the part and have an address worthy of your projected status. Choosing the right hotel can make the difference between failure and success.

When I related my Taipei nightmare to an Australian businessman during a regional Asian flight, he laughed with recognition. “We’ve all been there,” he said. “For me, it was trying to conduct a business meeting in my hotel room. It’s hard to appear businesslike when you’re sitting on the end of your bed with your pajamas folded on the pillow behind you. Now I always book a suite, and conduct my meetings in the sitting room – it gives a much better impression.”

The Asian emphasis on image has a hidden benefit. The more effort you put into appearing high-powered, the more high-powered you will feel. Businesspeople walking across the carpeted lobby of a Holiday Inn simply don’t have the swagger of those striding across the marble floor of, say, a Shangri-La. Carry that swagger into your business meetings and you are halfway there.

Top hotels also offer a more productive working environment. On a trip to Singapore, I stayed in two contrasting hotels: the budget Metropole, and the Grand Hyatt. My Executive room at the Metropole was small and dingy. The TV in the room next door was constantly audible. The desk was tucked away in a cramped corner. And I struggled to get an outside line on the telephone. I spent as little time there as possible.

By contrast, my Grand Deluxe room at the Grand Hyatt was state-of-the-art in every respect. It proved to be the ideal environment for both catching up on work and unwinding. I was able to leave each morning refreshed and prepared to face the day.

The Singapore Grand Hyatt provided me with an additional advantage. When I needed the lowdown on the intricacies of local business etiquette, I had only to ask the concierge. He drew directions on my city map to ensure that I was never late, arranged for extra business cards to be printed when I was close to running out (a regular hazard in Asia, where you exchange dozens of cards every day), and briefed me on the differences between Malay and Chinese surnames.

The ideal hotel should be more than simply somewhere to stay. It should function as a home, an office, a personal assistant and an ally. And above all, it will be a key factor in how your business contacts perceive you. So you can check in to the region’s finest hotels without any guilt. For business travelers to Asia, a five-star lifestyle is not an extravagance — it is a necessity.

HONG KONG

THE PENINSULA HONG KONG

The “Grande Dame of the Far East,” this historic hotel has been one of the world’s premier addresses since it opened in 1928. It retains an atmosphere of classical elegance, yet beyond the historic façade this is unashamedly a 21st century hotel. All 300 guestrooms feature bedside consoles that enable you to draw the curtains, operate the air conditioning, adjust the lighting or summon the valet, and are equipped with fax machines, highspeed Internet access, dual-line telephones and voicemail. Transfers to and from the airport are available by Rolls-Royce or helicopter (the hotel has a rooftop helipad). $$$$
THE PENINSULA HONG KONG
Salisbury Road
Kowloon
tel 852 2920 2888, fax 852 2722 4170
www.hongkong.peninsula.com

MANDARIN ORIENTAL AND LANDMARK MANDARIN ORIENTAL

Located in the heart of the central business district on Hong Kong Island, the prestigious Mandarin Oriental is a high-status venue, regularly playing host to royalty, tycoons and U.S. presidents. Many of the 486 rooms and 55 suites offer spectacular views of the harbor, and are fully equipped for modern business travelers. In the third quarter of 2005, the Mandarin Oriental will gain a sister hotel nearby, the Landmark Mandarin Oriental. The Landmark will be much more contemporary in design, and will have some of the most spacious guestrooms in Hong Kong – on average, 540 square feet. You can’t go wrong with either hotel. The main decision is whether you want to project traditional values (in which case, stick with the Mandarin) or to appear cutting edge (go for the Landmark). $$$$
MANDARIN ORIENTAL HONG KONG
5 Connaught Road
tel 852 2522 0111
www.mandarinoriental.com

LANDMARK MANDARIN ORIENTAL HONG KONG
15 Queen’s Road
www.mandarinoriental.com

INTERCONTINENTAL HONG KONG
On checking in, the first thing to strike you is the breathtaking view. The glass-walled lobby provides an incredible panorama of the harbor, and 70 percent of the rooms have the same amazing vista. Every evening at 8 you’ll get a grandstand view of the Symphony of Lights (www.tourism.gov.hk/symphony), a choreographed 15-minute light show that illuminates the famous skyline. The hotel’s I-Spa, one of the best in the city, was designed using the ancient principles of feng shui. The 514 guestrooms are being refurbished on a contemporary Oriental theme; work is expected to be completed by September. $$$$
INTERCONTINENTAL HONG KONG (FORMERLY THE REGENT)
18 Salisbury Road
Kowloon
tel 852 2721 1211, fax 852 2739 4546
www.hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com

