W Taipei sits directly on top of Taipei City Hall MRT station and occupies floors 8 through 31 of the Taipei City Hall Bus Station tower, 405 rooms in total. It opened in 2011, and any review you read needs a date check first: between 2023 and 2025 the original British design team rebuilt every guest room, finishing in January 2025.
This piece covers one place per page, from the ground floor door that is only an entryway to the twelfth floor wet area you need a key to enter. Page 9 has a channel by channel rate comparison for October 1 to October 2, all converted to US dollars. About thirty five minutes.
The last page has a checkable list of twelve things to do. Items 3, 5 and 9 cost nothing extra, and most guests do not know they are available. Tick them at your own pace.
01 · THE BASICS
Directly above a metro station, and the hotel starts on floor eight
The address is No. 10, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road, and that street number belongs to the Taipei City Hall Bus Station tower. The building has 31 floors above ground. The hotel takes floors 8 through 31. Below it sit the Uni-Ustyle department store and the intercity coach terminal, and below that the Bannan Line metro station. You can come off a train and reach your room without stepping outside.
| Position | Marriott International, W Hotels, the only one in Taiwan. Soft opening February 14, 2011 according to the Starwood global press release, official opening March 9, 2011 according to Chinese language sources. Both dates circulate |
|---|---|
| Scale | 405 rooms and suites across floors 8 to 31. Guest rooms are concentrated on floors 13 to 30. A figure of 48 suites appears in one English article from May 2026 and is not confirmed by the hotel or by the Tourism Administration register |
| Building | Taipei City Hall Bus Station tower, 31 floors above ground, 5 below, roughly 150 meters. The coach terminal opened August 5, 2010, the department store October 7, 2010, the hotel in 2011. Exterior by the Japanese designer Tadashi Yamane with local architecture practices, interiors by GA Design International of London |
| Address | No. 10, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road, Xinyi District, Taipei 110, Taiwan |
| Telephone | +886 2 7703 8888 |
| Check in / out | Check in 15:00, check out 12:00. The primary guest must be 18 or older. Standard Bonvoy Titanium late check out here is 16:00 |
| Metro | Taipei City Hall station, Bannan Line. Exit 2 is closest, about 200 meters and 2 minutes on foot, though a minority of sources say Exit 1. The department store connects to the station at B2, so you stay dry in the rain |
| Airports | Songshan Airport 4.8 km, about 14 minutes by car. Taoyuan International 50 km, about 45 minutes by taxi. The coach terminal downstairs runs the Air Bus route 1960 direct to Taoyuan, about US$6 full fare, 80 to 90 minutes, wheelchair accessible vehicles available, no change given on board |
| Parking | The Marriott page lists self parking at about US$3 per hour and valet at about US$6 per hour, and also states that one complimentary parking space is included per room. Several booking platforms and blogs simply say parking is free. Sources disagree, please confirm before booking |
| Other | Smoke free property. Pets are not accepted. The W brand PAW program is not offered here |
The value of this address is that it stacks three kinds of transport under one street number. The metro is underground, the intercity coaches are on the lower floors, and the airport bus leaves from the terminal in this same building. If you are heading to Yilan, Taichung, Keelung or Taoyuan Airport, you do not have to relocate to another terminal first. Very few hotels in Taipei hold all three.
- From TPEWith light luggage take route 1960 straight to the building for about US$6. With heavy bags or a late arrival, take a taxi and expect both the fare and the time to rise.
- In TaipeiSkip the rental car. Walking and the metro work better here, and the parking charges are described differently by different sources.
- On arrivalHand your luggage to the ground floor team. Reception is on floor 10, which is the next page.
02 · PUBLIC SPACES
The ground floor is not a lobby, it is a vestibule
This is the moment that catches most first time guests. The ground floor handles arrival and luggage only. Reception, the bars, the restaurants and the pool are all on floor 10. You are shown to an elevator, change cars, ride up to floor 10 to check in, and your bags follow separately. When it runs well it is quick. At peak arrival time there is a line.
| Floor 1 | Arrival and luggage, connected to the department store. No check in here |
|---|---|
| Floor 8 | Events and meetings. MEGA measures 902.7 square meters with a 6 meter ceiling and no columns, seating 950 theater style. GREAT ROOM is 212.6 square meters. Ten event rooms plus twelve breakout rooms, 1,612 square meters in total. Renovated in 2024 |
| Floor 10 | Reception and the lobby, WOOBAR, Seasons by olivier e., the WET outdoor pool and WET Bar. This floor is the center of the hotel |
| Floor 12 | FIT fitness center, AWAY Spa, and a gender separated wet area with sauna, steam room and hot and cold plunge pools |
| Floors 13 to 30 | Guest rooms |
| Floor 31 | YEN Chinese Restaurant and YEN Bar, under a 9 meter ceiling |
| Design concept | Natural Electrified. At opening the public areas carried an interactive light installation by rAndom International |
| Executive lounge | There is none. This is the single most important thing to know before booking, and page 6 covers what replaces it |
Accessibility, documented better than at most Taipei hotels
| Entrance and routes | The main entrance has an accessible approach. The underground level connecting the metro and the department store has elevators |
|---|---|
| Accessible rooms | Available. The hotel lists lowered outlets and door viewers, grab bars, roll in shower, adjustable handheld shower head, wheelchair height toilet, electronic room key and closed captioning on the television |
| Pool | The Marriott page lists an automatic lift or ramp entry. One English review from 2024 states the pool has no wheelchair lift. Sources disagree, call ahead if this matters |
| Other | Service animals at no charge. The Tourism Administration register lists accessible rooms and a friendly environment, an AED and a nursing room |
| Not published | The number and category of accessible rooms, details of assistive listening devices, corridor visual alarms |
- 15:00is the arrival peak, and the queue at reception shows up in reviews. Arriving half an hour later feels different.
