Andrew Tsai

The Lalu Hotels and Resorts

The Lalu directly owns and operates 3 luxury destination resorts/hotels in Asia, including: The Lalu Sun Moon Lake, The Lalu Qindao, and The Lalu Nanjing. Our roots date back to 1901 when a Japanese gentleman, Mr. Ito built a small wooden cabin on the Lalu Peninsula in the heart of beautiful Sun Moon Lake, and called it, "The Lalu." For over a hundred years, the place was under strict controls; only senior members of the government, leaders of the military forces, prime ministers and emperors are allowed into The Lalu. The place was a mystery to the outside world. When the Japanese Crown Prince, Hirohito visited Taiwan in 1923, he loved The Lalu so much that he designated it to be his official residence. The small wooden cabin was rebuilt into a two-story building, and eight guest rooms were added, including an east and a west wings, a formal dining room, conference rooms and more. The Lalu transformed from a gorgeous vacation spot into an official government guest house. When Chiang Kai-Shek retreated to Taiwan in 1949, he selected The Lalu as his summer residence, and held various formal gatherings and parties entertaining numerous foreign heads of states. In 1998, Mr. Cheng-Yi Lai, chairman of the Shining Group, came across the opportunity to purchase The Lalu. Despite the price negotiation lasted for more than a year, Mr. Lai bought The Lalu at the original asking price - NT$ 270 million at the end. Mr. Lai recalled, "The Lalu has rich historical value, hence the price I paid is still a bargain." With the additional investment of NT$ 1.86 billion and five years of hard construction and renovation, The Lalu reopened on March 3, 2002 as the most exclusive luxury resort in the entire Taiwan island. Today, The Lalu has three ultra luxury properties in Asia. Architecturally, each was meticulously crafted by the world renowned designer, Kerry Hill.