Our family loves hotel stays. I guess it’s because my parents used to work in the architectural and design industries. They appreciate structure and form while I check how many pillows we have on the bed. They marvel at the colors and furnishings as I wonder if there will be bacon the next day in our breakfast buffet.
In my twenties, I often choose hostels when traveling abroad. It was a budget first, comfort later tactic for me. But now that I am a kwarentahing tita, I can no longer see myself staying in hostels unless I have no other choice. The privacy of having my own room complete with toilet and bath is now a must and not just an option.
So for my mom’s birthday this year, I decided to give her a staycation here in Taiwan. She loves it, I love it, win-win. Hehe. Thanks to a corporate discount, I got curious to try the Hilton Taipei Sinban. This hotel sits along the same side of the massive New Taipei City Hall in Banqiao, across the Banqiao TRA Station.
I’m not sure if this makes it a good alternative to any other Taipei accommodation especially if you’re mostly visiting Taipei spots. Travelers who would choose this might do it because of their Hilton Honors membership. During our stay, a flock of Japanese tourists checked-in and a separate flock of flight crew gave me the impression that its location might be ideal for airport connections, thanks to the nearby Banqiao HSR station. It’s also close to the Banqiao TRA station as well as the Fuzhong MRT.
Location aside, this is definitely a good hotel for corporate stays and executives on a company trip. It’s a good few minutes away from the Taipei Far Eastern Telecom Park, which is where my company’s headquarters is hence the corporate partnership with this hotel.
Aside from the corporate discount, Hilton Taipei Sinban’s executive lounge also got me curious so we booked the King Executive Room with Lounge Access for our overnight stay. It was on the 30th floor, which gave stunning views of New Taipei City just about anywhere there’s a window.
The room was excellent. It looked impeccably clean and smelled like so. Speaking of smell, it wasn’t just the scent of the room that drew me to it but the air quality too. Turns out our room, and all others on that floor, are considered Pure Rooms, which means they come equipped with hotel-grade air purifiers. It was a nice surprise considering my mom’s chronic allergic rhinitis. It’s like Taiwan decided to give her the gift of good health, like that can’t be more Taiwan-coded.
I also loved our bathroom. The bathtub was placed right in the middle, separating the shower and toilet. I’m not a fan of bathtub with showers. I think they’re prone to slipping while bathing, so this layout is a welcome sight. Aside from the layout, I also loved the Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries which smelled sooo nice. They seriously made me consider quitting my soaping days and embrace a new body wash era.
Since we can go to the executive lounge that night, we decided to have dinner there. Earlier this month, a friend invited me and my mom for dinner at the Grand Hyatt Manila. That was my first experience of eating at a hotel executive lounge and loved it because it’s perfect for light dinner eaters like us. The buffet spread was exquisite and filling, so I expected pretty much the same from Hilton Taipei Sinban.
However, while the Hilton Taipei Sinban’s executive lounge looked cozy and modern in its own small way (pun intended), they definitely needed to change the way they handled food refills. We were there around 6:30 PM and yet food trays were already emptied by 7 PM. At some point people had nothing to eat and nothing to put what they could find to eat because even plates and tableware ran out. People started using bowls for anything they could pick up as food from the buffet.
So I was thankful we were able to catch some dinner before it got wiped out. It also seemed like they were very understaffed at the executive lounge. Maybe they underprepared for the number of people that night, but there weren’t that many of us anyway. I kept waiting for refills that didn’t come until I was already past my craving and just wanted to leave. I waited so long for a new pitcher of orange juice that it turned out tasting like water with a hint of orange. I really hope they fix all that refill situation because it was not even remotely close to what I expected. But then again, what do I really know about executive lounges? This just being the second time I’ve experienced it.
After dinner, we decided to explore the rest of the hotel and went to the 32nd floor to see the swimming pool. I was particularly excited to see it because it supposedly has a view of the city. Interestingly, Hilton Taipei Sinban’s swimming pool is shared with the Cesar Park Banqiao Hotel next door. Maybe they’re under the same company? The pool was clean and inviting, not crowded despite sharing, that we kind of regretted not bringing swimwear so we too can take a dip.
We also decided to go out for a bit to buy some snacks. That’s another plus point for the hotel. The malls are walking distance and there’s a Family Mart just a few steps away too. You can easily go find other places to eat for cheaper food choices or you want alternatives from what hotel offers. Or maybe you too got frustrated with your executive lounge experience. Peace, Hilton Taipei Sinban. Again, please fix that. Hehe.
So my breakfast expectations ran high since dinner was meh. Fortunately this time, breakfast was mainly served at the hotel’s Market Flavor restaurant on the 2nd floor. I was told that we can opt to have breakfast at the executive lounge, just reserve a day before, but I’m glad I didn’t do that because the Market Flavor’s service and buffet handling was what I wanted. It had a good mix of Taiwanese and Western breakfast choices. AND plenty of tableware for everyone. Plus points for having fried rice. Last but definitely not the least, the presence of bacon graced my breakfast occasion.
Check-in time was 3PM and our check-out time was at 12 noon the following day. All in all, the service we got from the hotel staff was excellent and the facilities were above average. Executive lounge issues aside, I can definitely say that it’s one of those hotels that are worth coming back to or recommending even if it’s in New Taipei City. I mean you never know when you’ll find yourself in need of a place to stay while in Banqiao.
Even for a staycation, Hilton Taipei Sinban is definitely a good hotel to consider. It’s modern, new, and guest services are what you’d expect for a hotel of its kind. The Hilton Taipei Sinban’s 4 stars are definitely well-deserved and if they fix their executive lounge, they might just get that 5 stars. Finally.