Stayed here for 5 nights in early April (including on the day of the Hualien earthquake
) and really enjoyed my stay (even with the earthquake)! Applied a SUA to get a Grand Suite King - large master bathroom, 1.5 bath, but no dual vanity unfortunately. Nice soaking tub and large comfortable shower. Didn't get any additional upgrade as a Globalist, but it looked like the hotel was fully sold out, which seems to be the norm in peak season. I was really hoping for a 101 view, but you'll get plenty of 101 views when walking from the hotel to the subway station anyways
Our flight landed at TPE at 5 AM and we were at the hotel by 7 AM or so, and as mentioned above, no room was available. We asked if there was anywhere for us to take a shower and we were directed to the unisex locker room near the outdoor pool. Locker room area had about 4 private shower stalls which was nice, but was surprisingly busy for 7 AM on a Sunday - also, the sinks were outside and "public", so felt a bit weird brushing my teeth there and such.
What I've gathered is - don't expect the hotel to have availability if your flight lands at TPE early
You should book the night before if you'd like to have a place to rest/shower when you arrive.
The lobby was a fantastic place to hang around for a while though as it was pouring the morning I arrived. Huge grand lobby, and a very beautiful entrance area with tons of staff. They have nice branded umbrellas that are completely free to borrow - you don't even have to sign them out or anything, the staff just give them to you! Definitely a big difference between Asia and the US.
Overall, really enjoyed my stay here. Elevators were always quick and plentiful, convenient to get to the nearest subway stations (<5 minute walk), breakfast was delicious in the buffet area (though very busy), and the cash rate was relatively cheap (<$200). I was surprised that so many people mention how dated the hotel feels, as I didn't really get that. It's certainly not the newest hotel, but I think they've done a good job keeping it modern feeling. Certainly better than some older GHs in the US. The one small con is that the area is quite sleepy and there aren't
that many food options nearby (compared to most places in central Taipei), especially later at night.
If you're curious, the hotel handled the earthquake very well! A few things fell in the room but nothing bad - quite a bit of ceiling/wall plaster fell onto the floor from the main quake + aftershocks, but housekeeping did a fantastic job of cleaning up each day. As someone who lives in the Midwest and is not accustomed to earthquakes, it was truly shocking how everyone in Taipei was business as usual moments after the main quake.