Grand Hyatt Taipei stands right at the foot of Taipei 101. It opened in 1990 as Taiwan's first international five-star hotel, and it remains the largest by room count: 850 rooms, nine dining venues, 27 floors. The location needs no adjectives. It is No. 2, Songshou Road, and the entire Xinyi shopping district is outside the door.
This piece takes one page per facility, from arrival all the way to the famous haunted-hotel legend. Every page ends with "How to plan it": when to go, what to do first, which hour is calmest. Thirteen pages, about eighteen minutes.
The last page has a checklist you can tick off, twelve things. Most are about tasting, soaking in, or seeing something specific, and three of them are free but unknown to most guests. Tick at your own pace.
01 · The basics
At the foot of Taipei 101, Taiwan's largest five-star
Grand Hyatt Taipei sits in the core of the Xinyi Planning District, directly across from Taipei 101 and next to the World Trade Center and International Convention Center. It was Taiwan's first international five-star hotel and is still the one with the most rooms. Location is the point that needs no defending. Everything else lives in the age and the scale of the building.
| Opened | September 21, 1990. Taiwan's first international five-star hotel |
|---|---|
| Size | 27 floors, 850 rooms and suites across 14 categories. The largest international five-star in Taiwan by room count |
| Owner | Built by Singapore's Hong Leong Group, managed by Hyatt |
| Renovation | A full 2014 to 2015 overhaul for the 25th anniversary, with every room taken back to concrete and rebuilt |
| Address | No. 2, Songshou Road, Xinyi District, Taipei 110061 |
| Phone | +886 2 2720 1234 (dining +886 2 2720 1230) |
| Check-in / out | 15:00 in, 12:00 out. World of Hyatt Globalists get 16:00 checkout |
| Metro | Taipei 101 / World Trade Center station on the Red Tamsui-Xinyi Line, exit 5, about 3 to 5 minutes on foot, 0.2 km. City Hall station on the Blue Bannan Line, exit 2, about 10 minutes |
| Airports | Songshan Airport about 3.9 km. Taoyuan Airport about 46 km, roughly 40 minutes by taxi |
| Parking | 600 underground spaces. One car per room free for 24 hours from entry, then NT$70 per hour. EV charging. Lift runs from the car park straight to the lobby |
The location, stated plainly. Taipei 101 is under five minutes on foot. Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, Breeze Nan Shan, ATT, and Eslite are all inside the walking radius, and the Xinyi district is threaded with covered skywalks, so you stay fairly dry on a wet day. Almost no other Taipei five-star can match this, and for many guests it is the single reason they return.
- By metroExit 5 at Taipei 101 / World Trade Center is closest. Walk three minutes along Songshou Road. Faster than the taxi line.
- DrivingOne car per room parks free until checkout, which in Xinyi is a real amount. Only overtime is billed by the hour.
- For a 101 viewNot every room sees Taipei 101. You settle that at the booking stage by choosing a view category. See page 03.
02 · Public spaces
The lobby, and a gold fountain
A high white-marble lobby, an open atrium, a gold marble fountain at its center, and an escalator up to the second floor. The first impression is scale. This is one of the few places in Taipei that still holds onto the old grand-hotel manner.
| Lobby | White marble and an open atrium, with a gold marble fountain at the center. Escalator to the second floor |
|---|---|
| Design change | After the 2014 to 2015 renovation the tall reception counter became low-slung desks, so checking in feels more level and less officious |
| Lobby bakery | Baguette sits on the lobby floor: bread, cakes, sandwiches, fresh coffee. Weekdays 08:00 to 20:00, from 09:00 on weekends |
The name has changed three times
It opened as the Taipei Hyatt, became the Grand Hyatt Taipei in Chinese in 2003, and in 2013 was renamed again when the group standardized its Asian Chinese naming, reserving one Chinese name for its five-star flag and another for its four-star line. Same building, same corner, three names. Many older articles online are still stuck on the first two.
