The Howard Plaza Hotel Taipei

Howard Plaza was located between two MRT stations, which made it convenient to go anywhere. About 10 minute walk each way. It's also close to a couple of malls such as SOGO, Breeze, Poya...SOGO Dunhua and SOGO Fuxing being my favorites. Hotel was nice and clean. We had the family room which was spacious depending on which family room you end up with. If you're lucky get any floor with last two digits of 43. Those are the largest rooms. Buffet style breakfast was included, which my father and I enjoyed, but my American family did not. My girls preferred the traditional taiwanese breakfast instead. Try to get to breakfast early. When they are full, they send you to the 4th floor restaurant, which provides less food and is subpar. The Howard was willing to store our luggage for 3 days since we were traveling and came back. They are an honest group. We left many things unlocked and open bag purchases and everything was still there when we came back. I would definitely return to stay at the Howard again.

When we returned for another stay, the family room was so small that the beds hit the chair against the table. I requested a different room and told them that it was not an adequate family room. There was no space to lay our luggage and not enough space to move around for a family of 4. The room was jam packed with the sofa and chairs pushed to the side to fit two pull up beds. Luckily they accommodated and were not fully booked for my second stay.

The gym was the best feature of the hotel: large and well equipped. However, it is not open until 6:30 am which is a little late if you have an early start to the day. The breakfast has a lot of variety to suit all tastes Eastern and Western. Definitely one of the best hotel breakfast buffets I’ve had recently.

We had a large suite, so there was a lot of space. However, everything is very outdated. The hotel clearly needs a full renovation. I don’t think this can really qualify as a 5 star given the age of the rooms. I really did not like all the tiny plastic bottles of shampoos, shower gels etc. It is highly unsustainable, and again, very outdated compared to the other hotels we were staying at in Taipei which all had outfitted their toiletry offering to avoid throwaway containers.

Old style 5 star hotel in the traditional Chinese dark mahogany style, might not be up there with the super trendy Taipei 5 star hotels aesthetically but don’t let that put you off. The rooms are large, comfortable with both a bath tub and shower, Japanese toilet, safe, fridge, bathrobes and slippers- all the touches that go with 5 star service. My room was cleaned spotlessly every day and all the staff were super friendly and welcoming. The swimming pool was a welcome break from the searing heat on really sunny days and the fact that the hotel is a 5 minute walk from two MTR stations a huge bonus. The immediate area has some hidden gems too- there is a lovely cocktail bar at the hotel around the corner opposite the pool and a lovely busy Indian restaurant a 7 min walk from the hotel. There are also two large SOGO department stores within 5 mins walk and Family Marts every few minutes walk to the stations. 3 stops on the MRT and you are at Taipei 101 so this hotel despite being in a quieter area is really central- beat of both worlds.

Only thing I would change would be the pillows, they are far too soft. Also the bar should stay open longer in the summer months, last orders at 10:30pm is a bit mean!

During our holiday in Taiwan we stayed twice in Howard Plaza, both times taking two rooms for our family. The first time we got a free upgrade to a Rosewood Suite, the second we booked these rooms, consisting of a spacious living room and separate bedroom. The bathroom is large too, with a shower and separate bathtub. Our rooms on the 13th floor had a view on the inner court. Breakfast offers a great choice. The staff is very friendly and always ready to be of assistance. The beds were a bit hard for our liking, but that seems to be common in Taiwan. The second time we checked in, our rooms were ready an hour before official check-in time. The swimming pool is nice too and usually not crowded.

Just a few minor quibbles. One time our room was not made up during our absence of a few hours, though we had turned on the 'please make up room' sign, while the cleaning staff showed up after we were back in the room. There is not very much to do close to the hotel.

The room was comfortable. My children enjoyed the breakfast buffet and the pool.

Staff will enter your room when you have the do not disturb sign turned on. This was also after leaving a note saying they did not come in and calling to make sure we didn’t need anything. (Which we didn’t answer because we didn’t get to the phone in time.) Also, poor communication during checkout causing my family to spend extra money on top of our stay. Instead of asking what currency my card is, they should have asked if it was an international card so I could avoid an 8% surcharge.

The doorman crew (especially the old man, forgot his name) was very helpful and professional. The housing did a wonderful job. The room and the shower were clean. The bottled water was filled everyday. The gym was nice. The drinking water and towels offered were thoughtful. I had some business documents sent to the hotel and the front desk left me a reminder note under my room door to go get it. I really appreciate it.

The pool water was stingy. My daughter's eyes were hurting badly. At the mean time there were other people at the poolside experiencing the same. The pool manager checked the water said it was fine but it didn't resolve the issue. I had to use the business rooms in the lobby, the on-site computer was running very super slow then failed and the room was too hot.

Our room was on the 13th floor. It featured 2 single beds and 1 queen bed, which is perfect for a family of 2 adults and 2 kids. Check-in was fast, there were 4 employees at the counter to speed up the check-in/out process. Personnel was friendly and welcoming, they speak English. Loved the dinner options on the 1st floor buffet restaurant, although it was a bit pricey (adult for 1,500NTD, child for 750NTD, discount if stay in the hotel). We had breakfast at the same restaurant. Food choice was good, enough variety, coffee was also ok. They provide paper cups to take coffee upstairs to your room. The hotel also features an outdoor swimming-pool. It was not too crowded (maybe because it was raining :D). The entrance is through the bar or next to the check in/out counter there's a door and need to walk through the corridor. They provide a towel that needs to be returned as you walk out and remember to wear a swimming cap! Depth of the pool is 1.1m ~ 1.6m! Keep an eye on your small kids!

Room was over furnished. Otherwise very satisfied with everything~

This is a very good hotel in this category. The outside looks quite boring but the inside of the hotel is very nice and cosy. The family room we booked was very comfortable and big enough for the four of us. The staff was very kind and helpful. The breakfast was in my opinion above average for this type of hotel, with a very wide range of options, and everything was very fresh and well prepared. The swimming pool is also great - it surely doesn't have the charm of a rooftop pool but is very convenient, quite big, and our kids had a lot of fun.

Nothing...

The hotel has free parking, which I find very remarkable in the center of a metropolitan area. The room had a view onto the lobby and breakfast area. In retrospect, I find that even better than a view outside where there is not so much to see.

When we came, there was an unpleasant smell in the room and some device plugged, maybe to counteract that. After about a day the smell had disappeared and one day later the device was removed. Still I think, the hotel should do such operations without guests in the room.

The property is well-maintained, clean and in a great location—close proximity to many restaurants, shopping and transportation. The family room is a good size for our family of four. The staff speak English well and the customer service is top notch. The breakfast buffet that is included had a great selection of Asian and Western foods—my kids were happy and never got tired of the breakfast during our weeklong stay.

The swimming pool is a good size but the pool area could use an update.