Nov 10, 2014, 10:33 pm
Le Meridien Taipei [Master Thread]
Nov 6, 2010, 8:37 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: SFO/SJC
Programs: AMEX PLT, AA PPro, Spire AMB
Posts: 1,617
Le Meridien Taipei [Master Thread]
I am at the Le Meridien Taipei now. Running short of time so I thought I'd summarize quickly.
No ICG in Taipei. So we booked this at an opening rate of 5,500 NTD (is at normal price of 10-12k NTD now). We were upgraded as SPG Gold to an executive suite on the 8th floor, hotel is only 14 floors and doesnt look to have too many rooms. Half the rooms on my floor are larger rooms, with one full suite on each floor and the rest being larger/junior suites. My guess is that because of soft opening, its okay.
Very nice room, amazing. 1 half bath and one full bath with dual vanity, huge tub, shower, dressing area and tv in front of tub. Living room with 42" LCD and sofa area with floor to ceiling windows. Bedroom same size, huge king bed and also another access to huge bathroom.
Toilets are FULLY automatic, found it interesting u can push buttons to raise and lower the lid in different forms, warm toilets seats and japanese style cleaning.
Construction quality is a bit shoddy, noticed a lot of imperfections that in a year or two will present problems, most likely because of the humid weather here as well.
Staff here aims to please, they really do. They definitely need to coordinate a host of issues, it was overly complicated and sometimes understaffed.
For the cost, we had an amazing deal - this suite is fantastic.
No ICG in Taipei. So we booked this at an opening rate of 5,500 NTD (is at normal price of 10-12k NTD now). We were upgraded as SPG Gold to an executive suite on the 8th floor, hotel is only 14 floors and doesnt look to have too many rooms. Half the rooms on my floor are larger rooms, with one full suite on each floor and the rest being larger/junior suites. My guess is that because of soft opening, its okay.
Very nice room, amazing. 1 half bath and one full bath with dual vanity, huge tub, shower, dressing area and tv in front of tub. Living room with 42" LCD and sofa area with floor to ceiling windows. Bedroom same size, huge king bed and also another access to huge bathroom.
Toilets are FULLY automatic, found it interesting u can push buttons to raise and lower the lid in different forms, warm toilets seats and japanese style cleaning.
Construction quality is a bit shoddy, noticed a lot of imperfections that in a year or two will present problems, most likely because of the humid weather here as well.
Staff here aims to please, they really do. They definitely need to coordinate a host of issues, it was overly complicated and sometimes understaffed.
For the cost, we had an amazing deal - this suite is fantastic.
Nov 13, 2010, 12:19 am
#2
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 4
I am writing this from the LM too. Though apparently fully booked I got upgraded to a Junior Suite on 9th floor (Plat status). Unfortunately not on the side where you can see the Taipei 101.
The Club Lounge is small - fits the size of the hotel - but the food selection for Happy Hour was pretty good.
Two more things to mention: In the junior suite soft drinks and beer was complimentary. I've never seen this at an SPG before.
The swimming pool is nice, but it has only few ceiling windows, no views to the outside (I had hoped for - again - Taipei 101 views). Its more a sports pool, with full 25m size (3 lanes), but there's also a Jacuzzi.
The Club Lounge is small - fits the size of the hotel - but the food selection for Happy Hour was pretty good.
Two more things to mention: In the junior suite soft drinks and beer was complimentary. I've never seen this at an SPG before.
The swimming pool is nice, but it has only few ceiling windows, no views to the outside (I had hoped for - again - Taipei 101 views). Its more a sports pool, with full 25m size (3 lanes), but there's also a Jacuzzi.
Nov 13, 2010, 10:12 am
#3
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: JAX
Programs: UA Plat MM, AA Gold MM, Marriott LTT, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,770
Dec 11, 2010, 10:51 pm
#5
Join Date: May 2005
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SE, Alaska MVP Gold, Bonvoy Titanium, IHG Diamond
Posts: 158
Here now....very nice place IMO. Junior suite upgrade, nice lounge, comp full breakfast in Latest Recipe restaurant downstairs, soft drinks & beer from mini bar included and very nice staff. Sorry that I booked the sheraton for the next two nights....they've already contacted me to advise that I will likely not receive any upgrade due to being almost fully booked.
