Our family has always been a fan of 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 out the window’s view and how many pillows we have on the bed. They marvel at the fittings and finishings while I wonder if there will be bacon in the next day’s breakfast buffet.
When I was in my twenties, I considered hostels first before hotels, especially when traveling abroad. I guess I was going for the budget first, comfort later tactic. But as I entered my thirties and 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 your own room and toilet is now a requirement and no longer an option.
So for my mom’s birthday this year, I decided to give her a staycation here in Taiwan. Thanks to a corporate discount, I got curious to try the Hilton Taipei Sinban. This 4-star hotel sits along the same side of the massive New Taipei City Hall in Banqiao, across the Banqiao TRA Station.
I don’t know if this could be a good alternative to any other Taipei hotel in terms of location especially if you would be traveling mostly within Taipei. I think most travelers who would choose this hotel will probably do so because they are a Hilton Honors member and wanted to take advantage of that. During our stay, a flock of Japanese tourists seemed to have spent the night here and while I couldn’t imagine why they decided to come here instead of any other hotel in Taipei, a separate flock of flight crew and attendants gave me the impression that its location might just be ideal for airport connections due to its proximity to Banqiao HSR. Why anyone would stay here instead of Taoyuan if they are supposed to have a flight there beats me too, unless other options in said place are unavailable.
Aside from that, this is definitely a good hotel for corporate stays and executives in Taiwan on company trip. It’s a good few minutes away from the Taipei Far Eastern Telecom Park.
Aside from the corporate discount, I also got curious to try its executive lounge. We booked the King Executive Room with Lounge Access for an overnight stay. It was on the 30th floor, which assured stunning views of New Taipei City just about anywhere there’s a window.
The room was indeed four-star quality. It was far from the budget hotels I frequent. It looked impeccably clean and smelled like it. 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 the 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 so Taiwan-coded to be gifted such a healthy treat, even if it was simply great quality indoor oxygen.
Another part of the room which I liked was the bathroom. The bathtub was placed right in the middle of it, separating the shower rooms and toilet. I always worry about walking on slippery bathtub floors so I never liked showers within a bathtub. Aside from the layout, I also loved the Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries in the room. I almost wanted to purchase them in a mall, quit my soaping days, and embrace my new body wash era complete with a post-bath sniff.
Since we have access to the executive lounge that night, we decided to have dinner there instead. Earlier this month, a friend invited me and my mom for dinner at the Grand Hyatt Manila and we ate at its executive lounge. That was the first time I tried such and thought it was perfect for people like us who only eat light dinners. The buffet spread was filling and appealing, and so I expected pretty much the same from Hilton Taipei Sinban.
However, while the Hilton Taipei Sinban’s executive lounge looked cozy and impeccable in its own small way (pun intended), they definitely needed to refill their buffet spread much faster than they did. We were there as early as 6:30 PM and yet food trays were already emptied at just around 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.
I was just thankful we were able to catch some dinner before it got wiped out. It also seemed like they were very understaffed at the lounge. I don’t know if they underprepared for the number of people who came but there weren’t that many of us anyway. I kept waiting for the food refills that didn’t come until I was already past my craving. And I had to wait so long for some orange juice refill that it turned out tasting like water with a hint of orange. I really hope they fix that situation.
After dinner, we decided to explore the rest of the hotel and went to the top floor to see the swimming pool. I was particularly excited to see it as I saw on vlogs that it had an overlooking 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? Anyhow, the pool was clean and very inviting, not crowded despite sharing, that we kinda regretted not bringing swimwear so we 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 nearby. You can easily go find other places to eat at if you’re staying here and would like cheaper food choices or just hotel alternatives. Or if you simply got frustrated at the executive lounge, lol.
The following day, breakfast expectations were running high from my end because dinner was meh. Fortunately this time, breakfast was mainly served at the hotel’s Market Flavor restaurant on the 2nd floor. I was told upon check in that we can opt to have breakfast at the executive lounge, just tell them a day before, but I’m glad I didn’t do that because the Market Flavor’s buffet spread was definitely the kind I expected. It had a pretty good mix of Taiwanese and Western breakfast choices. And plenty of tableware for everyone. Plus points for having fried rice. And of course, the presence of bacon has truly 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 staff was excellent and the facilities were above average. Executive lounge issue 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. If you’re willing to spend for comfort, consider Hilton Hotel Taipei Sinban.
Even for a staycation, this is definitely a good hotel to consider. Modern, pretty new, and clean. Skip the lounge access for a cheaper yet high quality hotel stay. The Hilton Taipei Hotel Sinban’s 4 stars are definitely well-deserved. It’s definitely above average of a hotel and has plenty of room (pun intended again) for improvement.