At the start of the “Made in Taiwan” era in the 1960s, Edward Liu set up a sandal export factory, which was later chosen by the Dassler team to be Adidas’ Asian foundry in the '70s. In 1990, without any background in the hotel industry, Liu, the shoe tycoon, invested in developing Sherwood Hotel, one of the few five-star hotels in Taipei at the time. Sherwood became the first choice for business travellers and it was also frequented by local politicians, who appreciated its discreetness and the quality of cuisine.

Following the success of Sherwood, Liu then had the idea to build the first APEC-worthy and largest international conference hotel in Taipei. The 320-room Taipei Marriott was opened in 2015, built using Liu’s own money, which was considered to be quite the gamble—but one that paid off.