Stayed here for two nights on my first visit to Taiwan. Lovely hotel overall, one of my favorite Marriott locations I’ve stayed in in Asia.
As others have mentioned, it’s connected to the E Sky Mall which is a high-end mall with primarily luxury brands, along with a great food selection. The atrium is gorgeous and check-in was smooth, with them kindly holding my bags when we arrived before our room was ready. We were upgraded to a Premier Suite (their base-level suite) as a Platinum member, which was absolutely massive. There was a Japanese-style dining room that went completely unused as we had no need for it. I know that they have higher-tier suites available, but I couldn’t imagine why we’d need more space than what we were given as just two travelers.
I was thrilled to see a foam pillow sitting at the foot of my bed - it’s extremely rare in my experience that a property actually reads the guest preferences section of my Marriott profile, where I do have that checkbox selected.
Bathroom was lovely with a VERY high-pressure showerhead and a high-end washlet. The bathtub with a view of the city was also a welcome addition. The bathroom is accessed through a well-insulated door, and the only windows to the room were located in the bathroom and in the dining room (with its own set of closing doors) - which meant that with both doors closed, the room was pitch black with all lights off. As a late sleeper, I was very appreciative of the thoughtful care that went into their room design.
The fitness center, pool, and spa were all very well-appointed. We used the spa area which had multiple types of baths (including a cold bath), saunas, and steam rooms. The spa does close between 12pm-1pm and 6pm-7pm for cleaning. And as a co-ed spa, both bathing suits and swim caps are required (they sold us swim caps for TWD $150/piece).
Breakfast was in the Executive Lounge on the 33rd floor. It was serviceable. Selection was somewhat limited and tended much more towards Taiwanese/Asian breakfast options with a few Western selections. I prefer that personally, but you might not. We ate there both mornings just to get some food to start the day, but ate lightly so as to enjoy more food in the city. We didn’t eat at any of the other restaurants inside the hotel.
The Executive Lounge also hosts a nightly happy hour with self-serve beer, wine, and liquor. Liquor selection was basic but certainly nothing to complain about when it’s free.
Upon check-in I was offered a choice of 1000 points or 4 drink vouchers in “the lounge.” It was not clear to me that what they meant by that was their 1F coffee shop literally named “The Lounge” instead of the 33F Executive Lounge. I only was able to clarify this by asking someone in the Executive Lounge what the point of the vouchers was if everything was already free. The vouchers went to waste as the only available options were basic espresso drinks and hot tea, or soft drinks which were freely available in the Executive Lounge. I’d just take the points next time.
Upon check-out there was a massive line (a convention was happening in the hotel the weekend we were staying), but it moved quickly and they again proactively offered to hold our luggage until we were ready to depart the city. They did not honor late checkout. I know it’s a guaranteed benefit but we didn’t really need the extended time, just for them to hold the luggage so we didn’t fight it.
Overall, a really great property that I will definitely return to should I ever be in Kaohsiung again.