- Going outRemember that food and the pool are on floor 10. Breakfast is a ride down, not a ride to the ground floor.
- AccessibilityCall +886 2 7703 8888 and state your needs, particularly about the pool lift, where two public sources contradict each other.
03 · GUEST ROOMS
Eight categories, all rebuilt by January 2025
All 405 rooms were renovated between 2023 and 2025 by GA Design International, the same British studio that did the original 2011 interiors, and the work finished in January 2025. That date matters, because any stay report written before 2023 describes a room you will not be given.
| Wonderful Room | 43 square meters (Trip.com lists 46, most sources say 43). Entry category. One king or two small doubles |
|---|---|
| Fabulous Room | 46 square meters. One king or two doubles |
| Spectacular Room | 43 square meters. One king. Stay reports place it on floors 22, 27, 28 and 29 |
| Cool Corner Room | 49, 53 and 57.8 square meters all appear in public sources. Corner unit. Sources disagree, please confirm before booking |
| Fantastic Suite | 70 square meters. Corner suite |
| Marvelous Suite | 95 square meters. Two guests in the king layout, four in the twin layout |
| WOW Suite | 116 square meters, floors 26 to 28, only 3 in the hotel |
| Extreme WOW Suite | 365 square meters, a duplex on floors 29 and 30, only 1 in the hotel. A 7.5 meter ceiling, 270 degree city views, two master bedrooms, a dining table for ten, a wine cellar, a sauna and steam room, a Ciclotte exercise bike, a swing chair and a telescope. The published rate at the January 2025 media preview was about US$13,000 per night |
| Bed | The W Bed by Simmons, pocket coil. Linens are described as 350 thread count by the hotel and 400 by English reviewers. A pillow menu is available |
| Added in the renovation | Bose bluetooth speaker, 55 inch smart television on an adjustable mount, USB-A and USB-C at the bedside with a wireless charging pad, a Nespresso machine in every category, a window bench, recycled terrazzo surfaces and textiles by the Taiwanese studio JainJain (減簡手制) |
| Minibar | Not included. Prices recorded in 2024: apple juice about US$4, beer about US$8, wine about US$31.50. Free items are TWG tea, coffee and bottled water, four bottles at the bedside plus two at the vanity, replenished nightly |
| Occupancy | Maximum three people per room. A fourth guest needs a second room. Rollaway policy is described differently by different platforms |
What the renovation fixed, and what it did not
It fixed the equipment and the palette. Complaints before 2023 clustered around a 42 inch television, a speaker with no bluetooth, and no capsule coffee machine outside the suites. None of those hold now. The look moved from glossy white party energy to green tones and dark brown timber, which the hotel calls a warm earth palette.
It did not fix the footprint. Space to open a suitcase is still tight in the entry categories, the closet by the door blocks part of the window, and the desk is small. Rooms feeling dim and light switches being hard to find both still appear in 2026 reviews, and the renovation moved lighting onto a single bedside panel, which is harder rather than easier on the first night.
One more thing that has nothing to do with specifications. Since the renovation every room contains a W Animal, the brand's own plush toy, and Taipei went from six designs to twelve, with the hotel stating that every room has at least one. You do not get to choose which one, and changing rooms changes the animal. It serves no practical purpose whatsoever, and it is one of the few things here that people photograph and send to a friend.
- Separate showerBook Fabulous or above. Wonderful and Spectacular rooms have a bathtub, but the shower shares the same wet zone, which is the next page.
- Two windowsCool Corner is the corner unit. Three different floor areas are published, so ask when you book.
- Three guestsThree is the ceiling per room. A fourth person needs a second room, with no flexibility on this.
04 · BATHROOM AND AMENITIES
Does W Taipei have bathtubs? Every room does, but not every room has a shower door
The conclusion first. All 405 rooms and suites have a bathtub, the hotel states this plainly, and it is not something to worry about. The thing to check is different: whether the tub and the shower are separate spaces. In the Wonderful and Spectacular categories the shower shares the wet zone with the tub and has no door. A separate shower enclosure starts at Fabulous.
