Aloft Taipei Zhongshan is one of the newest and hippest hotel in Taipei. The train station is just a short 2 minutes walk away and the neighboring night market(Qingguang market) ensures your tummies will never be empty. The hotel is a SPG category 3 hotel and we check it out during our 4 day stay in Taipei.
We arrived around 1am after a harrowing experience with your pre arranged transport as our driver was late in picking us up at the airport. Despite the timing, the Aloft staff greeted us enthusiastically and proceeded to check us in.
SPG Gold and Platinium are accorded a designated counter for checking in but this seems to be abused by most patrons and the staff are not to bothered to check for their membership status. It was also very disappointing that the usual room upgrades were not given for Gold and Platinum members that was a norm for other SPG properties. This was confirmed as per the latest T&C
However, a guaranteed 4pm late checkout, 125 star points and the usual welcome drinks was provided to me as a Gold Member.
The property is rather strict with their check in timing and will not allow guests to check in early claiming that the rooms are not ready. While that is the norm for most hotels, my thoughts is that SPG can consider to improve their offerings like early check in options if the rooms are available like what Accor Gold members is entitled to receive.
We had to negotiate with the reception to allow us to check in earlier at around 1245pm as the missus was feeling unwell during our return to Taipei. It will have been more pleasant if they allow us to check in immediately as there were rooms available which was different from initially claimed.
Welcome drink to be exchanged at WXYZ Bar (apologies for overexposed picture)
Our rooms were ready as we were well advance the usual check in times. The corridor to our rooms are quite cool with a futuristic vibe.
The aloft room was a spacious 28sqm. As we enter the room, the mosaic bolsters, a non standard item in the hospitality industry stands out and added a bit of funk to the hotel room.
The aloft room was a spacious 28sqm. As we enter the room, the mosaic bolsters, a non standard item in the hospitality industry stands out and added a bit of funk to the hotel room.
A long table seats in the front of the room which also house the work desk area.
Some writing materials are placed in an organised manner for your perusal.
A nice handwritten note and welcome gift of pineapple pastry await us at the refreshments area.
Some writing materials are placed in an organised manner for your perusal.
A nice handwritten note and welcome gift of pineapple pastry await us at the refreshments area.
French press coffee from Illy and English Breakfast tea from TWG are some of the perks in this room. Taiwanese brand green and oolong tea are also provided for your enjoyment. I like that disposable cups are provided in the event you will like to take your coffee out on the go.
As with most 4 star properties these days, the refrigerator is kept empty. I prefer it this way as I like to use it for my own drinks which are way cheaper from the nearby convenience store.
A 42inch LG flat screen TV kept us entertained during the short time we spent in our room.
At the side of the room lies a fanciful looking luggage stand which can potentially be used as a sitting area as well.
The comfortable king size bed lead us into slumberland in no time. The linens only peak at 250 thread count sheet which is a far cry from the 400 thread counts in major hotel chains but they were decent enough for a mid range hotel.
We also enjoyed the artful decorations and the well lit room which differentiates itself from usual business hotels.
The art piece gives the room an energetic feel and increase the aesthetic vibe.
At the side of the bed, you will find 2 bottles of complimentary water. Individual switches also assist to control the lighting in the room.
The other side you will find an ipod dock which supports the new lightning connector. The dock also serves as an alarm clock.For those who forgotten your plug converters, you will be happy to find out that their sockets support a wide variety of plugs.
The wardrobe that we had comes with compartmentised slots which was helpful to put our luggage.
Opening up the wardrobe reveal 2 sets of comfy bathrobes and the usual safe deposit box. Ironing equipment are provided for your convenience as with any respectable 4 star hotels.
There are 2 different configuration for the bathroom for the Aloft room. The first one is an open concept with the wash basin just behind the art piece. The toilet and showering room are behind the wash basin in separate cubicles.
Below the wash basin is where you will find the hair dryer and a electronic weighing scale.
The soap and body lotion are from Bliss, a New York based spa with 21 locations around the globe.
Pretty standard fare for its ammentities that comes in nice packaging
Like in Japan, Aloft employs the use of a Bidet toilet that comes with seat warmers.
The instructions are written in Japanese. Some instructions in English will be useful.
The Aloft room came in configurations that you either have a bathtub or a shower stall.
Aloft is moving towards being an environmentally hotel and do not provide individual showering amenities. Instead, you have dispensers of body wash and a mixture of all in one shampoo and conditioner from Bliss.
I was bit disappointed about the all in one system for hair care which will not be an issue if I was staying a in 3 Star property.
Views out of the room are nothing to shout about.
Breakfast is held at the WXYZ bar which seems to be a nice place to chill out at. We wanted to try out the local breakfast and did not get the breakfast option.
For SPG Gold and above members, your welcome drink options are as follows, alcoholic beverages excluded.
There is no gym and swimming pool at this hotel so you can forget about working out during your stay. The location is great being just 2 mins away to Zhongshan elementary school MRT station. There is also a night market which is basically a hawker centre in the eyes of Singaporean just a stone throw away from the hotel. There are many drug stores in the vicinity which is great to pile up on facial mask sheets for the ladies.
On the whole, I did enjoy the youthful designs but felt a bit let down for the quality of service which did little to enhance the SPG brand. If it was not associated with the SPG group, I will probably feel that the location and overall new design provides decent value.
Wifi Speed:
20.81mbps
Location: 104, Taiwan, Taipei CityTaipeiNo. 1 Shuangcheng (1 min walk from Zhongshan Elementary School MRT Station)
Telephone: +886 2 7743 9999
For more great reviews, be our Facebook friend or follow us on Instagram and Twitter!!
