Taipei, Taiwan (May 9th, 2016) － W Taipei, a lifestyle luxury hotel dedicated to promoting and celebrating diversity was partnering with SUITCASE, a multi-media travel publication which acts as a point of entry for cultures around the world, and The WW Club, a platform that connects and inspires women working in the creative industries worldwide. Together they presented “The Taipei Exchange”, from May 2nd – 6th, 2016, with the sole purpose of connecting women across the world. 

Five female entrepreneurs from the United States and Great Britain visited Taipei, one of the major hubs in Asia Pacific, to immerse themselves in the city and participate in a cultural exchange between the East and West. The 5-day high energy itinerary saw the women exploring the best of local Taiwanese culture together and also individually as they engaged with aspects of Taipei relevant to their field of work. The exchange opened to the public on Thursday evening with an immersive panel event, moderated by The WW Club's founder Phoebe Lovatt. The panels featuring leading creative women in Taipei as well as the influencers strived to connect the two cultures focusing on two topics: “Women who Travel” and “Women in the Workplace”. The event culminated with an exclusive invite-only gala dinner featuring a contemporary Cantonese-cuisine menu by newly-appointed Chef Hoi Ming Wo, Executive Chef of YEN Chinese restaurant.

 “W Taipei is proud to be a partner of The Taipei Exchange. Our hotel has been patronized by business women travelers, female influencers, celebrities and lifestyle TV presenters from diverse backgrounds across the world.” shared Cary M. Gray, W Taipei General Manager. “Not to mention, gender equality is fairly balanced at our hotel - out of the 9-member senior executive leadership team, females represent 5 of those positions, which is higher than the average 30% of female executives and managers in Taiwan.”

“As founder of The Working Women's Club, I'm passionate about connecting like-minded and ambitious women in the spirit of mutual empowerment. I love learning about - and from - the nuances of working culture in international cities, and feel that these insights are of immense benefit for women worldwide. As an avid traveler, I can't think of better partners than SUITCASE magazine and W Hotels - a sophisticated Western brand with such strong presence in the East - to work with on this project.” said Phoebe Lovatt, founder of The WW Club.  “I'm hoping not only to shine a light on a city that is largely unfamiliar to western audiences, but also learn as much as I can about the evolving working culture of Asia - and to share those insights for the benefit of The WW Club community worldwide.”

“The Taipei Exchange” saw a diverse group of female influencers and entrepreneurs across various industries coming together to exchange perspectives.  The  talents from Taiwan included Wina Chen, W Taipei's Director of Operational Excellence/Co-owner of Mr. Meat restaurant, Florence Lu, Editor-in-Chief of ELLE Taiwan/Chief Content Officer of Hearst magazine Taiwan, Wei-Shuan Chang, Founder of Womany.net, Leslie Sun, Designer and Founder of SUNSET, and Musee Wu, Co-founder and Executive Director of A&M Global Creative.  The overseas counterparts sitting on the panel included Serena Guen, Founder and CEO of SUITCASE, Phoebe Lovatt, Founder of The WW Club, Madeline Poole, Founder of MP Nails, Olivia Lopez, Founder of Lust for Life and Bon Weekender, and Alice Levine, TV and radio presenter at BBC RADIO 1, food writer, and founder of Jackson&Levine.

“Asia plays a leading role in the world's future and in innovation. While not at the forefront quite yet, Taipei is slowly emerging as a capital of fashion, food, music and design and is gaining international interest. We also appreciate that Taipei is one of the most forward-thinking and liberal Asian cities, especially when it comes to women and want to share this with our readers and the world.” said Serena Guen, founder of SUITCASE.

Taipei city has been recognized as one of the “Best Places for Women to Travel Solo” by Travel + Leisure magazine recently. The 5-day itinerary incorporated an exclusive city tour curated by W Taipei insider Sally Pan, a well-traveled and vibrant female talent, and individual itineraries (design, beauty, and food) for the western influencers curated by blogger Stephanie Hsu of Thousandth Girl.

“The Taipei Exchange” aimed not only to highlight Taipei city to the western audience, but introduced them to some of the rising Asian female creatives across the nation.

Detailed insider coverage is featured on wtaipei.com/tpeexchange, SUITCASEmag.com, and thewwclub.com. Follow W Taipei Facebook at facebook.com/wtaipei. Instagram and Tweet us @WTaipei #WTaipei and @SUITCASEmag @thewwclub #TheTaipeiExchange

About W Taipei

W Taipei, which opened to the world on Valentine's Day of 2011, is ideally situated in the midst of the buzzing Central Business District of Xinyi.  Destined to become a stylish meeting place for Taipei's trendsetters, business leaders and discerning world travelers, W Taipei is one of the city's largest luxury hotels, with 405 guestrooms showcasing spectacular urban views and views of the city's iconic Taipei 101 building. The hotel's design theme, “Nature Electrified” underscores all of its key features, from the signature restaurants and lounges to guestrooms that are each designed as private, quiet sanctuaries filled with natural materials, lush amenities and modern conveniences.  For reservations and more information, please visit www.wtaipei.com .

About W Hotels Worldwide

W Hotels is a contemporary, design-led luxury lifestyle brand and the industry innovator with 47 hotels and retreats, including 17 W-branded residences, in the most vibrant cities and exotic destinations around the world. Inspiring, iconic, innovative and influential, W Hotels provides the ultimate in insider access, offering a unique mix of cutting-edge design and passions around fashion, music and entertainment. With 15 years of proven success, W Hotels is on track to reach more than 60 hotels by 2018. W Hotels have been announced for Shanghai, Tel Aviv, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Amman, Jakarta, Panama, Muscat, Suzhou, Changsha, Chengdu, New Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, Shenyang, Marrakech and Brisbane, while upcoming W Retreats include Goa, Phuket, Hainan Island and Mexico's Riviera Maya. For more information, visit whotels.com or follow Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

About SUITCASE

SUITCASE Magazine is a multi-media publication that is re-imagining the role of the travel magazine. Saying goodbye to the impossibly luxurious and the underwhelming tourist clichés, and embracing the eclectic and adventurous appetite of a generation of creatives and entrepreneurs, SUITCASE exists to change the way you travel.

Through a quarterly print magazine, a constantly updated website, apps and a series of pop-up shops and events, SUITCASE aims to immerse you in the fabric of a destination, helping you explore with insider knowledge and acting as a point of entry for cultures around the world.

About The WW Club

Named with a tongue-in-cheek nod to the Working Men's Clubs that once existed across the UK, THE

WW CLUB is a physical and virtual space for working women worldwide, founded by London-born, New York-based journalist and moderator, Phoebe Lovatt.

The first gathering took the form of a pop-up co-work and event space in the historic Eastern

Columbia Building in Downtown Los Angeles in January 2015, and the Club now congregates online and at work-focused events in Los Angeles, London, New York City, and beyond. In the year since its launch, THE WW CLUB has hosted panel conversations, freelancer 'Work Parties', workshops, dinner parties, fitness sessions, brunches, and cocktail hours.

Whatever form they may take, the meetings of THE WW CLUB exist to inspire, support, and connect a new generation of ambitious and industrious young women, working across the creative industries.

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