On the eve of Chinese New Year 2014, an exciting yet mysterious atmosphere permeated LDC Hotels & Resorts Group because a dream fulfillment event was going to take place to provide a pleasant surprise to hotel guests. The group had near 100 employees planning and implementing the event, and I was lucky enough to be one of them. It was the first time in my life to be able to help others fulfill their dreams, and my fellow colleagues became wish-granting genies for more than one hundred hotel guests.

In the early morning of the 5th day of Chinese New Year, the event planning team had one last meeting with Ruth Koo, Nelson Chang, and Emile Sheng, respectively Chairperson, CEO, and President of the Group, to reconfirm the responsibilities of the different departments, including taking notes of the guests' wishes, buying the desired gifts and wrapping them up, and videotaping the event. At 3:00 pm that day, guests started to check in, receive their room keycards, and make their Taipei New Year wishes after being greeted by hotel employees disguised as the Chinese deity of fortune. I was responsible for taking notes of the guests' wishes and was struck by the fact that none of them was really extravagant.

Some wishes were for simple things like the very comfortable bath robes and pillows at Palais de Chine Hotel, while some were interested in the increased jackpot of the special Chinese New Year Lottery. Some guests from Hong Kong wanted to try Taiwan's famous Chiate Pineapple Pastry, Din Tai Fung xiaolongbao, or drunken abalones. Young guests preferred innovative IT devices such as PlayStation 3, iPhone5S, iPad, etc. A music-loving child wanted a wooden guitar, and a cute little girl wanted to turn herself into a princess. A peculiar request came from a boy who preferred a street sweeper to fire engines or police cars. It was quite challenging, but our buyer managed to find one after five hours of dedicated pursuit. Chiate Pineapple Pastry was no easy task, either; it took two hours waiting in queue to secure 200 boxes of the pastry. All the while, the buyers and the gift-wrappers stayed in close contact with each other to ensure everything would be ready by the evening.

9:00pm, February 4, 2014 (5th day of Chinese New Year) must be a moment of lifetime memory for many guests. A mound of beautifully wrapped gifts was showcased under the shining copper dome of the hotel's 5th-Floor Grand Hall. The mother of a senior high school boy promised him an iPhone5S as incentive to get into a national university. To their surprise, Palais de Chine simply gave him an iPhone 5S in advance. “You should study even harder harder now that you've got your dream phone.” Emile Sheng encouraged the boy. “Don't let your mother down.” Tears welled up in the boy's eyes as he clutched the phone and looked at his mother.

Among the guests was a couple from Hong Kong who was in Taipei for their wedding portraits and for the groom-to-be to find his fiancée a ring for proposal. Our Chairperson, Ruth Koo, took it upon herself to find him that ring. As soon as the gift was unwrapped, the man got down on one knee and proposed to his girl.

The guests at Palais de Chine Hotel experienced a heart-warming and unforgettable evening on the 5th day of Chinese New Year, the day to welcome the deity of fortune in Chinese tradition. The event not only fulfilled hotel guests' wishes, but also strengthened our consensus at LDC Hotels & Resorts Group: To provide our guests with a great lifetime memory through our hard work day in and day out. Watching them as they sink their teeth into steaming xiaolongbaos was, of course, an added bonus for all of us involved in bringing everyone's dream to fruition.

Please find the video on the Chinese New Year event on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-H0VThazok).