| Bathtub | Present in all 405 rooms and suites. The hotel calls it an oversized island style tub, and the Marriott room pages list separate bathtubs |
|---|---|
| Wonderful Room | Open plan bathroom with a translucent orange sliding panel, shower and tub in one wet zone, no shower door. The hotel replied on Tripadvisor confirming that a small extension of the vanity area cannot be screened off |
| Spectacular Room | Built in tub and shower area in one space, divided by a frosted sliding panel rather than an enclosure |
| Fabulous Room | Tub plus a separate shower enclosure, divided by a pivoting timber screen or green glass. Genuine wet and dry separation starts here |
| Suites | Deep tub, green glass shower screen, double vanity. The Fantastic Suite adds a separate room for the washlet toilet |
| Toilet | TOTO NEOREST washlet in its own enclosed room |
| Shower head | Overhead rain plus detachable handheld. Brand listed as hansgrohe Axor in most Chinese sources and Grohe in one English article from May 2026 |
| Bath products | Davines of Italy, MOMO for hair and body and skin regimen for face and body, in fixed large format dispensers. Bliss was used before 2020, and the changeover date is not documented |
| Hair dryer | Philips |
| Not provided | Comb, toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, shaving foam, shower cap. This is a Taipei City rule rather than a hotel policy, see below |
A lot of people are angry at the wrong party
English reviews since 2025 keep returning to a line about a five star hotel charging for a toothbrush, sometimes in strong terms. That is a misunderstanding. Since January 1, 2025, hotels across Taiwan may not proactively provide shampoo, body wash, conditioner or lotion in containers under 180 milliliters. Taipei City went further: since July 22, 2025, under Article 19 of the city's net zero ordinance, tourist hotels are prohibited from providing combs, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, shaving foam and shower caps.
Prohibited means the front desk cannot hand you one either. The same rule applies to every hotel in Taipei, the Grand Hyatt and the Mandarin Oriental included. Bring your own toothbrush. That is now part of staying in this city.
- PackingBring a toothbrush, toothpaste and a razor. This applies across Taipei and has nothing to do with hotel category.
- Before showeringIn a room without a separate enclosure, move towels and clothing out of the wet zone first. The control is on the wall behind you.
- Wet and dryBook Fabulous or above. This is the most practical dividing line in the room hierarchy here.
05 · DINING
Where is breakfast at W Taipei? Floor ten, and the restaurant has changed
If your research says breakfast is at "the kitchen table", that source is out of date. The all day restaurant closed in September 2023, and the same space reopened on October 5, 2023 as Seasons by olivier e., still on floor 10. Breakfast is served there now.
| Restaurant | Seasons by olivier e., floor 10. Opened October 5, 2023, replacing the kitchen table. The space includes an indoor room, semi private areas and a terrace overlooking the pool |
|---|---|
| Consulting chef | Olivier Elzer, French, trained under Joël Robuchon. His Michelin stars were earned in Hong Kong, and the Taipei restaurant does not currently hold one |
| Breakfast hours | Monday to Friday 06:30 to 10:00, Saturday and Sunday 06:30 to 10:30, per the Marriott page and two stay reports. One Chinese source from July 2026 lists 07:00 to 10:00. Sources disagree |
| Breakfast price | Around US$33 for adults, about US$17 for ages 4 to 12, free under 3, as listed by Trip.com. The hotel does not publish a rate |
| What is served | Eggs cooked to order, Taiwanese noodles and rice noodle soup, congee with side dishes, a bakery section including Taiwanese style breads, salads, cold cuts, yogurt, fruit, fresh juice, coffee and tea. English sources call it a buffet, one 2026 Chinese source calls it partly plated |
| Lunch and dinner | Lunch 12:00 to 14:30, dinner 18:00 to 21:30. Menus include Déjà Food, a weekday set lunch, a vegetarian set and weekend brunch |
| Pricing | At the 2023 opening: à la carte from about US$5, tasting menus at about US$62 for four courses, US$80 for six and US$93 for eight, weekday set lunch from about US$40, all plus 10 percent service. Current 2026 pricing is not published |
| Reservations | +886 2 7703 8755 |
| Open to the public | Yes. Non guests can pay for breakfast |
Breakfast is the part of this hotel whose reputation has changed the most. Reports before 2023 generally called it ordinary, and at that time it was served on floor 31 at YEN. Since it moved down to floor 10 and became Seasons, the most frequent positive phrase in booking platform reviews is that breakfast is generous and good, appearing twenty two times. Eggs cooked to order and the smoothie station are the two items named most often.
- 06:30is the opening, which is early for a Taipei luxury hotel and useful before a morning flight.
- Weekendsrun half an hour longer, to 10:30. That half hour is worth using when nothing is scheduled.
- With childrenAges 4 to 12 are half price and under 3 is free, per platform listings. Confirm on site.
06 · DINING
A hotel with no executive lounge, and where the benefits went instead
W Taipei has no executive lounge and no club lounge. Bonvoy Platinum and above benefits are not redeemed in a dedicated space. They are spread across two bars that are open to the public: WOOBAR on floor 10 and YEN Bar on floor 31. For anyone who plans around a lounge this changes the trip, so it goes at the front of the dining section.
