Trip Report & Review – Grand Hyatt Taipei (Haunted?) Grand Suite

For my three-night stay in Taipei, I booked a room for my friend and myself at the Grand Hyatt Taipei. The cash rates were pretty high for my stay, so I decided to use Points + Cash for this stay. As a category 4 hotel, I spent 7,500 points + $100 per night, which was a steal compared to the cash rate. With Hyatt, Points + Cash stays are elite-qualifying.

This trip report/review is part of a series. See also:

• 1. Trip to Southeast Asia – Introduction
• 2. Hyatt at the Bellevue, Philadelphia (King Room)
• 3. Hyatt at the Bellevue, Philadelphia (Junior Suite)
• 4. EVA Air Royal Laurel (Business Class) “Hello Kitty” Jet Houston-Taipei
• 5. Grand Hyatt Taipei (Haunted?) Grand Suite
• 6. InterContinental Hong Kong Patio Room
• 7. Coral Executive Lounge Bangkok-Don Mueang
• 8. AirAsia “Premium Flex” Chiang Mai to Bangkok-Don Mueang
• 9. Conrad Bangkok (King Room)
• 10. Conrad Bangkok Executive Lounge
• 11. Conrad Bangkok Presidential Suite Bedroom
• 12. Grand Hyatt Bangkok Grand King Room
• 13. Thai Airways 777-300ER Royal Silk Business Class Bangkok to Stockholm
• 14. Park Hyatt Istanbul Park Deluxe Twin Room
• 15. Turkish Airlines Lounge Istanbul (“July 15 Heroes of Democracy Lounge”)
• 16. Turkish Airlines A330 Business Class Istanbul-Washington DC

Haunted Hotel?

There are multiple anecdotal report of this hotel being “haunted beyond belief.” Ghost stories are largely rooted in the fact that the hotel was built on a World War II cemetery and execution ground. People reported hearing noises, getting headaches, seeing haziness. The hotel management apparently sent in fengshui specialists to strategically place Chinese scripts all over the hotel, in order to deter the spirits.

I don’t generally believe in ghosts, in the sense of them being disembodied spirits of the deceased. However, I was curious, so I tried to be a bit more vigilant and observant throughout my stay. My friend and I never noticed any odd sounds, sights, or feelings. I did get a bit of an earache, but I chart that to jet lag and the fact that I had been severely sleep deprived for a few weeks.

With that in mind, let’s dive into the review!

Check-In

My friend and I were on separate flights, but we arrived in Taipei about the same time. We took the 1819 bus to Taipei Main Station, and from there it was a short train ride to the hotel. The Grand Hyatt Taipei is right across from Taipei 101, and was only about a 5 minute walk to the MRT (subway) station.

I had use a Diamond Suite Upgrade, but Hyatt generally only upgrade you to a basic king suite. Since I was traveling with my friend, I e-mailed the hotel, and they graciously changed us into a twin suite.

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Lobby

We arrived the hotel at around 8 am, and our room was still being cleaned. We were invited up to the Grand Club for breakfast, and at about 9:30 am, an associate came by to tell us our room was ready.

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Elevator Bay

Living Room

Our suite had a pretty traditional setting, with a living room separated from the bedroom. There was a powder room to the left, as soon as you enter the suite.

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Entrance

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Powder Room

There was also a small closet located across from the powder room. It actually ended up being the perfect place to hang items we wanted to line dry, as well as our rain jackets. The small bench to the right of the closet was also a nice touch.

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Entryway Closet

The living room opens up to a three-person couch, across from the flat-screen TV and a generous coffee table. I always appreciate hotels that put fresh flowers in rooms—they truly make everything better.

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Couch

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Living Room

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Living Room

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Flowers

On the other end of the living room was a large office desk. Ideally, I would have appreciated a real office chair with wheels, especially since I had some work to do. However, the chair they provided was comfortable enough.

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Desk

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Drawer

On the wall was a panel consisting a variety of ports. I like when hotels are thoughtful enough to design this right next to the desk. The hotel also provided a large variety of cables, from an HDMI to Lightning to Micro-USB, just in case you forgot yours at home, or if you need to plug in your laptop to the TV.

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Phone and IT Panel

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Cables

The minibar display was right behind the desk. There was a Nespresso machine, along with a kettle.

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Desk/Minibar

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Coffee an Tea

Bedroom

The bedroom was pretty spacious, with two twin beds, along with a chair positioned next to the window. There was another TV across from the beds, in case you and your companion wanted to watch different things.

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Bedroom

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Bedroom

The two night stands featured different lighting, which the OCPDness in me simply have to mention. I do really like the easy-to-access buttons built right into the night stand.

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Night Stand

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Night Stand

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Night Stand Controls

Apart from the entryway closet, there is another closet within the bedroom. This closet was pretty roomy, and we found our luggage already waiting for us in the room when we arrived.

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Bedroom Closet

As is common in Asia and in higher end hotels, slippers were provided. The laundry bags were made from cloth and was pretty god quality.

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Bedroom Closet

Taipei is not a “tall” city, per se, so we actually got a pretty nice view.

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin View

Bathroom

The ensuite bathroom was spacious, and featured both a a tub and a rain shower, which had wonderful water pressure.

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Bathroom

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Shower

Most Grand Hyatt tend to use June Jacobs toiletries, but here I found toiletries that were Salvatore Ferragamo branded. The scent was Tuscan Soul, which was pretty pleasant. Sometimes hotels offer different toiletries in suites from standard rooms; I am not sure if that is the case here.

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Toiletries

The toilet had its own compartment and sliding door, which is always nice in case vigorous activity occurs in there.

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Toilet

Neither of us had a chance to try out the bath tub, but I did notice the bath salt provided.

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Bathtub

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Bath Salt

The vanity was nicely appointed; I especially liked the ledge on the right where you can put your own toiletries and supplies.

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Vanity

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Vanity

The hotel did provide a great variety of toiletries, including a dental kit, body lotion, shower caps, cotton buds, and even a loofah.

Grand Hyatt Taipei – Grand Suite Twin Vanity

Overall Impression

Well, I didn’t have any paranormal experience, so I think that’s a positive, especially in light of all the ghost stories.

The hotel is conveniently located near the MRT, and I found the service to be attentive and friendly. Granted I had upgraded to a suite, but the room was very spacious, with almost all the amenities you could ask for. I think this is a perfect example of a good Category 4 hotel, and a perfect example for a Grand Hyatt for that matter. I’d happily return and redeem 15,000 points per night (something I can’t say about Hyatt at the Bellevue).

Have you stayed at the Grand Hyatt Taipei? What was your experience?