Illume Taipei

I’ve stayed here three times this past year for business and usually like the breakfast and cleanliness, but my latest visit was a letdown. When I checked in today, the room was comfortably warm and I could adjust the temperature. That made me wonder why the air conditioner had only blown cold air during last week’s cold snap. The front desk said the hotel has no heating, which didn’t make sense for an eco-friendly hotel in winter. I’d extended my stay from the previous week, but at check-in I was only then told about a fire alarm inspection from 9 AM to 5 PM with constant noise. When I asked why I hadn’t been told earlier, staff said there was a notice in the room, even though I hadn’t entered it yet. They asked if I’d be staying in the room during those hours and didn’t apologize. The rate I paid was higher than the online price. When I raised that, the employee said, “I don’t know about your company’s rate.” I’d also given my membership number when booking and had confirmation it was registered, but was told at check-in that I couldn’t earn points because it was a corporate booking. When I asked why nobody had explained that sooner, staff kept repeating the same answer without addressing my question. The service felt uncoordinated and sometimes robotic, which really hurt the experience. I hope the hotel listens to sincere guest feedback and makes meaningful improvements.

The hotel is comfortable, but several details don’t live up to the advertised standard for the price. The shower water kept swinging between freezing and scalding without us touching the faucet. Rust stains showed on the bedside lamp shades, and the pool looked old and worn. We’d booked a Premier Family Room on the hotel website for two adults and three children, expecting three beds, but got only two queen-size beds. The room was also set up for four people, with towels, pillows and other items for four instead of five. At reception, the only option offered was to pay extra for an upgraded room. Overall, it fell well short of what we expected for the amount paid.

The rooms were bigger than I expected, clean, and backed up by very thorough cleaning staff. The front desk was helpful, the amenities were great, and the gym was the best. The location was very convenient, with good places nearby and Taipei Arena train station and bus stops close by. Some parts of the hotel do feel older, especially the faint carpet smell in the hallways. Still, the service was excellent and we loved our stay at Illume hotel.

We ended up extending our original three-day booking at Ilume to seven days because our family room for four, a quad with balcony, was spacious, very clean and well maintained. The bathroom was a bonus, large and clean, with both a bathtub and bidet. Breeze Nanjing mall is about a three-minute walk away, with Ikea, Nitori, Starbucks, 7-11 and a supermarket inside. We liked that this area wasn’t as hectic or crowded as Ximending. Special thanks to concierge Mr Dean Chu and the very helpful, hospitable Mr Jacky Chan. We were looking for foot reflexology near midnight, and he found a good place and helped us book at the spa. We’ll definitely return to Illume next time we’re in Taipei.