Grand Hyatt Taipei: What to expect

I recently visited Taipei for the first time while on a long layover between Brisbane and San Francisco. With 18 hours to spare I figured this would be a good chance to sneak in a small cultural trip to Jioufen Teahouse in the village that inspired ‘Spirited Away’ and of course pop into a Hyatt hotel in the city to see what was on offer. I mostly thought I’d benefit from being able to have a proper rest.

Honestly, my first impression of the property when I walked in was that it might just be one of the grandest of the Grand Hyatt hotels that I’ve been to. There is a huge water feature in the middle of the lobby, and it acts as a focal point for the enormous space. However, the lobby is much more grandiose than the rooms that occupy the hotel. I would say it had a similar feel to the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne, even down to the stone floors in the bathroom. And just like it’s Melbourne counterpart, what you get from staying in the Grand Hyatt Taipei is mostly a wonderful location and a reliable stay in a large well-operated hotel.

What’s great about the Grand Hyatt Taipei

Location

I didn’t want to spend much time outside because it was quite overcast and rainy (which I hear is a normal occurrence in Taipei) but my room had a view of the Taipei 101 so I could peek outside and remember what city I was in. In fact, its proximity to Taipei 101 was the reason I chose this hotel over the Hyatt closer to the airport.

Although it was rainy and foggy, I had a great view of the Taipei 101 from my room at the Grand Hyatt Taipei.

The lifts/elevators

I know this is a weird highlight to have, but I put it here because the lifts were so exceptionally fast and responsive, especially for a hotel this size. There are some hotels were I actually have to calculate in the time it potentially could take to call the lift so as not to be late for an appointment.

A few helpful tips before you stay at the Grand Hyatt Taipei

·       The hotel is a good 30-45 minute drive from the Taoyuan International Airport, plan accordingly and decide if this fits into your schedule if you’re on a long layover like I was.

·       When you check into the hotel they’ll ask you what amenities you might need so that you can take them up to your room with you. This seems to be a trend at many hotels now to conserve these resources so people do not waste them.

·       The Club Lounge on level 22 had plenty of food choices for the evening hours and, despite what I’ve seen other people online say about it, I did feel there was enough here to replace it with dinner…which I did before heading to the airport.

Is there a Globalist breakfast at the hotel?

Yes, and what a breakfast it is! You go to the dining areas which is called ‘Café’ and is on the main level where you enter the hotel and check in. It had all the usual options like cereals, fruit, western breakfast options like eggs and bacon, pastries and special food areas for more local breakfast items including bowls of warm soymilk, a congee station, steamed pork buns, dumplings, and Taiwanese noodles. There was also a station for the traditional breakfast sandwich which were already assembled by the person at the station.

I was overwhelmed with the selection and tried as much as I could. One of the restaurant hostesses made me a traditional warm soymilk in a bowl. I thought this was so generous because I wouldn’t have known how to make it myself. I loved it and found it so comforting to eat on a rainy day.

What is the Globalist gift at the hotel?

I’m sad to say that I don’t know what the gift for this hotel was because it wasn’t delivered due to me having the do not disturb sign on for the entire day. They did leave a card under my door asking for a time to drop it off, but I was already on my way out by the time I saw it. But I can say there was a gift!

Is the Grand Hyatt Taipei a 5-star hotel?

I repeatedly see and hear that this is considered to be the preeminent 5-star hotel in Taipei. More than one person in the city referred to it as that. And, look, at some point it may have been, but I suspect newer hotels probably fit the bill a little better.

But if you’re a loyal Hyatt member and are looking for points, this is probably your best option in the city. In the World of Hyatt app, the hotel is listed as a category 3 and I think that is probably accurate based on my stay. The location maybe inflates this, in the same way I think the Grand Hyatt Incheon in South Korea is probably ONLY category 3 because of its distance from Seoul.

Why stay at the Grand Hyatt Taipei?

The biggest selling point for me is knowing that you have a basic standard of service expectation at a Hyatt and that this property is so close to Taipei 101. This isn’t the hotel that I would fly to for the purpose of exclusively relaxing here (which I would most certainly do at the Hyatt Regency Da Nang or the Park Hyatt Bangkok), it’s the one I would stay at to get to know Taipei a little better with some creature comforts of home.