The Novotel Taipei Taoyuan Airport offers the latest Novotel room design, friendly service, a nice pool and gym and a great lounge for a stop-over. It has convenient train connections into the city and to the rest of the island and The big panda bear in my room, generous welcome amenity and fast internet added to a positive review – I’d recommend it and stay again!

Location: The Novotel Taoyuan Taipei Airport is located near –  you guessed it – the Taipei airport. It’s connected via the Airport MRT train to the airport terminals 1 & 2 (and future 3), the Taipei Main Station, as well as Taoyuan city and high-speed rail station. That makes it a great choice for connections into town or to anywhere on the island by train. Unfortunately, neither the MRT nor the hotel shuttle run all night – I had picked because I arrived on a very late flight and didn’t want to deal with the trip into town, yet ended up having to line up for a taxi to the hotel anyway as it is too far to walk! You can see the shuttle schedule below, operating from 5:30am to 1:30am!

The MRT train station is right below the hotel and the train into Taipei takes about 30minutes, the train to the Taoyuan HSR station even less. There is a huge construction zone for the future terminal 3 right in front of the hotel and nothing around the hotel in terms of stores or restaurants. I didn’t notice any noise from the planes, but you do get a great view over the airfield if you like that!

Service & Rewards: There were several front desk agents on duty in the middle of the night, welcomed me warmly and had me checked in and on my way to the room quickly. They offered hotel, lounge and transportation information (which I took them up on the next morning, after getting some much needed sleep).

The front desk recognized my Accor LeClub Platinum status and upgraded me to the Executive Level room (same size, but more amenities) and I received lounge access as well. A very generous welcome amenity was awaiting me in my room, including a platter of fruit and cheese, three jars of chocolates, nuts and cookies, as well as a half-bottle of wine! That was the most generous welcome amenity of any Novotel I have ever been to! I also received vouchers for a welcome drink and NTD500 off a massage treatment at the spa, a welcome letter with all the LeClub privileges and a personal welcome note from the management.

Room: My Executive King Room followed the latest Novotel design and layout. It has a very comfortable bed and a chaise lounge with side table by the bed. It was occupied by a giant (no literally) Panda bear in Novotel jersey! The work desk and chair offer plenty of space to get work done.

There is a luggage bench and two closets with space for your clothes, as well as a safe. A mini-fridge as well as water kettle and a nespresso machine (yay) rounded out the equipment. A large wall mounted TV is visible from the bed and chaise lounge.
The bathroom has a glass divider to the bedroom and in this case features the “magic glass” (what a great name) that can be frosted for privacy with the push of a button in the bathroom. A separate toilet cubicle also has a frosted glass door. A large sink is in the center with plenty of space for toiletries. The standard Novotel bath amenities are on offer, including dental and shave kits. The towels were surprisingly hard and thin for an upscale hotel.

The free WiFi internet had an average speed of 13Mbps  – fast and reliable for work or video streaming! The only downside of the room was a slight smell of cold smoke when I arrived.

Restaurant & Amenites: The Novotel Taipei Airport features one of the largest hotel gyms I’ve found in Asia, with plenty of cardio and weight equipment rivaling a professional gym, allowing for a full workout. It even offers table tennis!

You also have access to an indoor pool that’s long enough for lap swimming. It does have some loungers, if you’d like to hang out or watch your kids play!

The imbalance spa next door offers massages and other body treatments –  despite the discount voucher, I didn’t try.

The Executive Lounge at the top floor has a great view over the airport and flight movements. There is a mix of lounge and bistro style seating, as well as a service desk if you have any questions or to check you in/out. Staff is happy to assist with any questions you might have or to print boarding passes or tickets.

In the evening, they serve a happy hour, including snacks, soft drinks, beer and wine as well as some liquor. The food was of good quality and can serve as a full meal if you are not very hungry.

The lounge also serves a buffet breakfast in the morning, with a small selection of pastries, fruit and hot Asian and Western dishes.

If you want a bigger selection, you have the option to take your breakfast in the main restaurant.

You’ll have a much wider selection of breads and pastries, of fruits and yogurts, as well as a huge variety of hot Western and Asian dishes. There is also a make-to -order egg station, as well as pancakes. While the restaurant was buy, it’s well designed and didn’t have the frantic cafeteria athomsphere of other large hotel restaurants. WHile I usually prefer the lounge breakfast for the peace and quiet, I’d recommend the restaurant at the Novotel Taipei Airport for the great selection and nice space!

Bottomline: At $130/night, the Novotel Taoyuan Airport offers my favorite, modern room design and layout, professional service and great amenities and restaurant. If you want to stay at the airport, it’s your only choice and if you need a quick stop-over on your way to Taipei or other cities by train, it’s very convenient. It’s not as convenient as I thought though and the Airport train makes it very feasible to stay in the city as well, with many more choices.