Grand Indeed - the Grand Hyatt Taipei
Normally, Grand Hyatts tend to have a bit of a reputation as being luxury “factories” - however, I had heard good things about the Grand Hyatt Taipei. It was even featured in a book about Apple as a place where employees would go live out of in Apple’s early days. Thus, I knew I had to try it. And spoiler: it was as grand as it was billed, with excellent services and employees to match.
Overview
The Grand Hyatt Taipei is part of Hyatt’s “luxury” offerings, with stated room counts of 350-700 rooms. It is an older building, having opened in 1990, though it has been renovated and taken care of well. I personally used a Hyatt Globalist Guest of Honor award, and whilst not given a suite due to availability, was super impressed at all the rest of the hotel.
Location
As far as locations go for hotels, it’s tough to beat the Grand Hyatt Taipei’s location. It’s steps away from Taipei 101, one of the world’s tallest buildings, the convention center, city hall, metro station, a 7 eleven (though thats Asia in general).
Just a note for first time visitors, Taipei the city is a bit far from TPE airport, so you’ll need to budget at least an hour to get from the airport to the city on a good day.
Note there are 3 major entrances to the building: the front grand entrance, along with two side entrances, one of which connects to a walkway to Taipei 101.
Check In
Upon entering, you can see the Grand part of the Grand Hyatt, a magnificent lobby area. I saw random people taking pictures of themselves in the lobby.
Given the size of the hotel, there is a check in desk staffed by 3-4 people, as well as a concierge. For better or worse, I’ve found that Asia hasn’t really embraced mobile check in yet. I was checked in by this kind gentleman at 12:00PM who noted that my room actually was ready despite me being 4 hours early. Furthermore, they were also okay with my 4:00PM late checkout request. Incredible service.
They also went through the hotel’s great number of facilities, and helped me book a spa appointment.
I had received a room on the club level floor, which was super convenient and not at all crowded.
Room
I recieved a 1 King Bed 101 View Club Access - I will say, the views were of course amazing.
If it’s not obvious from the photos, you can control your shades electronically, and its pretty cool unveiling this view. Anyways, the room properly starts with a long hallway, which then connects to the bathroom and an amenity section.
There’s a closet, safe, fridge (that’s partially filled but has enough space for one to put their things in), slippers and a bathrob.
Next up was the bathroom, which contained a large bathtub, sink and shower. I truly appreciated the size of the bathtub, although it was a tad smaller than the one at Aria in Las Vegas.
I really appreciate the overall decor of the room: it didn’t feel dated, and tastefully incorporated some Taiwanese elements. The king bed was also super comfortable, and well worth it for a hotel of this caliber.
There was also a very sturdy working desk, along with a sofa and smaller coffee table.
This is very very impressive for a club level room, and indeed for many hotels in major city centers the amount of space would be bordering on junior suite size.
The Amenities
Is absolutely where the Grand Hyatt Taipei shines - at some point, it rivals even resort style hotels, but its in the middle of Taipei!
Let’s start with the gym, my favorite. The actual gym was split into a stretching and workout section, and overall equipment was on the better side (through lacking a proper squat rack / bench press).
The Grand Hyatt has a spa, called the Club Oasis. For ~US$180, I was able to get a full body treatment and massage - just warning everyone that a Taiwanese massage tends to be on the much harder side! But overall, it was an excellent, relaxing experience.
After the spa, clients can use the magnificent pool facilities. Besides the sheer size of the pool, look at the incredible view!
And in true Asian fashion, there are slippers for one to borrow.
The room I booked had access to the club lounge, which was head and shoulders above most in North America (sorry Delta Toronto). Let’s start with the food on offer - this is the spread, which is incredible. Although I would suggest give you are in one of the food capitals of the world to go outside and eat.
Not pictured here was the complementary drink bar, which ran until 7:30PM - it had an assortment of wine, hard liquors and beers. My favorite was this man on his laptop with 4 glasses of wine at 7:30PM. These are the people keeping the economy running.
The actual lounge was kept very clean by hardworking attendants, who provide the superb service that Asia is known for.
The lounge also provides breakfast - however, I highly highly recommend you go down to experience the hotel’s amazing breakfast.
The Breakfast
Yes, there’s a whole section about breakfast. It’s held in the Dining Cafe, and runs until 10:30AM on weekends. To be honest that would be my only critique, as my friend ran late and almost missed the breakfast.
As you can tell, there are a substantial number of live cooking stations. Furthermore, all the food was extremely high quality, and comparable to what you could eat in Taipei. Below you can see some of my favorite, including the eggs, beef noodle and salmon. This is the point of a buffett.
The Service
Was impeccable. Relative to the St. Regis New York, or most other luxury hotels, the staff blew me away with their impeccable, friendly hospitality. From letting me check in a few hours early, to pointing me in the right direction, to helping me select a few attractions to visit, everything was done with a warm, sincere tone and attitude. Having booked the spa, the morning of I received a hand signed letter reminding me of my appointment in a few hours!
The Point
At around US$200 a night, this is frankly an incredible steal. If you can, try to get a Globalist Guest of Honor for the stay, as this hotel goes above and beyond to ensure one has a great time. I have heard people assert that his hotel is old, or even haunted LOL - however, if that was the case, then Id hope every hotel was like this. The location and views are unmatched for Taipei, the room was well furnished and thoughtfully laid out, the facilities comparable to a luxury resort, and of course the world-class breakfast. Run, don’t walk at the chance to stay here - and if you do, make sure you check out the spa!