03 · Rooms
Rooms: fourteen categories, and the 101 view is the variable
Fourteen room categories run from about 33 square meters up to roughly 221, facing Taipei 101, Elephant Mountain, or the city. The 2015 renovation stripped every room to concrete and rebuilt it with a marble bathroom, a goose-down duvet, and a deep-soaking tub. Comfortable to stay in, though the styling leans settled rather than of-the-moment.
| Categories | Grand rooms, Grand Deluxe, Grand Club Deluxe, Grand Club rooms, up through the Executive View Suite, Grand suites, and the Presidential Suite. Fourteen in all |
|---|---|
| Size | About 33 to 221 square meters. The Executive View Suite is roughly 83 square meters, with a living room, a separate bedroom, and its own tub |
| Aspect | Facing Taipei 101, Elephant Mountain, or the city. For the New Year fireworks you want a 101-facing category |
| Welcome | Some categories include a welcome red wine and handmade sweets, depending on the room and availability |
| Minibar | Fridge drinks and instant noodles are charged separately and are not in the room rate |
The one thing to settle before booking
Not every room sees Taipei 101. A room facing Elephant Mountain or the city looks out on something else entirely. If you want that floor-to-ceiling window onto 101, or you want to watch the New Year fireworks from your room, you choose a view category at the booking stage and note the aspect in writing. Asking once beforehand is far easier than changing rooms afterward.
- BookingFor a 101 view, choose a view category and note that you would like to face 101.
- On arrivalOpen the curtains and check the aspect before you decide whether to say anything.
- New Year101-facing categories sell out early and cost more. Book well ahead if the fireworks are the plan.
04 · Bathroom & amenities
The bathroom: there is a tub, but the amenities are shrinking
First, the thing most people check: the rooms here have tubs. Since the 2015 renovation the bathrooms are marble, with a deep-soaking tub and a separate walk-in shower, wet and dry areas divided. Among the wave of Taipei hotels that offer a shower only, a tub of hot water you can properly sink into is a reason to choose this place.
| Bathroom | Marble surfaces, deep-soaking tub plus a separate walk-in shower, wet and dry separated |
|---|---|
| In room | Bathrobe, slippers, safe, minibar. Drinks and instant noodles are billed |
| Single-use amenities | In line with government plastic-reduction rules and the hotel's own sustainability policy, single-use amenities are being phased out |
What is being withdrawn
The hotel is phasing out single-use personal amenities to meet Taiwan's plastic-reduction rules. In practice, disposable items such as a toothbrush, razor, or comb may no longer be placed in the room by default. This is the direction of the whole hotel industry, not a corner being cut here. If it matters to you, packing a toothbrush and razor is calmer than discovering the gap on arrival.
One note for families: a baby bath and bottle sterilizer can be borrowed, in limited numbers, so reserve ahead. As for you, run that deep tub before you settle in, and let the rest wait until you are in the water.
05 · Executive lounge
Grand Hyatt Taipei Grand Club | Grand Club: floor 22, facing 101 head-on
The Grand Club is on the 22nd floor, the highest guest space in the building, with a long run of windows facing Taipei 101. Drinks and snacks are available through the day, and the breakfast and evening cocktail sittings are the ones that matter. There are three ways in, and the value of each is a little different.
| Location | Floor 22. A long row of sofas, chairs, and high-top tables along the windows, with the food to the right and a chef cooking to order during meal hours |
|---|---|
| Breakfast | 07:00 to 10:00, until 10:30 on weekends and holidays. Fewer options than Café downstairs, but quiet, with a view of 101 |
| Cocktails | Daily 17:30 to 19:30, with drinks and hot canapes |
| Three ways in | Book a Grand Club room, hold World of Hyatt Globalist status, or pay to upgrade |
How to choose among the three
Guests who book a Grand Club room take breakfast on 22 at the Grand Club; moving down to the Café buffet usually costs extra. A World of Hyatt Globalist can do either and choose the Grand Club or Café for breakfast. If you simply want a quiet breakfast with a view of 101, the Grand Club is enough. If you are after the fuller spread, Café downstairs is the main event, as the next page argues.
- EarlyGo up when the Grand Club opens at 07:00 and take breakfast at the window. It is the quietest the floor gets all day.
- EveningArrive at 17:30 when cocktails open, while the hot food is fresh and the drinks are just poured. Easy pick of seats.
- BookingIf the lounge matters to you, booking a Grand Club room is the simplest route and spares you checking eligibility at the desk.