Dec 19, 2010, 7:43 pm
#6
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: CLT
Programs: US Airways Chairman's, Marriott Platinum, SPG Platinum
Posts: 65
Amazing stay!
Check-in: I had booked two rooms for two nights using the Free Weekend nights awards. When we arrived at the hotel, porters quickly took our luggage and took us in for check-in. When they realized I was a SPG Platinum member, we were ushered to the Executive Lounge for check-in. One room was upgraded to a junior suite and the other room was just down the hall from the junior suite. They offered free breakfast for one room / two guests down at the restaurant on the main floor, Latest Recipe. Both rooms was given lounge access and late check-out which was nice.
Room: The junior suite was very impressive and large IMO for a junior suite. It was more like a full one bedroom suite. You walk into the suite and there was a good sized walk-in closet. There is a good sized living room with a 42in plasma TV. The living room had AMAZING views of Taipei 101. You could really spend some time at night just looking at the view. The junior suite was located at the corner of the hotel facing 101. There is a good sized bed room and a very large bathroom. The bedroom had another 42in plasma TV and the tub in the bathroom had another smaller TV. There was a great separate walk-in shower with 4 side nozzles and the normal faucet up top. The toilet was Japanese and had automatic sensors everywhere and the toilet seat was always heated which is interesting.
The normal hotel room was not bad at all either. It also had the Japanese toilet and walk-in shower. There wasn't a ton of counter space in the sink area for two people's toiletries though. The normal room bathroom does not really have a door / private area. This works fine for a couple but not recommended for friends sharing a room. The room also had a nice view of Taipei 101 if you looked to the left out the window.
Lounge / Restaurant: Lounge was small but was never full. The hotel isn't very large so I guess it works. The food wasn't bad and the person(s) working the lounge was very nice. Latest Recipe downstairs was okay for breakfast/brunch. The spread was very large with American / Asian offerings. The food was decent but nothing stood out. My gf really enjoyed the savory pastries though. We also ate at Humble House restaurant and the food wasn't bad. It didn't taste like authentic Chinese food to us. It was more like very good quality Americanized Chinese food.
Gym / Spa: Because the hotel was new, it had great new gym equipment. The gym was actually pretty big for the hotel and had all the weights, cardio and machines you would want. Everything was Life Fitness equipment and I really had a good workout. The spa area was very small but very very nice. The steam room was one of the best I've used in a hotel and the sauna wasn't bad either. There was a hot jacuzzi and a cold plunge as well. Overall this was one of the best gym / spas I've used at a hotel.
Overall: I cannot wait to stay here again. I have two more nights in Taipei on this trip and the hotel is already fully booked so I'll be down the street at the Grand Hyatt.
My only annoyance was that the gym / spa was closed the day I was checking out. The sign said it was for renovation but it's hard to imagine what kind of renovation is going on for a week when the hotel has only been open for a month.
Room: The junior suite was very impressive and large IMO for a junior suite. It was more like a full one bedroom suite. You walk into the suite and there was a good sized walk-in closet. There is a good sized living room with a 42in plasma TV. The living room had AMAZING views of Taipei 101. You could really spend some time at night just looking at the view. The junior suite was located at the corner of the hotel facing 101. There is a good sized bed room and a very large bathroom. The bedroom had another 42in plasma TV and the tub in the bathroom had another smaller TV. There was a great separate walk-in shower with 4 side nozzles and the normal faucet up top. The toilet was Japanese and had automatic sensors everywhere and the toilet seat was always heated which is interesting.
The normal hotel room was not bad at all either. It also had the Japanese toilet and walk-in shower. There wasn't a ton of counter space in the sink area for two people's toiletries though. The normal room bathroom does not really have a door / private area. This works fine for a couple but not recommended for friends sharing a room. The room also had a nice view of Taipei 101 if you looked to the left out the window.
