“Whenever, Whatever” is the slogan of Starwood‘s W Hotels, one of the most chic and stylish hotel groups in the world.
There’s a direct WHATEVER button on every telephone inside each guest room at a W Hotel – so no more awkward and uncertain moments where you don’t know which button to press. In a foreign and unfamiliar place and need help with something? Just press that button!
I’ve had the pleasure of staying at both W Hong Kong and W Taipei, but today I am going to introduce you to W Taipei – “The Art of W in Asia”.
It was a rainy day when I arrived at the hotel; it was almost midnight when I checked in and needless to say, I was exhausted from travelling.
Situated in the Xinyi District and right next to the city’s iconic Taipei 101, you certainly can’t miss the W Taipei – there’s a giant W sitting outside its ground floor lobby! All I had to do to get there was hail a taxi on the street and say, “W Taipei” – and you could immediately see the sign of approval in the taxi driver’s eyes. Ok, not that I needed it really, but it feels good not needing to explain where your hotel is and getting compliments on your venue of choice!
Even my friends in Taipei were asking if they could come stay with me because they LOVE W Taipei. No kidding, I am not making this up!
I didn’t end up smuggling them into my room, but we did have a good time at WooBar and WET Bar together. How could anyone not?!
Like W Hong Kong, W Taipei’s check-in desk is not on the ground floor lobby; I think it’s natural to assume that all W Hotel check-in desks are always on a different floor to their lobbies.
I hope I don’t sound snobbish here, but there seems to be this slight sense of pride amongst all guests who have previously stayed at W Hotels. It’s almost like owning a branded handbag or wearing luxury jewellery!
I am not going to go into detail about the friendliness of the hotel staff or about how handsome they all were (!), yet I was fairly surprised to see WooBar packed with so many hot girls and guys when I arrived. After all, it was midnight on a Sunday… did they know it was Monday the next day? Didn’t they have to work? But most importantly… how on earth can a bar be so full of attractive guests?! Seriously how?!
I’m yet to solve that mystery, but first I want to show you my room, the view, the GYM and the SPA at W Taipei! Some cool things I noticed…
– The sound machine – I have a little sleeping problem, so the raining sound really helped me relax and get to sleep.
– The “everything” mini bar – There are no other hotels that have such a wide range of everything available and prepared for their guests.
– The amenities – Bliss Spa! Need I say more?!
– The artwork – You can’t miss a cute art piece like this in your room! I especially love the digital artwork and work from local artists displayed around the hotel itself.
– The GYM – All this to yourself? Yes, most of the time! The hotel can even have the gym open for you 24/7, so just hit that WHATEVER button on your phone at 2am and the gym will be waiting for you.
– The SPA – Unlike the Bliss SPA in W Hong Kong, W Taipei’s SPA is the independent creation of W Hotels themselves. Can you think of a better way to relax and pamper yourself than having a massage here, soaking in the jacuzzi with a bottle of champagne and enjoying some of the most exclusive Taipei night views?
There are plenty of food options at W Tapei too. Fancy Cantonese cuisine? Head to YEN (YEN Bar also has one of the best views in the city, so advance booking is recommended). Want to get a bit of everything? The Kitchen Table is your place to be. WooBar and WETBar also serve food for those who are more serious about their drinks, music and ambiance.
Nonetheless, room service is also always a dial away. Thinking of trying more local street food? Tonghua/Linjiang Street’s daily night market is not far from the hotel – just 1 MRT stop or 20 minutes walking distance away. You can get more info about this night market from Tripadvisor, Hungry in Taipei and Lady Iron Chef.
If you still want to eat local delicacies but prefer to be in a more modern environment, then Eslite’s Xinyi flagship store is just around the corner of the hotel, and so are several well established malls. BTW, the city’s major bus station and MRT are both located within 5 minutes’ walking distance from the hotel for those who fancy exploring the city in a more fuel-efficient way!
Last but not least, I am often asked how I choose to book my hotels. To be honest, it depends what type of hotels I am looking for during my stay. Usually, I head to Mr & Mrs Smith if I am looking for something more boutiquey and unique.
Sometimes, when I have more time on my hands, I do my own research online comparing reviews from different travel and booking sites. After that, I’ll compare prices and decide on the best channel to book my desired hotel of stay.
However, this time I tried a new travel booking site – The Luxe Nomad. I had actually been following their Instagram (@theluxenomad) and Facebook for quite a long time; they are really good at making you wanting to escape and go jet-setting on a daily basis with their amazing resort images and weekly special flash sale promotions!
Right now, they are offering 50% off on The Danna, Langkawai, Malaysia, where I really wanted to stay last time I was in Malaysia. (I ended up staying at the resort next door because it was slightly cheaper lol, although I did have dinner and a few drinks at The Danna. Two reasons I would recommend you to visit Langkawai and The Danna – the people there are super nice, and the beach that The Danna is situated on is one of the Top 10 in the World!)
You can read more about my Langkawi trip: http://www.elleiconlee.com/?s=langkawai
“There’s no catch – our members (you!) are privy to exclusive flash sale rates of up to 70% off every week. To top that off, we’ve also got exciting hotel promotions all year round. What’s more, we’ll actually pay you to spread the word – you’ll earn credit towards your next booking if your friends book with us.” – The Luxe Nomad.
Similar to GILT’s Jetsetter, The Luxe Nomad offers hotel options primarily in the South East Asia region. Their selection of hotels not only includes boutique hotels but also famous and iconic ones, with a focus on providing the best prices exclusively to their memebers.
So my final question for you – when and where is your next trip going to be?!
Tags: asia, hotel, review, taipei, taiwan, travel, 亞洲, 台灣, 旅行, 臺北
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