06 · Dining
Grand Hyatt Taipei Café breakfast | Café: a breakfast people remember
Café is the international buffet, and the venue where this hotel's reputation is most concentrated. When long-time guests come back, they tend to mean the same thing: this breakfast. The spread runs across Taiwanese, Indian, Japanese, and Western grill, with freshly carved U.S. ribeye and a truffle risotto.
| Breakfast | Weekdays 06:30 to 10:00, until 10:30 on weekends and holidays |
|---|---|
| Lunch | 11:30 to 14:00 |
| Afternoon tea | 15:00 to 17:00 |
| Dinner | 18:00 to 21:00 |
| Signatures | Freshly carved U.S. ribeye, truffle risotto. Free-flow draft beer at lunch and dinner |
| Seating | In-house guests get priority at breakfast |
Café's breakfast offers a good deal more than the Grand Club on 22, with cold dishes, hot stations, eggs to order, bread, and a fruit and yogurt run, all restocked quickly. This is the hardest thing for an older hotel to fake. The hardware can age, but a buffet breakfast that has held its standard for more than thirty years runs on daily effort.
- BreakfastFor the full Café spread, come downstairs for this meal. In-house guests seat first.
- Peak daysWeekends between 08:30 and 09:30 are busiest. Half an hour either side is far calmer.
- Lunch, dinnerBoth come with free-flow draft beer, good for a group meal with no clock on it.
07 · Dining
Nine venues, one page
Beyond Café, Grand Hyatt runs a full lineup of themed restaurants and bars. Some are old hands, and one has quietly changed identity. This page lays them out at once so you can match a venue to what this trip needs.
| Irodori | Japanese buffet. Sushi, sashimi, tempura, ramen, and a range of sake, with live cooking stations |
|---|---|
| Yun Jin | Chinese. Regional cooking from Sichuan, Shanghai, Beijing and beyond, a walk down the length of the Yangtze |
| Pearl Liang | Cantonese. Roasted goose, live seafood, and dim sum in a Tony Chi "private residence" setting, with more than ten teas |
| Bel Air | European steaks and seafood, Michelin guide-recommended four years running. An indoor marble fountain under a natural skylight |
| Ziga Zaga | Italian, with a live band. One of Xinyi's longest-running hotel Italian rooms. Closed Mondays |
| Cheers | All-day dining and bar. Happy hour 16:30 to 20:00, live music from 21:00, with an outdoor terrace |
| Cha Lounge | Now vegetarian: over 50 dishes built from local organic produce, plant milks, and plant-based desserts in a European register |
Nine venues in a row, and you do not need all of them. Host at Bel Air or Pearl Liang, give the evening for two to the Ziga Zaga live band and avoid the Monday closure, and send a vegetarian guest straight to Cha Lounge. The rest keep for next time.
08 · Facilities
Club Oasis: the pool and wet areas on five
Club Oasis, the fitness center, is on the fifth floor and is the leisure core of the hotel: an outdoor heated pool, a children's pool, separate men's and women's wet areas, a 24-hour gym, and the Oasis Spa. The pool is outdoors, and you look up at 101. Having that much water in the middle of the city is part of what an old grand hotel buys you.
| Pool | Outdoor heated pool, plus a children's pool. Free for hotel guests |
|---|---|
| Wet areas | Separate for men and women. Sauna, steam room, whirlpool, meditation room, and lounge |
| Gym | Open 24 hours, entry by room key. Full weight equipment, plus exercise classes |
| Spa & salon | Oasis Spa with more than ten all-natural treatments, plus a beauty salon |
| Member rule | Non-World of Hyatt members pay NT$350 per person per use for the 5th-floor sauna and exercise classes (since January 4, 2021). World of Hyatt members go free |
- EveningSwim first, then move to the wet area and the whirlpool. That order is the most comfortable, and you go straight up afterward.
- EarlyThe gym is open around the clock. If jet lag wakes you, walk it off for half an hour.
- ChildrenThere is a children's pool, a second option beyond the main one.
09 · Booking & status
Grand Hyatt Taipei points and booking | Points, Globalist, and the advisor channel
Grand Hyatt Taipei is the only Hyatt in Taiwan, which keeps its role in World of Hyatt simple. It is a Category 3, so the points value is good, and booking a cash rate through the advisor channel adds another layer of benefits on top.
| Award level | World of Hyatt Category 3. 9,000 points off-peak, 12,000 standard, 15,000 peak per night |
|---|---|
| Globalist perks | 16:00 late checkout, space-available suite upgrades, Grand Club access, and free breakfast |
| Advisor channel | Bookable through Hyatt Prive (the Fora channel) |
| Prive benefits | A welcome letter from hotel leadership on behalf of your advisor and agency, a welcome amenity on arrival, daily full breakfast for up to two guests at a hotel restaurant, a US$100 property credit per stay, priority room upgrade, early check-in, late checkout, and connecting rooms. The upgrade is answered within 24 hours of booking and the others within 24 hours of the request, each subject to forecasted occupancy |
| The key difference | Booked through Hyatt Prive, a stay still earns World of Hyatt points and nights and keeps your elite benefits. Advisor perks and elite perks stack, which is the practical value of the channel |
| Another route | American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts also books the cash rate here, suited to travelers built around the Amex ecosystem |
On points first. At Category 3, the 15,000-point peak rate against a New Year night that runs several hundred US dollars in cash is where the value shows most clearly. A view room on points at peak usually beats paying. The 9,000-point off-peak rate is a level of value rarely seen in central Taipei.