| WOOBAR | Floor 10. Sunday to Thursday 10:00 to 24:00 (kitchen last order 22:00), Friday and Saturday 10:00 to 01:00 (kitchen last order 23:00) |
|---|---|
| YEN Bar | Floor 31, alongside YEN. Sunday to Thursday 17:00 to 23:00, Friday and Saturday 17:00 to 24:00. The window booths for four to six people look at Taipei 101 and the Xinyi skyline |
| Age restriction | Both bars are 18 and over after 22:00. Families with children cannot use them late |
| Minimum spend | Sunday to Thursday, one drink per person. Friday and Saturday after 19:00, about US$31 per person plus 10 percent |
| Service charge | 10 percent. Menu prices include tax, service is added on top |
| Corkage | About US$31 per bottle of wine up to 750 ml, about US$47 per bottle of spirits up to 1,000 ml |
| Reservations | Online for one to six people, larger parties call +886 2 7703 8887. Tables are held for 15 minutes |
| Afternoon tea | WOOBAR runs W Tipsy Tea as a rotating collaboration series. The current edition is SUNKISSED, June 25 to September 30, 2026, daily 14:00 to 17:00, about US$80 for two plus 10 percent. Past editions include MOSCHINO PARFUM, PISTA CIAO and LA PRAIRIE |
| Parking validation | One hour for every US$31 or so spent, up to four hours per vehicle |
| Platinum and above | Recorded in a 2024 stay: one welcome drink per day for two people at WOOBAR, two bottles of Evian daily, and a 1,000 point welcome gift. Another source describes a daily 17:00 to 19:00 window at either WOOBAR or YEN Bar. Benefits change, confirm at check in |
Two bars, two different uses
WOOBAR is on floor 10 alongside the lobby, the breakfast restaurant and the pool. During the day it is coffee and afternoon tea, at night it is a DJ and drinks. Its volume is a fixed item in reviews, and one review title simply calls the place a nightclub hotel. The layout explains it: the pool, the lobby and the bar share one floor, and there is no intermediate space for sound to fall away in.
YEN Bar is on floor 31, quiet, high, and pointed at Taipei 101. The Friday and Saturday minimum after 19:00 is the same US$31 or so per person, but the atmosphere has nothing in common. Go up for a quiet drink, stay on ten for the energy.
- Fri and SatBoth bars carry a minimum of about US$31 per person after 19:00. For a relaxed drink, pick Sunday through Thursday.
- With kidsFinish anything bar related before 22:00. After that both rooms are 18 and over.
- For the viewGo up to YEN Bar on 31 and reserve a window seat. WOOBAR on 10 does not have the view.
07 · DINING
YEN on floor thirty one, closing for renovation
This is the most time sensitive page here. The official reservation system for YEN Chinese Restaurant carries the same notice in Chinese and English: temporarily closed for renovation starting August 30, 2026. No reopening date has been announced. One booking platform separately lists a dining venue under renovation from August 30 to November 30, 2026, which matches the date and can be treated as a hint rather than an official statement.
| Location | Floor 31, 9 meter ceiling. The first Chinese restaurant in the W portfolio worldwide |
|---|---|
| Hours | Lunch 12:00 to 14:30 (last order 14:00), dinner 18:00 to 21:30 (last order 21:00) |
| Dim sum | Lunch only. It is not available in the evening |
| View | The hotel states plainly that the main dining area has no Taipei 101 view and that only some private rooms do. This line sits on the official reservation page and many people miss it |
| Private rooms | Five. Names and capacities are not published |
| Chef | Kwok Wai Hung, from Hong Kong, took over in March 2024, previously at Chuk Ka Chong, the World Trade Center Club, Han Lai Ming Ren Fang and My Humble House. Whether he remains in post in 2026 could not be verified |
| Price reference | Dim sum about US$5 to 10, vegetables and fried rice about US$16 to 21, Peking duck about US$68, tea about US$5 per person with children exempt. This list carries no date and may have been revised |
| Service charge | 10 percent. Corkage about US$31 for wine and about US$47 for spirits |
| Reservations | Online for one to six people. Larger parties or private rooms, call +886 2 7703 8887 |
| Parking validation | One hour for every US$31 or so spent, up to four hours |
| Michelin | No record found of YEN appearing in the Michelin Guide or Bib Gourmand |
| Pets | Not permitted, guide dogs excepted |
The view line deserves a second look. The instinct is that a Chinese restaurant on floor 31 must face Taipei 101, and yet the hotel puts a sentence on its own booking page saying the main dining room does not, which is an honest move. The building stands on Section 5 of Zhongxiao East Road, Taipei 101 lies to the southwest, and more of the sightline is cut off by other buildings and by the angle than people expect. Only some private rooms are oriented for it. To see the tower while you eat, book a private room, or go to YEN Bar on the same floor and reserve a window seat.
- Before 8/29It is still open. For dim sum, book lunch, because it is not served at dinner.
- After 8/30Ask for the reopening date and for the breakfast backup plan. Neither has been published.
- For the viewBook a private room or move up to a window seat at YEN Bar. The main room does not have it, and the hotel says so itself.
