architecture and culture. The hotel itself contains numerous objets d'art, wall panels, paintings, carvings, and significant restaurants. Dragon motifs are frequently intertwined throughout the various structures that make up the hotel, earning the hotel the name "The Dragon Palace". Besides dragons, lion and plum flower motifs also make a significant presence in the hotel. Each of the eight guest levels represents a different Chinese dynasty, as reflected through the murals and general decor. The hotel has a total of 490 rooms. The rooms facing south offer guests a panoramic view of Taipei City. The presidential suite, as the hotel claims, contains former President Chiang Kai-shek's desk and Madame Chiang's dressing table. Currently the presidential suite costs NT$160,000 per night (Approx. US$4,850). Budget rooms are available from ca. $99 per night. The hotel also features auditoriums and meeting rooms, making it a popular venue for conventions and conferences in Taiwan. Secret passages Ever since the opening of the hotel, rumour had it that secret passages ran from the hotel to the nearby Shilin Official Residence and farther out to the Presidential Office Building for Chiang's convenience. The truth was uncovered after the 1995 fire as part of the safety commission that was conducted. The secret passages were revealed to be two air-raid tunnels, each of them 180 m in length leading to nearby parks, not to the presidential residence or the emergency headquarters as rumours had suggested. The western passage is equipped with a slide for the disabled as an alternative to the spiraling stairs. The exits are obscured by concrete walls, thus escaping public detection for decades. The tunnels have a maximum capacity of about 10,000 people. As of 2005 the tunnels were closed to the public except for special events, when hotel officials invite the press and public inside the tunnels for a tour. Notable guests Dwight D. Eisenhower – The only American president who visited Taiwan (18-19 June 1960) while still in power. Richard Nixon – Stayed at the hotel during an Asian trip in 1965 President of the Republic of Vietnam, Nguyễn Văn Thiệu and his wife Ronald Reagan Bill Clinton Warren Christopher – His arrival from nearby Sungshan Airport in 1978 was delayed several hours by crowds throwing eggs and screaming protests over U.S. President Jimmy Carter's decision to break relations with Taiwan. Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. – Stayed at the hotel the night before his