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.