08 · FACILITIES
The pool is on ten, the sauna is on twelve, and you need a key
Facilities here sit on two floors. The terrace on floor 10 holds a 25 meter heated outdoor pool that runs year round. Floor 12 holds the gym, AWAY Spa, and a gender separated wet area with sauna, steam room and hot and cold plunge pools. The wet area costs guests nothing extra, but the door needs a key from the desk, which is why plenty of people finish a stay without knowing it is there.
| WET pool | Floor 10, outdoors, heated, 25 meters long. Width listed as 6.5 meters by Marriott and 6 meters in Chinese sources, maximum depth 1.2 meters. Open year round, closed when it rains. A DJ booth sits poolside and pool parties run in summer |
|---|---|
| Pool hours | One source says open 24 hours with a lifeguard from 06:00 to 23:00, another says 06:00 to 22:00. Both were published in 2026 and contradict each other. Sources disagree, ask at the desk |
| Children | Not published. No age limit or supervision rule appears in official material |
| WET Bar | Floor 10, poolside. Marriott still lists it as one of the four venues but publishes no hours, and reservations are folded into the WOOBAR page. Current status unclear |
| FIT gym | Floor 12. Open 24 hours to guests, 06:00 to 22:00 for outside members. Technogym equipment, a full glass wall facing Taipei 101, plus yoga and stretching space |
| Wet area | Floor 12, separated by gender. Sauna, steam room, hot and cold plunge pools, massage chairs, lockers, showers and toilets. No extra charge for guests, key from the desk |
| AWAY Spa | Floor 12. Three treatment rooms, two single and one double with a whirlpool tub, all with rain showers. A nail and pedicure area as well. Open to non guests |
| Spa booking | At least 24 hours ahead, +886 2 7703 8748. Opening hours are not published |
| Spa pricing | From about US$121 for treatments of 60 minutes or more after the 2023 menu change, with a 120 minute option at about US$211. Another English source records about US$125 for 60 minutes. The spread is wide, call to confirm |
| Spa products | comfort zone of Italy since the 2023 change. Earlier records mention Rodial, Vitaman and ELEMIS |
| Outside gym membership | About US$4,650 per year, from an undated source. Confirm on site |
|---|
- At check inAsk for the floor 12 wet area key. Without asking, most guests never learn it exists.
- EarlyThe pool is emptiest at dawn. It closes in the rain, so look at the sky before you go down.
- TreatmentsBook with the room. Three treatment rooms serve the whole hotel plus outside guests, and same day slots are hard.
09 · RATES AND BOOKING
W Taipei rates: the actual numbers for October 1
The table below is for October 1, 2026 in and October 2 out, one night, entry level Wonderful Room, city view. Everything is shown in US dollars. The member rate is quoted natively in dollars, so it carries no conversion error. The other channels display in New Taiwan dollars and are converted at 1 USD to 32.25 New Taiwan dollars, the rate on August 12, 2026 (XE mid market 32.2533, Bank of Taiwan spot 32.195 to 32.345, central bank 32.231). Both rates and exchange rates move, so treat this as a snapshot of that day.
How pricing works in Taiwan
Hotels in Taiwan add 5 percent value added tax and 10 percent service charge on top of the room rate, 15.5 percent in total. The nightly figure Marriott systems display is before tax, and the charges appear at the payment step. Google and the booking sites usually display the tax inclusive total instead. The two sets of numbers look far apart and describe the same thing, so align them before comparing. You can check this yourself: the member rate of US$368.39 multiplied by 1.155 comes to exactly US$425.49, the tax inclusive hotel website figure of US$429.77 divided by 1.155 comes to US$372.09, and the tax inclusive booking site figure of US$447.69 divided by 1.155 comes to US$387.61. All three reconcile, which confirms these are one set of rates written two ways.
| Marriott member rate | US$368.39 per night before tax, US$425.49 total. Quoted natively in dollars. One king city view and two double city view are priced the same. The rate is named Member Rate Flexible and can be paid later |
|---|---|
| Hotel website (as shown on Google) | About US$429.77 total, roughly US$372.09 before tax. One king and two doubles priced the same |
| trivago | About US$429.77, matching the hotel website |
| klook | About US$446.64. Free cancellation until September 30 |
| Agoda | About US$447.69. Free cancellation until September 30 |
| Trip.com | About US$447.69. Free cancellation until September 30, free Wi-Fi |
| Booking.com | About US$447.69. Free cancellation until September 29, free Wi-Fi |
| Expedia | About US$447.69. Free Wi-Fi and free parking listed |
| Hotels.com | About US$447.69. Free Wi-Fi and free parking listed |
| Skyscanner | About US$447.69 |
| ezTravel | About US$447.69. Free cancellation until September 30 |
| Bonvoy points | Dynamic pricing, typically 63,500 to 67,000 points per night on ordinary dates. Award stays do not earn points or nights |
The whole table runs from US$425 to US$448, a spread of US$22.20, about 5 percent. Seven booking sites land on the identical figure and klook comes in about a dollar under it, because they all draw the same public Marriott rate. The real difference is not the price, it is what comes attached.
Why the price sits where it does
October 1 is a Thursday and October 2 is a Friday, and neither is a holiday. In 2026 the Mid Autumn Festival long weekend runs September 25 to 28 and the National Day weekend runs October 9 to 11, so these two nights fall in the trough between them. The first event of October at Taipei Arena is on October 3, and BIGBANG plays the Taipei Dome on October 10. The only upward pressure is at Nangang Exhibition Center, where three trade shows open together from October 2 to 5, with move in on October 1. Nangang is on the other side of the city from Xinyi, so the spillover reaching this hotel is indirect.