A concrete order of magnitude. At the time of writing, an early-October weekday night (check in Thursday, out Friday, two to a room) on the Hyatt Prive rate ran about US$257 room-only, or roughly US$297 all-in after a 10 percent service charge and 5 percent VAT, including breakfast for two, the US$100 property credit, and a welcome amenity, with free cancellation until about two days before arrival. Against the 12,000-point standard award, a night at this price is a fair use of points. Rates move with the date, and New Year and peak periods run higher, so treat this as a rough level.
The same day's public rates from Google Hotels line up for comparison: the official site, Trip.com, ezTravel, and Booking.com all cluster around US$297, with only Booking.com's two-bed room configuration coming in higher at US$319. The US$297 all-in total on the advisor channel sits at the same level as these public rates, with the difference being that the same price includes breakfast, the credit, and priority for an upgrade.
- Have pointsAt peak or New Year, redeeming a view room is the best use of this property.
- Cash rateBook through the advisor channel and the breakfast, upgrade, and credit still come, with points and nights still counted.
- Want the loungePick Globalist status or a Grand Club room, so eligibility is not a question at the desk.
10 · The reviews, compiled
Grand Hyatt Taipei review | Where it is good, where it stings
Ratings have stayed high across platforms for years, with the hotel's own guest score around 4.5. Praise clusters on location and breakfast, and deductions cluster on the age of the building and the view from non-view rooms. Set your expectations right and this is a smooth stay.
Praise that recurs
- Unbeatable location. Taipei 101, the metro, the malls, and the skywalks are all at the door
- A generous Café breakfast, quickly restocked, the reason many people return
- Grand and settled, with public spaces and room sizes at large international-hotel scale
- Professional service, with a quick front desk and concierge
- An outdoor heated pool and separate men's and women's wet areas
- Taiwan's first pet-friendly five-star, so a pet can stay in the room
- The only Hyatt in Taiwan, with strong points value
Deductions that recur
- A 1990 building that reads its age again a decade after the 2015 renovation
- Recent reports of uneven housekeeping and a musty note in individual rooms
- Non-view rooms have no outlook, so the fireworks depend on the right category
- In-room TV and streaming feel behind the times
- A queue to check in on peak days
11 · The area
Step outside and you are in Xinyi
Grand Hyatt sits at the very center of the Xinyi Planning District, so you rarely need a car once you are out the door. Whatever you want to browse, eat, or photograph is within the walking radius, and two metro lines carry you quickly to the rest of Taipei.
| Walking | Taipei 101 and its observatory (about 0.3 km), Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Xinyi, Breeze Nan Shan, ATT, and Eslite. The Xinyi skywalks connect it all and keep you fairly dry in the rain |
|---|---|
| A short walk | Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall about 10 minutes on foot. The Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan) trailhead is close, the classic vantage for 101 at night |
| Short drive | Songshan Cultural and Creative Park about 5 minutes by taxi; the National Palace Museum about 7.6 km |
| Two metro lines | The Red Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Taipei 101 / World Trade Center) and the Blue Bannan Line (City Hall) are both in walking range |
A few neighbors worth comparing
In the same district, W Taipei runs the design and nightlife line, young and loud. Le Meridien Taipei is nearby too, sitting between business and design. For something more contemporary in its luxury, look at Mandarin Oriental Taipei on Dunhua; for a resort feel in Dazhi, the Taipei Marriott. Grand Hyatt is the closest of the group to 101, and that is the part nothing else can replace.
The scale of this district makes a car redundant. Walk into a mall food hall when you do not want the hotel, walk ten minutes to the Elephant Mountain trailhead for the classic 101 shot in the evening, and duck into the Xinyi skywalks in the rain, dry all the way to 101. Walking and the train both beat driving here.
