CHECK inn Taipei Nanjing

I've stayed at four CheckInn hotels, and this one was unexpectedly disappointing. Check-in at 4pm is an hour later than most hotels, although the self check-in station was easy to use. Hygiene throughout the hotel is a serious concern. There seemed to be little housekeeping or cleaning staff on site, and the place looked dusty. A strong moldy smell started near the elevator and continued all the way to the room. I filed an official complaint on the first day about mold on most of the furniture in our room, and the area manager took notice. The problem was addressed soon afterward. The next day, though, a rubbish bag had been left on the desk, probably forgotten by housekeeping, and contact lenses from previous guests were still on the toilet floor. It was clear the housekeeping SOP wasn't in place or being taken seriously. I hope Check Inn management takes a closer look at these basic standards, instead of focusing only on environmental issues.

The location was the best part. There’s a night market, lots of good food including great rice balls, and buses and trains just across the road. The staff were friendly, and breakfast was included. The drinks at the sandwich shop serving breakfast were really good, though the food was just okay and the selection for hotel guests was limited. Coming from Australia, I didn’t want sandwiches in Taiwan, but that’s just my preference. The shop is a short walk across the road. The room was another story. It smelled damp and moldy, and the carpet felt filthy, as if it might not have been replaced since the hotel opened in 2013. We asked to move, but the next room was the same. The bedsheets seemed clean and the tiled bathroom was clean, but the rest of the room felt dirty. I also saw black mold on the wall near the air conditioning vent. Thankfully, nobody got sick afterward. Cleaning was confusing and didn’t happen during our three-day stay. First we were told it was only done every three days. When I complained about the dirty floor on day two, a staff member said it was cleaned daily and advised us to put out the clean-room sign. We went out at 10 a.m. on day three and came back at 3 p.m. to an uncleaned room. When I asked why, I was told cleaning only happened between 3 and 4 p.m., during the kids’ nap time. The damp, dirty carpet made me cringe whenever my baby crawled or the kids sat on the floor, and I was constantly stressed about it. The air conditioning had no heat setting. Whatever temperature we selected, the room stayed around 20 degrees. It wasn’t terrible, but it added to the negatives. At AUD 340 a night, or AUD 170 with the discount, we definitely wouldn’t stay here again.

A few hours before check-in, the hotel canceled my room and tried to move me to one of its cheap alternatives. Those hotels were in much worse locations and seemed to be a lower standard. They gave reasons such as air conditioning problems, then kept sending me messages until I could hardly tell what they wanted. I’ve now been waiting weeks for my refund. I can’t recommend staying here.

The location is great, but the state of the place made a poor first impression. The entrance was dirty and cluttered, and there were piles of stuff near the lobby. In the room, dust covered the walls and ventilation ducts. It left me feeling that cleanliness isn’t a priority for this Check-Inn chain.