The advisor channel: Marriott LUMINOUS
W Taipei is on the Marriott LUMINOUS list, the rate program Marriott offers through travel advisors. The amenities are as follows.
| LUMINOUS amenities | Welcome amenity, daily breakfast for two, upgrade subject to availability, early check in and late check out subject to availability, and a personalized welcome note from the general manager. Some participating hotels add a US$100 hotel credit, which only applies when it appears in the rate details of that specific booking. If it is not mentioned, it is not included |
|---|---|
| The key limitation | LUMINOUS amenities do not combine with member rates. Marriott's own rules are direct about it: the benefits attach to a dedicated rate, and applying any other rate program removes them. Award stays are excluded as well |
| What still counts | A LUMINOUS booking is a qualifying stay. Points, nights and elite credit accrue as normal |
| Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts | W Taipei is on the FHR list too: noon check in subject to availability, upgrade subject to availability, daily breakfast for two, US$100 hotel credit, US$100 dining credit and a guaranteed 16:00 check out. From January 1, 2027 the hotel credit converts to a dining credit, so an October 2026 stay uses the current version |
The choice here is unusually clean and there is no gray area. Take the member rate and you land on the lowest line in the table, with only the benefits your tier already gives you. Take LUMINOUS and the rate returns to roughly the public flexible price, in exchange for breakfast, an upgrade and that note. Same room, same rate, with perks added is true at most hotels. Here it needs one clause added: member rates and LUMINOUS are two separate roads, and you pick one.
Breakfast for two, every day. Its value is not the amount. It is that you wake up and have no decision to make. The restaurant is on floor 10, and you go down and sit.
- ComparingAlign the numbers first. Marriott shows pre tax and the booking sites show tax inclusive, a gap of 15.5 percent.
- For perksBook LUMINOUS or FHR and do not also expect the member discount. The two do not combine.
- OctoberAvoid September 25 to 28 and October 9 to 11. The difference is visible.
- After bookingPut a high floor and a separate shower enclosure in writing. The bathroom difference between categories is the thing worth saying first here.
10 · REVIEWS COLLATED
W Taipei reviews: what earns praise, what loses points
Google 4.3 across 8,614 reviews as of April 2026. Tripadvisor 4.6 across roughly 3,853 reviews, in the top three of 23 hotels in Xinyi District. Across the six Tripadvisor subscores, location is 4.8, cleanliness 4.8, rooms 4.7, sleep quality 4.7 and service 4.6. Only one falls to 4.0, and that is value. Every negative review is tinted by that one box.
| Other platforms | Trip.com 9.4 across 314 reviews, Hotels.com 9.2 across 1,003, Expedia 9.2 across 1,002, Klook 4.7 across more than 1,000, ezTravel 4.7 across 380. Booking.com does not publish an overall score on its page |
|---|
Recurring praise
- Location, 200 meters from Taipei City Hall station, with the department store and coach terminal in the same building
- The concierge team, named repeatedly and by first name, including help after check out
- The W Bed, the single most mentioned piece of hardware in English reviews
- Room categories where the bathtub faces Taipei 101
- The WET pool, heated year round, 25 meters, outdoors
- The FIT gym, large by Taipei hotel standards, glass wall facing Taipei 101
- Post renovation equipment: Bose bluetooth, 55 inch television, USB-C, wireless charging and Nespresso
- Breakfast, the most frequent positive phrase on booking platforms at twenty two mentions
- The gender separated sauna, steam room and plunge pools on floor 12
Recurring complaints
- Value at 4.0, the only subscore to drop to four, and the most consistent theme
- Single use amenities, widely misread as the hotel charging for them. It is a Taipei City rule, not a hotel policy
- No shower door in the Wonderful and Spectacular categories, water on the floor, a slippery surface
- Rooms feel dim and the light switches are hard to find
- Minibar pricing, recorded in 2024 at about US$8 for a beer and US$31.50 for wine
- Waiting at reception at peak times, and an inconsistent check in experience
- The lobby is on floor 10, so every trip in or out means changing elevators
- WOOBAR volume at night, with one review titled simply as a nightclub hotel
- No executive lounge, the item raised most often by high tier members
- Tight space for open luggage, and a Marvelous Suite layout that does not separate living and sleeping clearly
- Check datesJanuary 2025 is the dividing line. Room descriptions before it no longer apply.
- AmenitiesThat is a city wide rule. Bring a toothbrush, and it says nothing about this hotel.
- NoiseLook at which floor the reviewer was on. Guest rooms start at 13, WOOBAR is on 10.
11 · NEIGHBORHOOD
The eastern half of Xinyi, on foot
The hotel stands on the edge of the Xinyi Planning District, and on the most walkable edge of it. The department stores are within a hundred or two hundred meters, Taipei 101 is eight hundred, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and the Taipei Dome are five to six minutes on foot, and Four Four South Village and Elephant Mountain are a little further. You need no transport here, unless you are going up the mountain.
