Grand Hotel Taipei To Mark 60 Years

　　The Grand Hotel Taipei, a Chinese palace-style structure standing conspicuously on a Taipei hill, is marking its 60th anniversary next month. It has published a book on its 60-year history, featuring employees" insider accounts of significant events occurring at the hotel, including the meeting between Taipei and Washington officials over the U.S. decision to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

　　The 14-story hotel will also hold an exhibition of photos and items concerning its history on its premises to mark the anniversary, which falls on May 10.

　　The hotel has been the government"s top choice for hosting state dinners and accommodating foreign dignitaries.

　　The book tells how the hotel made special arrangements, including the installing extra-large beds and chairs, to accommodate a king who weighed 200 kg.

　　The Grand Hotel Taipei is not just a hotel, as it has helped promote diplomatic friendships and tourism, its Chairman Lee Chien-jung said.

　　He said the hotel, who owed its birth to a proposal by Madame Chiang Kai-shek, will continue to attract more tourists to Taiwan.

　　Grand Hotel Taipei was once regarded as a global top 10 hotel. It was gutted by a fire in the 1990s, with major damage to its yellow-tiled roof.