Rainbow Hotel

I hesitated because of the reviews here and on booking, but I’m glad we went ahead. Our family of 17 stayed in four rooms, with 5, 5, 4 and 3 people in each. Check-in went smoothly, and when the front desk lady noticed someone in our group used a wheelchair, she gave us a room with an accessible shower and toilet. There was also a spare wheelchair to borrow, bottled water for guests, and free snacks and drinks in the lounge. Even the shower and faucet’s simple hot and cold water pleased everyone. The rooms were spacious, especially the one for five, and the hotel let us leave our bags before and after check-in. It’s in the center of Ximneding, with popular food and shops within walking distance. You have to look past the hallway noise, old building and locks, and peeling wallpaper, but we all enjoyed our stay. I highly recommend Rainbow Hotel and would book again.

Has anyone had something like this happen? My friends and I booked an airport transfer with RAINBOW Hotel in XMD, but the driver was late. He loaded the lightest bags underneath and the heaviest on top, denting the ones at the bottom. He stopped at the roadside to rearrange them. As the driver and my friend handled one of the heavier bags, it slipped and got a minor scratch on the car. The driver told his 'boss' that we had scratched the car and that we had to go to the police station. We heard him tell the boss our nationalities. His boss called us, was rude, and didn’t ask what had happened. When my friend said the driver had scratched the car, the boss demanded money or said he’d take us to the station instead of letting us catch our flight. We said we had no cash because we were leaving Taiwan. He told my friend to download an app we didn’t want, then asked him to withdraw cash. Suddenly, he said the boss was already there with a card machine we could use. I asked why we should take full responsibility when the driver had handled the luggage too, and we didn’t even know if the scratch was already there. The driver denied touching the bags and joked that luggage wouldn’t get damaged so easily, even if his experience caused damage to mine. In the end, my friend paid by card while I argued that we shouldn’t move the luggage again in case it got scratched. The driver scolded us and said he wasn’t there to carry bags. He didn’t even drop us at the gate we were supposed to use, but left us at an isolated car park with nobody around. I still wonder why they needed to know our nationalities, and how the boss arrived so quickly with a card machine. Has anyone else encountered this kind of scam?

The location is hard to beat, with lots of restaurants and Taipei sights nearby. The rooms were small but clean, and the staff were kind. The hotel feels dated, with a physical key instead of a card, and laundry service isn’t available on Sundays. They provide free bottled water, and the airport transfer was convenient and on time. For the price, it’s not bad for a short stay near the city’s hustle and bustle.

The location worked well, but there were a few things that made the stay difficult. The room felt worn, with dust on the table and phone, and the lift took a long time to arrive. The Wi-Fi was especially slow, so we ended up using our own mobile data. I hope they improve it, particularly the Wi-Fi.