| Uni-Ustyle department store | About 100 meters, one to two minutes. B2 connects directly to Taipei City Hall station |
|---|---|
| Taipei City Hall station | About 200 meters, two minutes, Exit 2 |
| Breeze Xinyi | About 170 meters |
| Songshan Cultural and Creative Park | The park's own directions: 450 meters from Exit 1 of Taipei City Hall station, five to six minutes, along Zhongxiao East Road then right into Lane 553 |
| Taipei Dome | About 610 meters |
| Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall | About 0.6 to 0.8 km |
| Taipei 101 | About 800 to 930 meters, nine to ten minutes on foot |
| TWTC Hall 1 | About 0.9 km |
| Four Four South Village | 四四南村, the housing settlement built for the families of arsenal workers, now a heritage site. 229 meters from Taipei 101 / World Trade Center station. Walking from the hotel takes you through the core of the district first |
| Elephant Mountain trail | Trailhead beside Lingyun Temple, Alley 22, Lane 150, Section 5 of Xinyi Road. About 3.1 km from the hotel, and the metro requires a line change, so in practice people walk to Taipei 101 / World Trade Center station and ride one stop, or take a taxi. The loop is 1.71 km, easy, and needs no permit |
| Taipei 101 Observatory | Daily 10:00 to 21:00, last entry 20:15. Floor 89 adult about US$19, concession about US$9, the 89 plus 101 package about US$30, and Skyline 460 at about US$93 for visitors at least 145 cm tall and aged 12 to 75 |
| Bus terminal | Same building, No. 6 Section 5 Zhongxiao East Road, 05:00 to 01:00. Route 1960 to Taoyuan Airport, routes 1570 to 1572 to Yilan, 1667 to Taichung, 1800 and 2088 to Keelung |
Eslite Xinyi has closed
A great deal of travel content still lists the Eslite Xinyi bookstore as an essential stop. It closed at 22:00 on December 24, 2023 after eighteen years. The landlord, the Uni-President group, took the space back and reopened it on July 25, 2025 as Dream Plaza: six floors plus a rooftop, about 25,000 square meters, roughly forty percent food and drink and around three hundred brands, including the first physical Books.com.tw store and a Starbucks flagship of more than 3,300 square meters on floors six and seven. The twenty four hour bookstore role passed to Eslite Spectrum Songyan on January 20, 2024, inside Songshan Cultural and Creative Park.
Alternatives inside the same walk
- Grand Hyatt Taipei (Songshou Road, about 180 meters from Taipei 101): 850 rooms, opened 1990. It has the Grand Club executive lounge, which is the most direct difference from W. Mature and conservative in tone, with no party element.
- Le Méridien Taipei (No. 38 Songren Road, about 720 meters from Taipei 101): 160 rooms, also Marriott, forty percent the size of W and considerably quieter.
- Humble House Taipei (No. 18 Songgao Road): 235 rooms. It joined Hilton Curio Collection in the second half of 2023 and is no longer in the Marriott system, which Bonvoy members should note. Rooftop pool on floor 7 facing Taipei 101.
- Sheraton Grand Taipei (Section 1 Zhongxiao East Road, outside this walk): 683 rooms, with a Sheraton Club Lounge free to Platinum and above. If you want a lounge and want to stay inside Marriott, this is the closest substitute in the city.
- Mandarin Oriental Taipei (Dunhua North Road, Songshan District): 303 rooms, a European grand house in style, the opposite of the W approach.
Several openings get asked about often, so here is where they stand in August 2026. Park Hyatt Taipei has not opened, with the latest announcement pointing at the fourth quarter of 2026. Andaz Taipei has not opened. Four Seasons Hotel Taipei has not opened, and completion is given as either 2026 or 2027 depending on the source. All three are in the Xinyi Planning District and will reshape this area once they arrive, which is a question for later. One more trap: a 2026 opening called Le Méridien Taipei Banqiao carries Taipei in its name and stands in Banqiao, New Taipei, which is easy to book by mistake.
- EveningWalk the 450 meters to Songshan Cultural and Creative Park. Far fewer people than the Taipei 101 side, and better light.
- Elephant MtnDo not walk it. Three kilometers plus a climb. Walk to Taipei 101 / World Trade Center station and ride one stop, or take a taxi.
- Want a loungeThe Sheraton has one and so does the Grand Hyatt. That is a change of hotel rather than a change of room.
12 · HISTORY AND DETAIL
An arsenal, then a bus station, and only then a hotel
The Xinyi Planning District is the youngest piece of central Taipei, young enough that people still remember what stood here. In 1939 the Japanese colonial administration expropriated land in this area for an army depot. After 1945 it became the 44th Arsenal together with a vehicle maintenance depot, and in 1948 the arsenal itself moved here from Qingdao. Where you sleep tonight was military supply ground eighty years ago.
When the arsenal left
The 44th Arsenal moved out of Xinyi in 1978, relocating to Sanxia. In 1980 the city government subsidized the move and began planning this land as a secondary city center. The workers' housing settlement stayed behind, and that is Four Four South Village, 四四南村, registered as a historic building on March 21, 2001, with the military village culture park breaking ground on July 24 the following year. Walking from the hotel toward Taipei 101 you reach it near the end, the low houses that sit opposite the tower.
The district was built in three phases. Phase one from 1981 to 1994 delivered the World Trade Center, the city council and city hall. Phase two from 1995 to 2005 brought Shin Kong Mitsukoshi in 1997 and Taipei 101, which broke ground in 1998 and completed in 2005. Phase three came after 2005, and the bus terminal was finished in 2010. This building belongs to phase three, which makes it a junior member of the neighborhood.
This is not the Uni-President International Tower
This confusion is widespread, and even some Chinese language reporting gets it wrong. The Uni-President International Tower stands at No. 9 Songgao Road, was designed by Kenzo Tange, has 30 floors above ground and 7 below at 154 meters, and completed in 2004 and 2005. That is the building that held Eslite Xinyi and now holds Dream Plaza. W Taipei is at No. 10, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road, in the Taipei City Hall Bus Station tower, several streets away, by a different architect, from a different year, for a different purpose.