12 · Lesser-known
The haunted legend, and the official rebuttal
The most famous thing about Grand Hyatt Taipei may not be its rooms but its legend. It once appeared on a Hotels.com list of the world's ten most haunted hotels, the only entry in Asia. The story travels widely, but the hotel's rebuttal is just as traceable. This page sets the two side by side.
The legend, on one side
The popular version says the Xinyi Planning District was a mass grave in the Japanese colonial era, even an execution ground, and that the executed lingered as restless spirits; that the hotel therefore hung two large talismans on the lobby wall to hold them off, with bronze bells on the ceiling for good fortune. That version made it onto a foreign hotel list and into a few television segments, and it grew in the retelling.
The hotel, on the other side
The hotel's account is that its team went through old maps and records and consulted government sources and neighbors. In the colonial era this area was a Japanese army warehouse, not an execution ground; none of Taiwan's wartime POW camps stood on this site; and the greater Taipei area's main execution and burial grounds under the White Terror were three places well to the west, with no record here. As for the two "talismans" on the wall, the hotel says they are paintings by the Tantric master Lin Yun, meant to draw wealth rather than to suppress ghosts. (The accounts differ, and both have their basis, so there is no need to take it as true or as false before you book.)
There is also a matter of tense. The 2014 to 2015 renovation replaced the lobby entirely, and reporting says those two artworks are no longer where they were. So even if you come for the legend, today's lobby is already a different room.
Three details that really are here
- There is a helipad on the roof. It is a signature of the era when a large international hotel opened in 1990.
- Taiwan's first pet-friendly five-star. A pet can stay in the room, with a dedicated water bowl, food bowl, bed, shampoo, and cleanup bags provided.
- A long-running venue for large weddings. The pillar-free grand ballroom holds well over a hundred tables and has been a Taipei landmark for big banquets for years.
13 · Booking & the verdict
The booking math, and who this is for
Here is the judgment from the earlier pages, pulled into one table. Grand Hyatt Taipei's value is location, breakfast, and points; its weakness is age. Decide which kind of Taipei night you want and the answer follows.
| Advisor perks | Bookable via Hyatt Prive (Fora): welcome letter and amenity, breakfast for two, US$100 property credit, priority upgrade, early check-in, late checkout, connecting rooms, with points and nights still counted |
|---|---|
| Points | Category 3. 9,000 off-peak, 12,000 standard, 15,000 peak per night |
| Status unlocks | Globalist: 16:00 checkout, suite upgrade, Grand Club, and free breakfast |
| Open to everyone | Outdoor heated pool, 24-hour gym, one free parking space per room, pet-friendly |
| Cash rates | Peak and New Year run to several hundred US dollars, so a view room on points shows its value most |
| Note | Single-use amenities are being phased out, so pack a toothbrush and razor |
- 15:00Check in. Open the curtains and check the aspect; if it is a 101 view, this is the moment.
- 16:00Club Oasis on five. Swim first, then the whirlpool in the wet area.
- 17:30Grand Club cocktails open on 22, at the window as the light turns and 101 lights up.
- 19:00Down for dinner, Bel Air or Pearl Liang, or Ziga Zaga with the live band.
- 21:00A drink at Cheers, with live music from 21:00.
- 7:00Grand Club with 101 in quiet, or the full Café breakfast downstairs.
- CheckoutTake a box of beef noodles or dessert home from Baguette or the online store.
Book it if
- You want the ultimate location. Xinyi, at the foot of 101, everything out the door
- You value breakfast and the steadiness of an old five-star
- You hold Hyatt points and want a clean redemption in central Taipei
- You travel with a pet. This is Taiwan's first pet-friendly five-star
Do not if
- You need the newest design and the fashionable feel. This is a 1990 base with a 2015 renovation
- You are sensitive to the age of a building or in-room technology
- You book a non-view room and must see 101
Grand Hyatt Taipei, W Taipei, and Mandarin Oriental Taipei make three answers along the Xinyi axis: the grandeur of an old landmark, the noise of design and nightlife, and the restraint of contemporary luxury. One city, three completely different nights. Which one you want depends on what you mean to take home from the trip.
This piece is written prospectively: what you will encounter, not what I encountered. Facilities, hours, and rules are compiled from the hotel's own published notices, its official booking system, guest reports, and platform reviews. I have not stayed at this property and nothing here is presented as first-hand experience. Restaurants, hours, and elite benefits change often, advisor-channel perks are subject to the Fora portal, and it is best to confirm with the hotel or your advisor before booking. Photographs: Fora Travel.