SINGAPORE

RAFFLES HOTEL SINGAPORE

The main drawback of the venerable Raffles Hotel is people like me. Even when I’m not a guest, I’m incapable of walking past the place without taking a detour into the lobby. The colonial atmosphere has changed little since Joseph Conrad, Rudyard Kipling and James Michener stayed here. Sit on the antique furniture, gaze up at the fans stirring on the ceiling, and you’re instantly transported back to another age. Raffles has been Singapore’s premier hotel for nearly 130 years. The city now boasts bigger hotels (Raffles has only 103 rooms), and more-luxurious hotels, but this remains the epitome of refinement. Bring any of your business associates here and they’ll be impressed. Of course, they’ll have to put up with the constant stream of people like me, sightseeing in the lobby. $$$$
RAFFLES HOTEL SINGAPORE
1 Beach Road
tel 65 6337 1886, fax 65 6339 7650
www.raffleshotel.com

SHANGRI-LA SINGAPORE

The flagship of the Shangri-La hotel group lies within 15 acres of tropical gardens in the center of Singapore. There are three wings, each with a distinct character. The Tower Wing soars above the lobby, and is well placed for all of the hotel’s amenities. The Garden Wing, with its bougainvillea-draped balconies, feels more like a country club than a big-city hotel. The exclusive Valley Wing is where you could find yourself rubbing shoulders with world leaders and captains of industry: a suite here is a passport to the upper echelons of Singaporean society. A good-value alternative is the Horizon Club, occupying the 17th to 22nd floors of the Tower Wing, which provides you with access to the Club Lounge, a range of complimentary services and two hours’ free use of the meeting rooms during your stay. $$$$
SHANGRI-LA SINGAPORE
22 Orange Grove Road
tel 65 6737 3644, fax 65 6737 3257
www.shangri-la.com

SEOUL

GRAND HYATT SEOUL

When I lived in Seoul 20 years ago, I looked out at the Grand Hyatt every time I opened my bedroom curtains. Situated imposingly on the slopes of Namsan Mountain, it seemed to preside over the city. It still does. Just 10 minutes from downtown, and occupying 18 acres of landscaped gardens, the Grand Hyatt is conveniently located, yet also provides a calm retreat from the hectic pace of the city. The hotel has the full range of business facilities, including computer-equipped private offices available to guests. The Grand Club rooms include extras such as butler service and use of the Grand Club private lounge. $$$$
GRAND HYATT SEOUL
747-7 Hannam-dong
Yongsan-Gu
tel 82 2 797 1234, fax 82 2 798 6953
www.seoul.grand.hyatt.com

THE SHILLA SEOUL

Although many international hotels seem divorced from the city around them, the Shilla retains a distinctive Korean character without compromising on modern comforts. Its name is taken from the Shilla dynasty of the first millennium, and the decor is inspired by that ancient era. Like the Grand Hyatt, the Shilla is located on the slopes of Namsan Mountain, amid a beautiful 23-acre woodland park. There are dedicated Executive floors with state-of-the-art guestrooms and access to a private lounge and business center. The hotel is a little remote, but downtown is easily reached by subway (10 minutes), and there are regular shuttle services to the main shopping districts. $$$$
THE SHILLA SEOUL
202 Jangchung-dong 2-Ga
Jung-Gu
tel 82 2 2233 3131, fax 82 2 2233 5073
www.shilla.net

TAIPEI

THE GRAND HOTEL

Had I been staying here during my ill-fated trip to Taipei, my contacts in the ministry would have been sure of my status. The Grand looks more like a Chinese palace than a hotel: a 12-floor, bright-red pagoda atop a hill. City-side rooms are best, affording stunning panoramas. The hotel is tailored for business guests, with all the modern facilities you’d expect. For recreation, there’s a bowling alley, a gym and an Olympic-size swimming pool. But the hotel’s biggest asset is its reputation. If you are a guest here, your local contacts will be in no doubt about your importance. $$$$
THE GRAND HOTEL
1 Chung Shan Road N.
tel 886 2 2886 8888, fax 886 2 2885 2885
www.grand-hotel.org

HOWARD PLAZA HOTEL

This is the business-hotel equivalent of a Volvo: not especially exciting, but perfectly respectable, highly reliable and solidly comfortable. Its main advantage over the Grand is its location, right in the heart of downtown. When you’ve endured a few Taipei traffic jams, you’ll understand just how beneficial that can be in guaranteeing punctuality.With 606 rooms, this is the city’s fourth largest hotel, yet the high standard of service ensures that it does not feel impersonal. $$-$$$$
HOWARD PLAZA HOTEL
160 Jen Ai Road
tel 886 2 2700 2323, fax 886 2 2700 0729
3w.howard-hotels.com.tw