The mixed use structure explains a great deal about this hotel. The terminal was a build operate transfer project, and the developer holds fifty years of construction and operating rights. Floors one to seven went to retail, the basements went to the metro, the coaches and parking, and the hotel could only grow upward from floor eight. The ground floor that is not a lobby, the reception on floor 10, the elevator change on every trip: all of it flows from that one decision rather than from a later planning error.
Who built it and who did the interiors
The exterior came from the Japanese designer Tadashi Yamane working with local architecture practices, and the interiors from GA Design International of London. The same studio came back in 2023 to rebuild all 405 rooms, finishing in January 2025, which is uncommon in this industry, since most renovations bring in a new designer. The design concept is called Natural Electrified, and at opening the public areas carried an interactive light installation by rAndom International.
Two materials from the renovation are worth recording. Counters and shelving use recycled terrazzo containing reclaimed stone chips and wood shavings, and the textiles come from the Taiwanese studio JainJain (減簡手制). Neither appears on a booking page, and both are things you can put your hand on.
- Toward 101You pass Four Four South Village, the houses from the era before this one.
- Coming backEnter from the bus terminal side and look at the coach platforms. A hotel sharing a building with intercity coaches happens nowhere else in Taipei.
- In the roomPut a hand on the counter. That is recycled terrazzo with reclaimed stone chips, installed in the 2025 renovation.
13 · ROUTE AND VERDICT
How to spend one night, and who this building is for
The good parts of this hotel sit on three floors: the pool and bars on ten, the gym and wet area on twelve, and the height on thirty one. One night is enough to walk all three without leaving the building. If you do want to leave, there is plenty within five minutes.
- 15:00Hand over the luggage on the ground floor, ride up to 10 to check in, and ask how to collect the floor 12 wet area key.
- 15:30Into the room. Look at the bathroom first: shower door or no shower door decides how you shower tonight.
- 16:00Floor 12. Sauna, steam room, hot and cold plunge pools, separated by gender, no extra charge.
- Late dayThe pool on 10, 25 meters, heated, outdoors. It closes in the rain, so check the sky.
- 18:00Use the elite welcome drink at WOOBAR. There is a minimum after 19:00 on Friday and Saturday, so earlier is calmer.
- 20:00Up to YEN Bar on 31, window seat reserved, for Taipei 101.
- Next dawnThe pool is emptiest. Or go back for one more round in the plunge pools on 12.
- BreakfastSeasons on 10, from 06:30, until 10:30 at weekends.
- Before noonWalk 450 meters to Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, or 800 meters to Taipei 101. Check out is 12:00.
Good for
- Anyone working on foot in Xinyi who also wants the metro and the intercity coaches downstairs
- Anyone who values facilities over service ceremony, since the density on floors 10 and 12 is unusual in Taipei
- Anyone with a Marriott LUMINOUS advisor or an Amex Platinum card
- Anyone who wants to swim all year, since this pool is heated and outdoors
- Anyone comfortable with a design hotel rhythm and music in the lobby
Not for
- High tier members who plan around an executive lounge. There is none, and benefits land in public bars
- Families with small children who want the bars at night. Both are 18 and over after 22:00
- Anyone who needs a quiet lobby. Floor 10 puts reception, the pool and the bar together
- Anyone who wants a separate shower enclosure but only wants to book an entry category. That line sits at Fabulous
- Anyone hoping to eat at the floor 31 Chinese restaurant after August 30, 2026, with renovation under way and no reopening date
There is a station underneath this building. The metro at the bottom, the intercity coaches on the low floors, the airport bus boarding in the same building, a department store above that, and only then your room. Very few hotels in Taipei choose to build where a crowd passes through all day, and the answer here was to retreat upward, put the lobby on floor 10, and let two things share one tower while keeping to themselves. Whether you stay here depends on whether this trip needs a quiet entrance hall, or an address from which you can reach anywhere by going downstairs.
This article is written in the anticipatory second person, describing what you will encounter. Facilities, hours, room categories and charges are compiled from the hotel website and Marriott pages, official reservation system notices, the Tourism Administration accommodation register, public records from the Taipei City Government and the Xinyi District Office, advisor channel material and booking platform reviews. I have not stayed at this property, and this article contains no first hand experience. Sources disagree on the following points, and both versions appear above: the opening date (February or March 2011), whether parking is free, the floor area of the Cool Corner Room, pool dimensions and hours, the breakfast start time, the shower head brand, and pool accessibility equipment. Every amount in this article is shown in US dollars. The rates on page 9 were retrieved on August 12, 2026 for the night of October 1 to 2. The member rate is quoted natively in dollars; every other channel figure and every in house price is converted at 1 USD to 32.25 TWD as of that day, and any figure carrying the word about is a converted one. Both rates and exchange rates move. Dining hours, treatment prices and advisor channel amenities are adjusted often, so confirm with the hotel or your advisor before booking.
Tommy is an independent travel advisor of Fora Travel. Booking through the advisor channel means the same room at the same rate, with perks added. CST/SOT #2151995-50.