Chinese New Year is always a time for splurging on family dining, gifts and travel, with members looking to please their palates and impress guests, Alethea Dean at Quintessentially tells WealthBriefingAsia.

Chinese
New Year is always a time for splurging on family dining, gifts and travel, and
for global concierge firms it is one of the busiest times of year,
with members looking to please their palates and impress guests, Alethea Dean
at Quintessentially tells WealthBriefingAsia exclusively.

Food
is a crucial part of the celebration, so unsurprisingly high-end Chinese
restaurants dominated requests during the period, with members looking to both
please their palates and impress guests with spectacular settings.

Hot
tables include Tin Lung Heen at the Ritz, Man Wah at the Mandarin Oriental and
Yan Toh Heen at the InterContinental, and in non-hotel restaurants, Cuisine
Cuisine at the IFC has proved a sensation. These luxurious restaurants are
dedicated to the tradition of Cantonese culinary arts, particularly their
excellent seafood (fish being being an auspicious dish at this time
of year).

Other
treats include the ubiquitous Chinese New Year Pudding, which means
Quintessentially’s inboxes filled up with requests for orders from the
perennially popular Peninsula, and for more gift baskets, Rosewood Hampers.
Younger clients and expatriates seemed to favour celebrating the holiday with a
less traditional bent, ordering Mix ‘n’ Match with Champagne and chocolates.


Perhaps
the busiest corner of the Quintessentially office was over at Quintessentially
Travel. At this time of year, travellers aren’t asking for any specific hotels,
but for anything that is available. People who usually holiday at 5-star
resorts were considering backpacker joints in Borocay. One result of this limited
supply in Southeast Asia, is that people are willing to go further afield, and
because of the extra day this year, intrepid holiday-makers are using their
time to explore Africa, Australia, Sri Lanka.



And
now the concierge team are beginning to see a surge in detox-related queries.
Personal trainers have been a part of this trend, but because many want the
results without the sweat, deep cleansing spa treatments have been particularly
prevalent. The Lymphatic Boost Day Spa Ritual at the Oriental Spa, a new
treatment than clears toxins blocking the system with heavenly combination of
precision massage, fragrant aromatherapy oils, and deep heap in the Moroccan
Rasul – Quintessentially members seem to agree it’s a more relaxing way of
purifying than endless lunges.