Lounge / Restaurant: Lounge was small but was never full. The hotel isn't very large so I guess it works. The food wasn't bad and the person(s) working the lounge was very nice. Latest Recipe downstairs was okay for breakfast/brunch. The spread was very large with American / Asian offerings. The food was decent but nothing stood out. My gf really enjoyed the savory pastries though. We also ate at Humble House restaurant and the food wasn't bad. It didn't taste like authentic Chinese food to us. It was more like very good quality Americanized Chinese food.
Gym / Spa: Because the hotel was new, it had great new gym equipment. The gym was actually pretty big for the hotel and had all the weights, cardio and machines you would want. Everything was Life Fitness equipment and I really had a good workout. The spa area was very small but very very nice. The steam room was one of the best I've used in a hotel and the sauna wasn't bad either. There was a hot jacuzzi and a cold plunge as well. Overall this was one of the best gym / spas I've used at a hotel.
Overall: I cannot wait to stay here again. I have two more nights in Taipei on this trip and the hotel is already fully booked so I'll be down the street at the Grand Hyatt.
My only annoyance was that the gym / spa was closed the day I was checking out. The sign said it was for renovation but it's hard to imagine what kind of renovation is going on for a week when the hotel has only been open for a month.
Dec 23, 2010, 7:25 pm
#9
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Australia
Programs: Accor Plat,SGP plat, Hyatt Dia, PC Plat, QF Plat, SG TPP, TG Gold
Posts: 284
Nice Hotel
Yes, this is a nice hotel. Upgrade to Junior Suite. Staff are delightful and very eager to please. Lounge is small but the food selection adequate and tasty. Breakfast is not in the lounge but in ground floor cafe. Very good buffet.
Soft Drinks, mineral water and beer from the mini-bar are complimentary ( at least in suites).
Auto-toliet is extraordinary. Latest model. Men need to be slightly careful not to stand too close as the lid and seat elevate. Potential for a blow in an area of sensitivity.
This was a nice stay..although more suited to either business ( if one has work in the area) or shopping ( about 1km to Taipei 101 and there is a mall adjacent to the hotel). It's not in what I call the 'real' Taipei
Soft Drinks, mineral water and beer from the mini-bar are complimentary ( at least in suites).
Auto-toliet is extraordinary. Latest model. Men need to be slightly careful not to stand too close as the lid and seat elevate. Potential for a blow in an area of sensitivity.
This was a nice stay..although more suited to either business ( if one has work in the area) or shopping ( about 1km to Taipei 101 and there is a mall adjacent to the hotel). It's not in what I call the 'real' Taipei
Jan 12, 2011, 6:09 pm
#10
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Jakarta
Programs: Krisflyer PPS, SPG, Hyatt GoldPassport, Shangri-la Golden Circle, British Airways ExecClub
Posts: 1,245
I am staying here now. IMO, they are not ready. Lots of service issues and annoying problems :
1) Call to Guest Service is always diverted to answering machine and put on hold, need multiple tries and patience to get thru to anyone. Or keep trying different numbers, ie operator, front desk, guest service and hope someone will finally pick up the phone. Yet I see lots of staff sitting and walking around at the lobby when they are not checking-in guest.
2) They forgotten my morning call.
3) No 220V plugs in the room.
4) Aircon thermostat not working. Temperature fix at 19DegC.
5) Wireless internet don't work in my room. Didn't bother to call them again to fix it since wired internet works. See (1)
6) For a modern and recently open hotel, they didn't provide an iPod dock.
7) Shower is low pressure. Again for a newly open hotel, no rainforest shower.
With this kind of room quality and service standard, I think LeMeridien Taipei is only 4star but they are charging 5-star price.
1) Call to Guest Service is always diverted to answering machine and put on hold, need multiple tries and patience to get thru to anyone. Or keep trying different numbers, ie operator, front desk, guest service and hope someone will finally pick up the phone. Yet I see lots of staff sitting and walking around at the lobby when they are not checking-in guest.
