Where to stay in TAIPEI?
#16
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: LAS ORD
Programs: AA Pro (mostly B6) OZ♦ (flying BR/UA), BA Silver Hyatt LT, Wynn Black, Cosmo Plat, Mlife Noir
Posts: 5,992
Typically, it will take longer to get an Uber than flag down a taxi.
Location is always dependent on personal preference (maybe the MO will be appealing to those who like traveling to foreign countries but have a Gordon Biersch, Ruth's Chris, and IKEA nearby - who knows). But yes, to me the Shangri-La location is better. It's on top of a mall which is good for convenient shopping/restaurants and is also near Tonghua night market, which is my personal favorite of Taipei's night markets. IMO the nearby restaurants are more interesting as well (including an absolute gem in Ephernité, whose exec chef used to work at L'astrance and has a farm-to-table focus). The MRT is also accessible although via the least efficient/convenient Brown Line, so probably still a property that guests will want to take taxis from frequently.
Last edited by gengar; Jul 9, 2018 at 4:15 pm
#17
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: BKK
Posts: 6,741
Would like to know more about this. Recently realized I have IHG Platinum and apparently The Regent is IHG. How does it stack up compared to say the Grand Hyatt? The MO looks OK but seems very out of the way. for my dates the W is priced like 2x comparable options which seems absurd for a W as i've never had anything approaching an excellent (or even particularly good) stay at one, even overpriced W's like Barcelona.
A friend of mine stays at the Shangri-La and enjoys it.
#18
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: LAS ORD
Programs: AA Pro (mostly B6) OZ♦ (flying BR/UA), BA Silver Hyatt LT, Wynn Black, Cosmo Plat, Mlife Noir
Posts: 5,992
The Regent Taipei is disqualified from this category due to poor service. I've stayed there many times over the years, going way back to when the property was branded a Four Seasons (or at least affiliated). To be fair, service was never great even as a Four Seasons, but under the new management team/era I've had service issues with pretty much every department - front desk, housekeeping, laundry, concierge, room service, engineering, etc. etc.- and rarely have I found the management resolution satisfactory. I have continued staying there because it's the only option offered by the coordinator of certain events I attend (most recently last year), but in fact after my last stay I vowed not to stay there again even if I have to pay my own way - it's not that it's so bad, but that I just don't feel right rewarding a subpar product even if it's with OPM. It's quite expensive relative to competitors at the suite level, to boot.
Hard product is better with the style being contemporary Japanese, which I much prefer to the decor of, say, the W. However, there are still many design annoyances (e.g., poor seating/room configurations, poor furniture choice/placement, ridiculous electrical outlet locations, annoying sliding closet doors, shower floors that tilt away from the drain, etc. etc.) that show the room design isn't thought out well. Also, the noise insulation between rooms is very poor.
I will mention that the F&B is excellent. Silks, Lan Ting, and Milan Honke (at least hot pot and robatayaki - I haven't tried the kaiseki) are all fantastic. Even the buffet is great. Also, azie is supposed to have one of Taipei's best beef noodle soups but I haven't tried it. Still, Taipei food is far too good to base a property decision on F&B unless you absolutely cannot leave the hotel.
Hard product is better with the style being contemporary Japanese, which I much prefer to the decor of, say, the W. However, there are still many design annoyances (e.g., poor seating/room configurations, poor furniture choice/placement, ridiculous electrical outlet locations, annoying sliding closet doors, shower floors that tilt away from the drain, etc. etc.) that show the room design isn't thought out well. Also, the noise insulation between rooms is very poor.
I will mention that the F&B is excellent. Silks, Lan Ting, and Milan Honke (at least hot pot and robatayaki - I haven't tried the kaiseki) are all fantastic. Even the buffet is great. Also, azie is supposed to have one of Taipei's best beef noodle soups but I haven't tried it. Still, Taipei food is far too good to base a property decision on F&B unless you absolutely cannot leave the hotel.
Last edited by gengar; Jul 10, 2018 at 9:08 pm
#19
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: UA-1K, MM, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Titanium
Posts: 4,423
I really liked the Hyatt and our suite was very spacious and well appointed. The lounge staff were wondeful and the food offerings were varied and tasty. I also liked the location.
#20
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: YYZ
Programs: Ex-Bonvoyed, Hyatt, Hilton, BR, AC, AA
Posts: 1,289
W has always been my go to for Taipei. Location is excellent as it connects to the metro indoors, and is in the heart of Xinyi. Upgrade is always generous (currently in a Fantastic Suite upgraded from a base room), great happy hour, and service is good.
This is coming from someone who generally avoids W hotels.
This is coming from someone who generally avoids W hotels.
#21
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: En Route
Programs: Many
Posts: 6,798
W has always been my go to for Taipei. Location is excellent as it connects to the metro indoors, and is in the heart of Xinyi. Upgrade is always generous (currently in a Fantastic Suite upgraded from a base room), great happy hour, and service is good.
This is coming from someone who generally avoids W hotels.
This is coming from someone who generally avoids W hotels.
#22
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: BKK
Posts: 6,741
There is too much variation in both brands to generalise. This is a better W property, whereas the GH is not at the same level as GH Tokyo, although it is perfectly acceptable.
