During a previous stay in Taipei, I stayed at the Grand Hyatt Taipei. The Grand Hyatt was located next to the 101 tower, and next to a subway station, so a very convenient location to explore Taipei. However, the Grand Hyatt did look a bit outdated, and according to my Chinese colleagues, ghosts are haunting the Grand Hyatt… So, during my most recent stay in Taipei, I decided to change hotels. Also close to the 101 tower, and even closer to a subway station; the W hotel. Please read my review below of the W Taipei!
Location
The W hotel is located next to the Taipei City Hall station. In fact, you can walk straight from the hotel to the station without going outside. Very convenient! The hotel is surrounded by luxury shops and department stores. If you’re looking to visit a Din Tai Fung restaurant, you don’t need to look very far, because across the street in one of the department stores, there is a Din Tai Fung restaurant.
The Taipei dome is a short 10 minute walk away and so is the 101 Tower. I was upgraded to a ‘spectacular room’ which offers a Taipei 101 view and views are spectacular. Definitely one of the highlights of the hotel.
The reception of the hotel is located at the 10th floor. The 10th floor also hosts a bar, the ‘Seasons by Oliver E.’ restaurant and the pool.
Room
The first thing you see when you enter the ‘spectacular’ room, is of course the view. Day or night, the view of the 101 Tower is fantastic. But there is much more. The room looks bright, fresh and modern. What a difference compared to the Grand Hyatt! The bed is very comfortable and also quiet!
The bathroom has everything you expect from a luxury hotel including a separate bath and shower.
Restaurants
The W hotel has 2 onsite restaurants; Seasons by Oliver E. next to the reception, and Yen, a Chinese Restaurant. Unfortunately Yen was closed for renovations during my stay. It’s planned to re-open mid 2027.
Seasons by Oliver E. is a French inspired restaurant. I did visit this restaurant in the evening and it’s not a bad place to visit. One highlight was the complimentary bread with butter.
Seasons is also the place for breakfast. I wouldn’t rate the breakfast very high though. I thought it was very basic for a 5 star luxury hotel and honestly I had expected more choice and better service.
Conclusion
The W Hotel Taipei is a great luxury hotel in one of the best locations of Taipei. Don’t expect the energetic, young vibe you get in some of the other W hotels. There is no DJ playing in the bar and reception area, like in the W in San Francisco I visited a while back. I think that’s a good thing, so I was happy to see that that component was missing. Instead, it seemed more like a ‘normal’ business and family hotel. It does have all the amenities you might need though; a bar, a pool, and onsite restaurants.
The one thing that makes it worth it, are the luxurious, modern rooms with very comfortable beds. If you then get the 101 view as bonus, then you won’t regret booking a room at the W!
Also have a look at my video of Eva Air from Taipei to Bangkok in the regional business class 787-10. A great product with – in my opinion – one of the best airlines in the world!
Leave a Reply