Hotel group launches luxury banquets on 'wedding train'

Taipei, May 13 (CNA) A hotel group, working in collaboration with a major travel operator, launched on Tuesday a "wedding train" service offering luxury banquets with gourmet food served by a three-star Michelin restaurant.

The railway ride takes couples on a one-day trip from Taipei to Hualien County in eastern Taiwan and back, the FDC International Hotels Corp. said in a news release.

The total train journey lasts approximately 8.5 hours, including a 2.5-hour stop in Hualien for various leisure activities in the area, it said.

As exquisite wedding banquets have become an increasingly niche market in recent years, the luxury rail journey will newly-weds and their guests a memorable experience, FDC General Manager Ting Yuan-wei (丁原偉) said.

The "wedding train" has the capacity to offer a maximum of 50 banquet seats and features exclusive menus crafted by a Michelin-starred culinary team from the FDC's Palais Collection restaurant, it said.

The banquet service is the result of a collaboration with Lion Travel Service Co., which itself already works with Taiwan Railway Corp. (TR) to operate the "Future Express Kitchen" (鳴日廚房) which provides dining cars with meals prepared by top chefs.

According to the FDC, the round-trip fine dining banquet package comes with a minimum price tag of NT$600,000 (US$19,692).