Ryan C.
Yelp
During my recent trip to Taiwan I stayed at the W Taipei along with the Courtyard Taipei and Hotel Indigo Kaohsiung. My spouse and I left the W very disappointed.
PROS:
- Location: So much of what this hotel has going for it is its location.
(1) Building is connected to a Blue MRT entrance/exit for Taipei City Hall
(2) Walking distance to Sun Yat Sen Memorial, Taipei 101, many bars and food options
(3) Across the street from 7-Eleven and Family Mart, if you need to grab late night bites after the bars
- Infinity swimming pool is gorgeous and surrounded by skyscrapers. The pool also has an extra-shallow area where you can lie down in, without having to stand or tread water.
- If you are an SPG Gold member or high, you have daily access to Happy Hour at the bars from 5-7pm where drinks are free. There is a set happy hour menu with various signature cocktails, teas and coffees to choose from. The Yen bar is on the top floor with gorgeous views of the city.
- Interior design is unique, perhaps in a good way. I would not call it stylish nor particularly hip, but youthful and eclectic yes. The problem for me was that... it just did not seem classy. Everything was overstated with loud color choices and textures that did not seem to cohere with each other. It was, however, kind of interesting to reflect on, which I appreciated.
CONS:
- I stayed a Friday and Saturday night and during those days, the pool was rented out for an event in the evenings and also closed for maintenance during the day. The pool was one of the major reasons I chose this hotel over the many other hotel options. I get that hotels need to perform maintenance and have a right to rent out spaces for events, but the W Taipei failed sorely in communication. They could have notified me by email in advance of my arrival or posted it on their website. When all the other hotels I stayed at sent me a personal welcome email in advance of arrival, the W Taipei was the one hotel that did not. It represented an anomaly to me of the Taiwanese hospitality that I was so impressed with at all the other hotels. They did not even disclose it to me upon check-in. I had to find out by reading a written notice left inside my room. They could have arranged for alternate pool access such as at the neighboring SPG hotel Le Meridien or any other nearby hotel for that matter, but they didn't bother.
- When I tried to shower on Saturday night around 11pm, there was no hot nor warm water. I ended up having to shower Sunday morning instead. This is ridiculous for a modern, luxury hotel.
- I tried to use the hotel's "Anytime Anywhere" concierge by asking what time the SYS Memorial closed. It was 4:45pm and the lady I spoke to said "probably 5:00pm" and suggested I go tomorrow instead. I ended up afterwards walking by it anyway, and discovered it closed at 6:00pm and the concierge gave me false information. I was grateful that I was able to fit it into my explorations that day, and certainly ungrateful for the wrong information I was provided by the concierge.
- I tried to use my SPG app for keyless entry, and it never worked during my stay.
- As an SPG Gold member, you're generally supposed to be permitted 4PM late checkout. When I requested a late checkout, they were only able to push the checkout time back from the standard 12:00pm to 1:00pm. I was grateful for this, but also taken aback by just how subpar my experience at this hotel was.
- When I checked out of the hotel and brought up my disappointment with the hotel over their lack of communication about the pool, as well as the hot water issue, the receptionist simply apologized and did nothing more. He did not offer to pass the message along to a supervisor, nor show any signs that my complaint mattered. Granted, I rarely make formal complaints to a hotel so I don't know the norms are, but the few times that I have in the past, I was responded to with seriousness and sincerity. Again, the W Taipei surprised me here with just how subpar their service and hospitality was.
This was my first time staying at any W Hotel and I felt that my experience here was very... distasteful. In the context of the great service I felt at the other 2 hotels I stayed at in Taiwan during this trip, it made the experience at the W Taipei contrast even more. I would not stay here again when I return, and I would probably also not recommend you stay here if you are over 35, unless you are going through a midlife crisis I guess.