Jiantan Boutech Hotel

I stayed here with my mother while I had a medical checkup. The location made it easy to get around, sometimes on foot and sometimes by taxi. Our room was very clean, though a little smaller than I expected. Maybe that's partly because I'm quite big too. The city skyline view was fascinating, especially at night. The toilet feels like a step into the future, with a heated seat and digital controls. Towels, soap, shampoo, and a hairdryer were already provided, so all you need to bring is your own toothbrush and toothpaste. Recommended.

The room was clean and comfortable, and room service was efficient and on time. They changed the towels and emptied the bin every day. I stayed six nights and was very happy with the hotel. I booked only a week before arriving, so the only room available was wheelchair accessible, even though we are able-bodied. It was spacious and had two seats, giving each of us our own spot to read or look at our phones. The hotel is next to Shilin night market. After our excursions each day, we'd return to Shilin MRT station, walk through the market, have dinner along the way, then come back to the room's bright reading light. The price was less than half what those tiny Ximenting hotels cost. I highly recommend Boutech Jiantan Hotel and would stay again.

The bathhouse is for women only. I don't think that's fair, gender-wise, so be aware before booking. I thought Taiwan was a progressive country. Taipei's rules against hotels providing single-use amenities are unrelated to this hotel, but they're inconvenient, especially for foreign travelers. I read the hotel's reply and understand why the bathhouse is limited to women. Still, the hotel doesn't clearly say so. On Trip.com and Booking.com, the bathhouse is presented as a top feature to attract travelers, with no warning in the pictures or hotel title. That feels very misleading, almost like a scam. Men still pay the same price despite not being able to use it, which doesn't seem fair. If the restriction is due to the building's layout, why not clearly warn guests and adjust prices by gender? Very interesting.

The location by the night market is excellent, but I have nothing else positive to say about this stay. On the first day, I checked in to find the sink clogged with floating light-brown hair, so I had to call maintenance. Before checkout on the last day, the ceiling started leaking around 2:30am near the entrance and open closet area, soaking my coats. Maintenance offered to move me to another room, which would have meant packing and unpacking in the middle of the night before the 11am checkout. I asked if someone could come take a look, and they did. The maintenance worker was very courteous and patient. It took an hour to fix, plus time to clean up. While working on it, he had to drain the pipe, and water splashed from the ceiling onto my toiletry bag. At 11am, the front desk called promptly to remind me of checkout time. I also needed to get some work done, but there was no desk, just a small round table.