KkaitomI usually stay at hotels that are part of international hotel chains, but unfortunately, there aren’t many options from the hotel chains I normally stay with in Taiwan. I chose this hotel because it was the first one that came up in my search and the reviews were generally quite good.
There are definitely some positive points. The housekeeping was excellent — the room was clean, tidy, and cleaned thoroughly throughout my 7-night stay. The hotel is also in a great location, and the Wi-Fi was fast and reliable. One feature I particularly liked was the automatic toilet, which was a nice touch and one of the reasons I’m giving the hotel 3.5 stars instead of 3.
However, I have stayed at many genuine five-star hotels from international hotel chains, and based on my experience, I don’t think this hotel quite meets the standard of a five-star property.
I booked a three-bed room, but the room felt quite small for three people. Even though there were two chairs at the desk, the desk itself was so small that it was basically full even when only one person was using it. For a room designed for three guests, I expected the workspace and overall usable space to be more practical.
There were also some parts of the room that could use maintenance. For example, there was a section of the floor that felt uneven and slightly sunken when walking over it. These details may seem minor, but they are noticeable and not what I would expect from a hotel that presents itself as five-star.
I also expected some basic amenities, such as a razor, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and bottled water, but none of these were provided. While the shampoo, shower gel, hand wash, and body lotion were all from the same line and had the same scent, there was no conditioner, which was surprising for a five-star hotel.
The water system was also inconvenient. Guests have to get drinking water from a filtration machine themselves, and if you want a water pitcher, you have to request one. I understand that the hotel may be trying to reduce plastic waste and be more environmentally friendly, which I appreciate. However, in that case, a reusable water pitcher or glass bottle should be provided in the room from the beginning rather than making guests request one.
The toilet area was also extremely small. Although I liked the automatic toilet, the bathroom door did not close properly. Even when closed, there was still a noticeable gap, which again is not what I would expect from a five-star property.
Another issue was early check-in. I arrived several hours before the official check-in time and asked if I could check in early, but the hotel said I would have to pay for an additional full night. I found this particularly unreasonable considering that I was staying at the hotel for 7 nights. For a guest staying that long, I would expect the hotel to be a little more flexible and accommodating with early check-in, especially if the room was available. I would have understood a reasonable early check-in fee, perhaps 30–50% of the room rate, but charging an entire additional night felt excessive.
To be honest, I have even stayed at non-chain three-star hotels that provided a better overall experience than this. That is why I find it difficult to consider this property a true five-star hotel.
Overall, the hotel has a great location, fast Wi-Fi, excellent housekeeping, and some nice features such as the automatic toilet. However, considering the room size, limited amenities, maintenance issues, bathroom design, water system, and especially the early check-in policy, I feel this hotel is closer to a good four-star property than a true five-star hotel.
If I were rating the hotel purely based on the room and overall five-star standard, I would probably give it 3 stars. However, because of the automatic toilet, fast Wi-Fi, good location, and excellent housekeeping, I’m giving it 3.5 stars overall.
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