#23
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: YYZ
Programs: Ex-Bonvoyed, Hyatt, Hilton, BR, AC, AA
Posts: 1,289
The W is generally not much more expensive than the GH (if at all) once you take into the pay 3 stay 4 booking through Luxury Privilege.
#24
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: BKK
Posts: 6,741
The GH is what one would expect of a good Asian Grand Hyatt - large, business oriented, good F&B etc... but rather unexciting. As I said it is not at the level of GH Tokyo or GH Erawan Bangkok, for example.
The W has the great views, and is a hot spot in the local social scene in addition to being a good hotel. And at suite level, such as the Fantastic Suite I mentioned before, it is definitely “luxury” or at least as close to it as any other hotel in Taipei will get.
The W has the great views, and is a hot spot in the local social scene in addition to being a good hotel. And at suite level, such as the Fantastic Suite I mentioned before, it is definitely “luxury” or at least as close to it as any other hotel in Taipei will get.
#25
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: En Route
Programs: Many
Posts: 6,798
#27
I absolutely love the Regent, and found their staff to be very warm... The Regent is my go-to choice in Taipei, having stayed there for the last 4 years.
Personally, I don't like the location of W and MO. The W in particular is located adjacent Taipei 101, along with the Hyatt, and didn't quite feel like the 'real' Taipei. Regent's location in the Zhongshan district on the other hand I felt was much nicer, and more 'alive'. This is the same location with The Okura, which I would recommend as well.
One thing about The Regent is that not all room are created same, and thus, the best rooms are found at their Tai Pan floor, whereas the un-renovated rooms can be well, less desirable in comparison. The Tai Pan is essentially a Hotel within a Hotel, and the service was very personalised and the rooms were brilliantly decorated (think modern Japanese).
Also IHG recently purchased Regent Hotels but I would imagine that they haven't actually integrated the brand into IHG, so I think it is unlikely that status will be taken into account at the moment...
Finally, I might also add Hotel Eclat in Xinyi to be a pretty nice option. It is a small, boutique-esque hotel, with rather small rooms though very well thought-out. It's quite gimmicky as a hotel, but I guess it is a pretty fun option being so . This is the same Eclat as the one in Beijing.
Personally, I don't like the location of W and MO. The W in particular is located adjacent Taipei 101, along with the Hyatt, and didn't quite feel like the 'real' Taipei. Regent's location in the Zhongshan district on the other hand I felt was much nicer, and more 'alive'. This is the same location with The Okura, which I would recommend as well.
One thing about The Regent is that not all room are created same, and thus, the best rooms are found at their Tai Pan floor, whereas the un-renovated rooms can be well, less desirable in comparison. The Tai Pan is essentially a Hotel within a Hotel, and the service was very personalised and the rooms were brilliantly decorated (think modern Japanese).
Also IHG recently purchased Regent Hotels but I would imagine that they haven't actually integrated the brand into IHG, so I think it is unlikely that status will be taken into account at the moment...
Finally, I might also add Hotel Eclat in Xinyi to be a pretty nice option. It is a small, boutique-esque hotel, with rather small rooms though very well thought-out. It's quite gimmicky as a hotel, but I guess it is a pretty fun option being so . This is the same Eclat as the one in Beijing.
#28
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: LAS ORD
Programs: AA Pro (mostly B6) OZ♦ (flying BR/UA), BA Silver Hyatt LT, Wynn Black, Cosmo Plat, Mlife Noir
Posts: 5,992
I absolutely love the Regent, and found their staff to be very warm... The Regent is my go-to choice in Taipei, having stayed there for the last 4 years.
....
One thing about The Regent is that not all room are created same, and thus, the best rooms are found at their Tai Pan floor, whereas the un-renovated rooms can be well, less desirable in comparison. The Tai Pan is essentially a Hotel within a Hotel, and the service was very personalised and the rooms were brilliantly decorated (think modern Japanese).
....
One thing about The Regent is that not all room are created same, and thus, the best rooms are found at their Tai Pan floor, whereas the un-renovated rooms can be well, less desirable in comparison. The Tai Pan is essentially a Hotel within a Hotel, and the service was very personalised and the rooms were brilliantly decorated (think modern Japanese).
For the record, my stays include the Tai Pan floor (this was the suite in which the shower floor tilted away from the drain, showing the renovations are not well-executed). Also, I believe the newer closet style (with the annoying sliding door configuration) only exists in certain renovated suites, so it's not just a renovated vs old room issue. I'll note also that, due to my event coordinator relationship to the hotel, I have been granted access to the Tai Pan lounge even when not actually staying on the floor (e.g., my most recent stay in a balcony suite). The Tai Pan lounge is nice (with ice cream as others have mentioned, not to mention a load of other sweets and goodies throughout the day), but not worth the hotel's general service issues.
As mentioned, at Regent I've simply had too many service issues with too many (all?) departments with too many unsatisfactory management resolutions that it's impossible for me to believe that management cares at all about guest satisfaction. Given that during all these stays, I was staying on the Tai Pan floor / had access to the Tai Pan lounge / had an event coordinator book me who has a relationship with the hotel, it's scary to think how they must treat guests who don't fall into any of those categories.