W Taipei Hotel Review: Room, Yen Chinese Restaurant, Woo Bar, and Amex FHR Benefits

W Taipei was our first time staying at any W hotel. We went in half expecting a party hotel and came out pleasantly surprised. Two nights total: the first booked through Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR), the second using Vincent's Marriott Bonvoy points with Platinum Elite status.

The hotel celebrated our anniversary with a handwritten letter and a very large chocolate cake delivered to the room. That set the tone.

---

Location

W Taipei sits in the Xinyi district on the east side of the city, which is the more modern and upscale area of Taipei. You can walk to Taipei 101 in a few minutes. The hotel is directly connected to a shopping mall and the Taipei City Hall complex, which gives you MRT access and a bus station directly linked to the building. For shopping, dining, and convenience, this location is hard to beat.

---

The Room (Spectacular Room, Room 2325)

King bed, large orange accent sofa, city view facing Taipei 101. We could not see much during our stay because it rained for two weeks straight in Taiwan while we were there, but on a clear day the view would be worth it.

Bed and sleep quality

The bed was comfortable with some firmness to it, not too soft. The pillow quality was good. Sleep was excellent both nights. The bed sheets were particularly nice.

Mini bar and tech

• Espresso machine: Full-size pot rather than capsules, which is a nice upgrade from what most hotels provide.
• Cocktail shaker and water kettle also in the room.
• Wireless charging pad at the bedside plus USB-C and USB-A ports.
• Bose subwoofer under the TV + ceiling speakers throughout the room. The bass is very loud. We did a soundproofing test by playing music at high volume and going to the hallway. You could slightly hear the lyrics close to the door, so the soundproofing is solid but not perfect.
• TV: No built-in Netflix or YouTube. You can cast from your phone or plug in your laptop via HDMI. They provide all the cables. Not ideal if you want to stream directly, but workable.

Note on single-use toiletries: Taiwan has government regulations phasing out single-use toiletries. The hotel does not provide toothbrush, toothpaste, or other single-use items as self-service amenities. You can purchase them from the mini bar unit. Come prepared.

Drink prices: Non-complimentary mini bar items are priced as expected for a luxury hotel. Pepsi is 200 TWD (~$6.50 USD). Vincent's Platinum Elite status included two complimentary Evian waters daily from the mini bar.

Complimentary still water bottles (4 in total) were also placed throughout the room.

Bathroom

Nice design. The sink configuration is interesting and aesthetically distinctive.

• Amenities: Skin Regimen brand (cleansing cream and body cream, which we rarely see provided), plus Momo brand shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel. Vegetable soap at the sink.
• Bathtub: Decent size but tight for two people.
• Shower: Waterfall head plus handheld. The shower and tub share an open wet area without a permanent dividing door, but there are doors on both sides that you can close to seal the space when showering. It works, but you have to be aware of it.
• Toilet: Automatic-open heated seat with bidet.
• Hair dryer: Large professional unit.
• Closet: Luggage rack, safe, steam iron. The W-branded slippers are light and summery rather than the fluffy thick type. I liked them.

---

Hotel Amenities

Wet Deck (Pool)

Outdoor pool on the 10th floor (lobby level). Heated and open air. The design is clean and it is usable most of the year. A Wet Bar is located poolside for drinks and snacks.

Fitness Center and Spa (12th Floor)

The gym is spacious, well-equipped with modern machines, and many of the cardio machines face the city, which makes working out more enjoyable. Included with your stay:

• Full jacuzzi area with warm and hot pools
• Steam and dry saunas
• Dyson hair dryers and provided skincare products in locker rooms
• No extra charge for any of this

Note: photography and video are not allowed in the locker room or spa area.

---

Dining

Seasons by Oliver E (Breakfast Buffet)

Modern French restaurant on the lobby level that serves a breakfast buffet in the morning. Both mornings were included in our stay (one through FHR, one through Platinum Elite status). The spread was solid with Taiwanese highlights including tea eggs, congee, dim sum, and western options. The Shahe fen noodles were a standout. Definitely worth going.

Yen Chinese Restaurant (31st Floor)

Fine dining Chinese restaurant with sweeping views of Taipei 101 and the city skyline, especially beautiful at night. We went for lunch.

The menu: Dim sum (steamed, deep fried, pan fried, baked), roasted duck, roast pork belly, crabs, hairy crab, lamb and pork mains. Lunch set menus start at 1,080 TWD per person and go up from there.

We ordered one set menu plus a la carte dim sum to share. The set menu is a long experience: we were there for 1 hour and 40 minutes total. The food was decent. Some dishes were very good, some were lighter on seasoning than expected.

Recommendation: Skip the set menu and order a la carte. The individual items on the a la carte menu looked more interesting and you will not be locked into a fixed sequence. The duck in particular is a specialty here and worth ordering. The dim sum selection was well above average.

One fun cultural note: Yen uses a two-chopstick system. One pair is for picking up food from shared dishes; the other is for eating. The outer set is for picking, the inner set is for eating.

We used part of our FHR $100 credit here.

Woo Bar (Lobby Level)

The lobby bar and social hub. Lively in the evenings. Closes at 11pm.

Must order: The Beauty Spot. Oriental beauty tea liqueur, oriental beauty tea syrup, espresso, and milk. It is essentially a boozy milk tea and it is exceptional. I ordered it twice. The second one was not a mistake.

Detox Martini (jasmine tea vodka, Grand Marnier, orange juice, yuzu, honey, 7-Up) was also very good, lighter and refreshing.

The snacks come in small tin cans. Cute presentation.

Yen Bar (31st Floor)

Asian-inspired cocktails and Taipei 101 views. Closes at 11pm. We went up hoping to end the night here and it had already closed. Worth noting if you plan around it.

---

Amex FHR vs Marriott Platinum: Which Is Better at W Taipei?

We had both running simultaneously. Here is our honest take.

FHR benefits received:

• 12pm check-in: Room was ready ✅
• Room upgrade: Not available (hotel said it was busy, even on a Wednesday) ❌
• Daily breakfast for two at Seasons by Oliver E ✅
• 4pm guaranteed late checkout ✅
• $100 USD F&B credit (~3,000 TWD): Used at Yen and Woo Bar ✅
• Wi-Fi: Included but slow (22 Mbps)

Platinum Elite benefits received:

• Room upgrade: Also not available ❌
• 4pm late checkout ✅
• 2 complimentary Evian waters daily ✅
• Free drink at Woo Bar 5-7pm (2 guests): We forgot to use this ❌
• Welcome gift choice: 1,000 bonus points/night, daily breakfast, or W surprise amenity. We took the points since breakfast was already covered by FHR.

Our verdict:

If you have Platinum Elite status or higher, direct booking gives you nearly the same benefits. The main thing you give up is the $100 F&B credit. If you plan to spend most of your time outside the hotel and will not fully utilize the credit, direct booking makes sense. You can also choose daily breakfast as your welcome gift in that case.

If you do not have status, Amex FHR is the clearly better option. You get all the same core benefits plus the $100 credit. Book through FHR.

---

Overall Stay

What worked: The sleep quality, the location in Xinyi district, the spa and gym facilities, the staff (the concierge booked a hair appointment for us by phone with no complaints), and Woo Bar.

What to keep in mind: Wi-Fi is slow at 22 Mbps. No built-in streaming on the TV. Single-use toiletries require purchasing. Phone calls to Taiwanese numbers are charged per minute (3 TWD/min), which the concierge mentioned when we asked them to make a call for us.

We would stay at W Taipei again. The area is excellent, the Bose room sound system is genuinely fun to use, and Beauty Spot at Woo Bar alone is almost worth the trip.