The Grand Hyatt Taipei is a 5-star hotel located right next to Taipei 101. But is the experience worth the price? In my humble opinion, it is not a great value when using cash, but pretty good when using points!
I only stayed at the GH Taipei for New Year’s Eve to watch the fireworks. I happen to live in Tamsui which is a 80-minutes North of Taipei…and is an amazingly affordable suburb. More on that in the future. I learned that if the weather is good, you really don’t have to stay close to Taipei 101 to see the fireworks.
[Price] Grand Hyatt Taipei
Naturally, I’m very cheap. I want to get the best experience for the lowest price possible. I booked the Grand Hyatt Taipei for one night using 15000 Hyatt points. This was an amazing deal because I booked the Grand Hyatt Taipei for New Year’s Eve 2019 going to 2020. Cash rates for the night were going for over $550 so I got more than 3 cents per point in value. That’s a big win if you’re super into hotel points and getting a great deal.
Points: 15000 Hyatt points per night
Cash: $250-300 USD/night
Cash New Year’s Eve: $550+/night
On a typical non-holiday event, you can book the Grand Hyatt Taipei for about $250-300 USD/night. Is it worth it? It depends on your level of disposable income and what you’re looking for.
[Location] What’s Around The Grand Hyatt Taipei?
The GH Taipei is located in the Xinyi district of Taipei, aka Downtown Taipei. It’s a 5-minute walk to the subway station, right across the street from Taipei 101, Taipei International Convention Center and you’re surrounded by all the high-end malls (there’s about 10).
There’s a mall in Taipei 101 and even more malls all along the street to Taipei City Hall. If you’re in Taipei for high-end shopping or a convention, the GH Taipei is a phenomenal location.
Do you really need to stay that close to Taipei 101?
No. Taipei has an incredible public transportation system. Getting around via subway is significantly faster than driving. During rush hour, the subway trains appear every 60 SECONDS and average 3-minutes between trains during normal operating hours.
When looking for where to stay in Taipei, my personal favorite area is the Taipei Main Station area because it’s a hub for every public transportation option in Taiwan.
Now I know most train stations in big cities around the world tend to be a rough area. Pretty much the area where you’re most likely to be robbed of ripped off. Things are a little different in Taiwan.
Taiwan is one of the safest countries in the world. Really, look it up. Taipei also happens to be one of the most cleanest and modern cities in the world.
[Hyatt Status Benefits]
For my stay I happened to have Explorist status with Hyatt. I got that instantly for doing a status match but had no intention of actually qualifying. Hyatt Explorist status isn’t that useful since it only gets you express check-in and late check-out.
Hyatt Explorist Benefits:
- Upgraded Room excluding Suites and Rooms with Club lounge access (when available)
- Elite Check-in (this doesn’t mean early check-in, just an express line)
- 2pm Late Checkout
Since I was here for New Year’s, I definitely wanted to use that status match to capitalize on those benefits. You could also get room upgrades with Explorist status, but when a hotel is practically sold out, the chances of that happening are very slim…with Hyatt. I mention “with Hyatt” because they aren’t that generous with upgrades. Even though Explorist is their 2nd highest status tier, the benefits are limited.
Personally, I prefer Hilton because they are VERY generous with their 2nd highest tier. They are generous with their suite upgrades, lounge access and my favorite part is the free breakfast. On a free night, I got upgraded to the Royal Suite at the Hilton Vienna and it was ridiculous.
[Checking-In]
I arrived at the Grand Hyatt Taipei at 1pm with high hopes that I could get early check-in. When you have status with a hotel, this is typically expected. I’ve been allowed to check-in early in the past with other Hyatt locations, but at the Grand Hyatt Taipei there is NO early check-in on New Year’s Eve. At least I’m hoping it’s just NYE.
I tried checking-in at 1pm and was told that the computers won’t allow anyone to check-in until 3pm regardless of status level. OK, I’ll come back at 3pm.
When I returned at 3:05pm, the line to check-in was SUPER LONG. Because there were so many people that arrived early expecting to be able to check-in. This is where the Hyatt Explorist status made a huge difference in my experience. I was able to jump into the elite check-in line and had my key card in less than 30 minutes. The wait for the general line was definitely over an hour.
[King Bed Deluxe Room] at the Grand Hyatt Taipei
The room I got was pretty modern and comfortable. I wasn’t lucky enough to get a room facing Taipei 101 since that’s the most sought after room on New Year’s Eve. The room was facing the front of the hotel, overlooking the pool.
[WiFi] At the Grand Hyatt Taipei
The Wifi speed was about 13mbps during my stay. There was not an option for “premium” internet at the Grand Hyatt Taipei, which means they aren’t throttling the speed. Since it was NYE and the hotel was at capacity, 13mbps is pretty good considering there’s A LOT of people here.
Facilities at the Grand Hyatt Taipei
[Gym] The gym is made up of several small rooms with different equipment. It seems a little strange but I guess they are working with the space available.
[Pool] Although it was winter time, the pool was open for use. I really liked how they had clean sandals available to borrow if you are going out to the pool. I actually haven’t seen that at any other hotel.
[Dining] At The Grand Hyatt Taipei
There are a few nice looking restaurants at the Grand Hyatt Taipei, but I wouldn’t eat there for two reasons:
1. Dining at hotels are typically expensive and not the best meal you can get in a city
2. This is Taipei. There are so many amazing places to eat from street food stalls to high end restaurants. Since the Grand Hyatt Taipei is located by the Xinyi area which is known for their restaurants, there’s no point to eat at the hotel.
Alternatively, if you’re feeling lazy…you could always order UberEats to the hotel.
New Year’s Eve At The Grand Hyatt Taipei
My main purpose for this stay was just to watch the Taipei New Year’s fireworks from a very convenient location. The GH Taipei offers guests a sectioned off area to watch the fireworks from the street level for free. There’s several parties at the hotel, but that will come at an additional cost and will be sold out if you don’t buy tickets in advance.
Pro-Tip: If you’re staying at the GH Taipei for NYE, make sure to leave your hotel room by 11pm. I tried leaving at 11:45pm and the elevators were packed! In a panic, I was about to run down the stairs but found the employee elevator and just used that.
The New Year’s eve fireworks show is only 5-minutes though and can be limited. Since they are shooting fireworks above a heavily populated area, they close off the area under Taipei 101 to everyone in case something happens. That also means they can’t really get too crazy shooting extravagantly big fireworks because response teams won’t be able to move through the sea of people.
Additionally, the hotel is too close to Taipei 101. You are craning your head upwards for the entire show. When looking at fireworks, there is such a thing as too close and this was too close.
Since the night was pretty clear, you could see the fireworks from most places around Taipei.
Overall
The hotel is nice and is a premium hotel in Taipei. But, would I stay at the Grand Hyatt Taipei again? No. It’s a nice hotel, but you have so many options in Taipei. I even stayed at a Taipei capsule hotel for $7 which was not that bad because it was right by the subway station.
The thing about Taipei is that you can stay at any hotel as long as it’s close to a subway station since you can go anywhere in Taipei in 20-minutes by subway.