DoubleTree by Hilton Taipei Zhongshan

Breakfast was delivered to my room each morning because the main dining venue was closed during my stay. The portions were generous, there was plenty of variety, and both the Western and Asian options were high quality. The location was also convenient, about a five-minute walk from the nearest MRT station and roughly 12 minutes from Taipei Main Station on foot. I stayed three nights at the DoubleTree in Taipei. Check-in was friendly and efficient, with the usual warm cookie plus soda and baked goods. I was upgraded to a corner king room with a balcony, which was almost as large as the room and had a distant view of Taipei 101. The hotel has a compact footprint but feels modern and well designed. My room was on the small side, but carefully laid out, with a shower and bathtub, plenty of storage, a safe, good lighting, and lots of outlets. The desk chair was comfortable enough for working. The Wi-Fi was adequate at around 13 Mbps, though not especially fast. The air conditioning worked efficiently, but its temperature display seemed off: at 20°C the room felt warm, and after adjusting it, the room tended to get much cooler than the set temperature. I had a very positive stay and would consider returning to Taipei.

We paid 500USD per room per night, breakfast included, and the service felt like a youth hostel. There were initially four of us, then one more person joined. We paid the extra fee for a sofa bed, but it was terribly uncomfortable. One room had a stained carpet, and the shower smelled of urine. At breakfast we were told there was another 18USD charge for the extra guest, which was fine. There was no buffet, only basic set menus that were supposedly all you could eat. One example of the portions: when we asked for fruit salad, we got a bowl with three small cubes of fruit. There was also a self-service area with ultra-processed bread and coffee. Each of us had one set menu, no more. The next day the extra guest went to a nearby bakery because the breakfast wasn’t tasty or substantial. I ordered breakfast to be brought to my room so I could keep them company, but was told that wasn’t offered. I could order by phone, then pick up a takeout box from the breakfast lounge, so I did. They mixed up the order. The following morning I ordered in person and waited for a box, which was basically one set menu with an extra omelette. The staff member told me to sit at a table while it was prepared. I had a juice and toast from the self-service area, then she said I’d be charged for two breakfasts. She said I couldn’t take a box and eat in the restaurant, even though by “eating” there I’d only had half a piece of toast, since there was nothing else available. Please see photo attached. These hostel-like rules don’t fit the price they charge.

I’ve stayed at many Hilton hotels, and the service here left me questioning whether I was at a Hilton. There was no welcome drink, no bell staff to help with luggage, and nobody directed members to a dedicated check-in counter. I was handed a cookie with my room key, which was the only welcome gesture. That was surprising and disappointing compared with my past stays. I also couldn’t get toiletries such as a toothbrush here. I understand Taiwanese regulations mean hotels don’t provide these proactively, and some Hilton hotels elsewhere do the same, but they’re usually available on request. Here they weren’t available at all, not even for purchase at the front desk. There was also confusion over breakfast. The official booking site didn’t indicate breakfast was excluded or show an option to add it, but on arrival I was told it wasn’t included and would cost extra. I hadn’t encountered that with a Hilton booking before. The room was very clean and functional, and the facilities met usual Hilton standards. The area was lively and convenient, only a few minutes’ walk from the MRT, but the hotel is next to a well-known bar district, so intoxicated people may make noise at night. Noise-sensitive guests should keep that in mind. I stayed from February 12-14 as a Hilton Honors member. For a rate that reflects a high-end hotel, the service felt more like a standard business hotel. There are many better options in Taiwan for the same budget, and people choosing it based on the Hilton name may be disappointed.

The rooms smelled strongly unpleasant, both ours and our friend's. The balcony was very dirty, and the price made that hard to accept. We asked for just a one-hour late checkout after several nights, but the hotel refused. At breakfast there was no buffet, just vegetables and two boiled eggs. That’s far below what I’d expect from a place charging over 12,000 THB per night. We were also asked to leave a restaurant table immediately because staff said it was reserved, although there was no reserved sign on it. This was my first time at this Hilton property, after stays at DoubleTree in Bangkok and KL and Conrad hotels in many countries. I’d been loyal to Hilton because I trusted the quality and had consistently good experiences. This stay was extremely disappointing, and the service and quality didn’t match either the price or the brand. I’ll reconsider staying with Hilton in the future.