HOME Hotel (Taipei, Aug 2011)

I am a sucker for boutique hotel! Yes I am! I rarely blog about hotels or travel accommodations in great details unless I would actually return. The previous boutique hotel I blogged about was the QUOTE Hotel in Taipei which is still in my top 3 pick in that city. On my recent trip to Taipei, I took advantage of a discount package and stayed at the newly opened HOME Hotel in Taipei which I am very impressed with the moment I stepped into this boutique hotel. While there are still areas for improvement which I will talk about later, the following two elements more than captured my undivided attention:

1. It is located in the center^ of Taipei, right in the middle of the XinYi district, within walking distance of the Taipei 101 and literally 1 min walk to the trendest Neo19 club scenes, 3 mins walk to the Mitsukoshi Department Store, 5 mins to Tapiei City Hall, 10 mins walk to Bellvita and right next to Vieshow cinema. (^there are many districts in Taipei, 12 administrative districts to be exact. Xinyi is just one of them, each with their own characteristics. The Xinyi district is significant in recent years because of Taipei 101 ) 
2. Home Hotel implements a MIT policy meaning everything or perhaps 98% of the hotel is Made in Taiwan. The wood, the lift, the carpet, tea, coffee, furnitures, mattress, garbage bin, sleepers, TV, soap, shower gel and all in-room amenities are Made in Taiwan! Yes I did check most of the items in order to verify its claim! (except for the Yamaha iPod/iPhone station perhaps)

The building was converted from a commercial premises originally occupied by the Oglivy group and hence the limitation in housing facilities like a pool or even a gym. Guests can use the gym facilites located in the Neo19 building next door but who am I kidding, I am not going to exercise anyhow. For those who are used order room service in the middle of the night, I am sorry to say that at the moment of this entry (early September), there is no in-room food services. They do provide breakfast in the morning at the Marsalis Home X Whisky Gallery area but during my 4-day stay, I slept right through it!

Yes, they have a very rustic whisky lounge located at the 3rd floor lobby level called Marsalis Home X Whisky Gallery with live jazz performances on a regularly basis.

There are basically 3 types of rooms, Original, Marvelous and Extraordinary each with a choice of either City View or 101 view. With the great opening online rate, we picked the Marvelous Room with 101 View! Before showing the room, let me show you a shot I took through the window while lying in bed!

The Marvelous Room is large enough to have a living room area separated by a movable curtain between the bed area, giving it the space when needed. The mattress is on the firmer side in comparison with other 5-star hotel's heavenly pillow bed but soft enough to cuddle me slightly when sunk in completely. :)

With two sets of TVs, privacy is there when needed.

I do want to mention about the green sofa because it was extremely comfortable and visually appealing. With a vintage look to it, the firmness of the seat was just right for a perfect afternoon nap which I took quite a few in it. Apparently all the wooden furnitures are by STRAUSS Furnitures, an export only label which is marketed under the name of Macro Maison 有情門 locally. We visited the retail shop and so wanted to bring one or two pieces back. Quite unfortunate that they don't usually ship to Hong Kong because they specialized in custom furniture and no plans to open shop in Hong Kong yet. I have a feeling some shops in Hong Kong already carrying some using their own ways!

In in-room gift pack included a little box of Taiwanese dried fruit snack, set of Taiwan naturally grown tea's tea bags (Zenique 小茶栽堂) and a set of tablecloths + coasters.

The layout and size of the bathroom is very important to me because I needed my space in the bathroom! Anyhow, in the Marvelous room, they offer two sinks arrangement, a bathtub, a rain shower!! and a TOTO-style toilet! It was such a comfort to have warmed toilet seats and ... the little water sprinkle!!!! Love!

It is quite rude of me to end this entry with a nicely warmed toilet but it was such a wonderful feeling no matter it was summer or winter! :)

There is still a few discount packages available so do check it out if you plan to visit Taipei soon! If you are concern about the lack of in-room food services, don't! just take a taxi ride to the nearest night market for a late night indulgence! (or perhaps the nearby FamilyMart with various of cold / hot snacks can satisfy your cravings?)

Likes:

• GREAT Location! 
• Loved the concept of MIT - Made in Taiwan
• Excellent Customer Services! 

Dislikes:

• Lack of in-room food services 
• Depending on the level of your room, can hear street noises especially at night. 

Home Hotel
No.90, SONGREN ROAD, XINYI DISTRICT, Taipei, Taiwan 110
http://homehotel.com.tw/
http://www.facebook.com/homehoteltaipei