Ambience Hotel

For lovers of squeaky-clean modern design, the Ambience Hotel has a winning monochromatic look in white granite, polished steel, and frosted glass. The Taiwanese architects used spare furnishings done in luxurious materials including white marble, gray steel, and calf-skin. The lobby's alluring minimalism is a bit undermined by the piles of luggage from incoming guests, but that could be the trade-off for the hotel's small, intimate size. This property is particularly popular with tourists needing easy access to the surrounding Zhongshan District.  

This hotel is located on the southern fringe of the Zhongshan District, right near a major intersection of the Taipei City East-West Expressway. There's also a bicycle rental spot across the street, and the Zhongshan MRT station is about a 15-minute walk away. The surrounding commercial district is filled with office buildings and shopping malls, and directly across the expressway is Taiwan’s haven for computer and electronics shopping, centered around the Guanghua Market. Small local restaurants and noodle shops line neighboring streets in almost every direction. The Taipei Main MRT station is a lengthly walk away, about 18 minutes on foot. Expect a 35-minute drive to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport; otherwise, it takes about an hour and 40 minutes to reach via high-speed rail. 

All of the hotel's rooms are decorated in the same monochrome style as the rest of the hotel, but with slate-gray carpets in place of polished white floors. Platform beds in pearl-gray are topped with the rooms' one spot of color: a graphic throw pillow with lemon-yellow accents. Designer furniture by Philippe Starck and Feruccio Laviani are standard, with decorative flourishes such as transparent La Marie chairs and baroque table lamps molded in transparent Lucite. The rooms range in size from 215-square-foot Standard Rooms to 430-square-foot Family Rooms, some of which have views of a garden below. Corner Rooms have city views on two sides. Minibars stocked with free snacks and beverages are included, and rooms have 37-inch flat-screen TVs and electric kettles, but no coffeemakers. Standard Room bathrooms have big tiled walk-in rainfall showers, with higher room categories adding separate soaking tubs and electronic toilets.  

While the list of features at Ambience Hotel is brief, it adds quite a bit of value for guests. The hotel's central common space is its restaurant and bar, right off the lobby. The free hot breakfast buffet is extensive, with western and Asian options and live violin music. There's also free afternoon tea in the bright dining room. There's a small Internet corner tucked along the wall next to the bar with a pair of computers and a printer. The guest laundry is also free to use, including detergent. Other amenities include free hotel-wide Wi-Fi and free self-parking in an underground lot.