2) They forgotten my morning call.
3) No 220V plugs in the room.
4) Aircon thermostat not working. Temperature fix at 19DegC.
5) Wireless internet don't work in my room. Didn't bother to call them again to fix it since wired internet works. See (1)
6) For a modern and recently open hotel, they didn't provide an iPod dock.
7) Shower is low pressure. Again for a newly open hotel, no rainforest shower.
With this kind of room quality and service standard, I think LeMeridien Taipei is only 4star but they are charging 5-star price.
Jan 26, 2011, 1:53 pm
#12
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 689
Promises much but falls away in service
I am finishing up a 3 night paid stay here.
I was upgraded to a Junior Suite on the 12th Floor , the same level as the Executive Lounge.
I have not enjoyed my stay here and while the Hotel is only 2 months old, they have many service issues to deal with that were acknowledged by Annie C in management. These involved issues that I will not go into in detail other than to say the Hotel promises so much but falls away badly in service delivery.
They did involve power adapters,room cleanliness,restaurant meal mishaps,meeting room used as staff training room to name a few.
The staff try hard but they have a fear of failure that management needs to address as they are not empowered to provide solutions without going via Annie who seems to micro manage the Hotel. Her only solution was to ask "please give us another try and we will aim to get it right"
Once the W opens, I am most unlikely to return.
I do not like the color tones within the room/floor level as I have never been a mission brown fan...its so dated.
I did like the Nespresso machine in the Suite , the high tech toilet that washes your backside (should you wish) and the large shower. No breakfast is provided in the Lounge as it does not open to 10AM.
I was upgraded to a Junior Suite on the 12th Floor , the same level as the Executive Lounge.
I have not enjoyed my stay here and while the Hotel is only 2 months old, they have many service issues to deal with that were acknowledged by Annie C in management. These involved issues that I will not go into in detail other than to say the Hotel promises so much but falls away badly in service delivery.
They did involve power adapters,room cleanliness,restaurant meal mishaps,meeting room used as staff training room to name a few.
The staff try hard but they have a fear of failure that management needs to address as they are not empowered to provide solutions without going via Annie who seems to micro manage the Hotel. Her only solution was to ask "please give us another try and we will aim to get it right"
Once the W opens, I am most unlikely to return.
I do not like the color tones within the room/floor level as I have never been a mission brown fan...its so dated.
I did like the Nespresso machine in the Suite , the high tech toilet that washes your backside (should you wish) and the large shower. No breakfast is provided in the Lounge as it does not open to 10AM.
Feb 1, 2011, 2:47 pm
#13
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: Hyatt, AA, SPG
Posts: 138
Give it a miss
I agree 100% with aussiechris after just finishing a 2 day stay and trying this Hotel over the Hyatt.
Basically its a 4 star Hotel, with 3 star service but 5 star prices (11,100 TWD/night).
Service is patchy and not reproducible from day to day...lots of staff who try hard but it misses the mark.Staff have to constantly check every request you make with management.
Hotel really lacks atmosphere and an identity...you really think you have arrived at an office block.What does the LM Taipei stand for? You really would not know.Lounge is not open for breakfast.
Back to the Hyatt next visit or perhaps checkout the W.
Will not be back.
Basically its a 4 star Hotel, with 3 star service but 5 star prices (11,100 TWD/night).
Service is patchy and not reproducible from day to day...lots of staff who try hard but it misses the mark.Staff have to constantly check every request you make with management.
Hotel really lacks atmosphere and an identity...you really think you have arrived at an office block.What does the LM Taipei stand for? You really would not know.Lounge is not open for breakfast.
Back to the Hyatt next visit or perhaps checkout the W.
Will not be back.
Feb 1, 2011, 5:30 pm
#15
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 689
I was not charged for breakfast.Perhaps this was a favor owing to the service issues I had or perhaps it was a Plat benefit that was not mentioned during check in.
If you PM me , I can give you the Hotel GM's email address for you to contact.