The 516-room Novotel Taipei Taoyuan International Airport is the only hotel accommodation located within the limits of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. Opened in 2009, the hotel was constructed as part of CAL Park, the China Airlines corporate headquarters. Apart from being owned by Taiwanese flag carrier China Airlines, the hotel was also Accor’s first venture into Taiwan. Curiously, unlike the majority of Novotels, this one is prominently rated as a five-star hotel. Since other upmarket and four-star hotels surrounding Taoyuan Airport charged an identical if not higher rate, booking the Novotel proved to be a no-brainer.

Booking Novotel Taoyuan Airport

As I often find to be the case with Accor hotels, the best way to book the Novotel is through all.accor.com. Booking via their official website usually features a 5% to 10% ‘discount’ compared to other websites and online travel agencies. Sure enough, after the deduction, I paid a rate of NTD3509 (~USD110, GBP89) for a one-night stay in a Standard Twin Room. Whilst I personally thought of the rate to be quite high for an airport hotel in Asia, it does have the benefit of having an airport shuttle and being connected to the Taoyuan Metro. However as of late, I have seen the rates hover at around 30-50% of what we paid, which I think is extra high for what’s offered.

Location

As its name suggests, the Novotel Taipei Taoyuan International Airport is located within the compound of Taiwan’s chief international airport, Taoyuan International. As part of CAL Park, there isn’t really anything within walking distance of the hotel apart from China Airlines offices. Likewise, there aren’t any convenience stores nearby either, except for a FamilyMart within the China Airlines office that is open only to airline staff. At the least, the hotel is connected to the airport and Taoyuan with the Airport Hotel Station on the Taoyuan Metro. Bear in mind, however, that trains aren’t very frequent.

Arrival at Novotel Taoyuan Airport

After checking out from The Okura Prestige Taipei, we took the Taiwan High Speed Rail to get to Taoyuan. From the Taoyuan High Speed Rail Station, it was an easy 20-minute taxi ride to the Novotel. As we pulled into the hotel entrance, we found the entire place to be eerily devoid of anybody. As such, there was nobody to help us with our bags or otherwise. So much for a ‘five-star hotel’!

With our bags in tow, we proceeded straight to the reception desk to find a short queue of people checking in and out. Since we arrived early at 11.30, the reception agent reminded us of the absurdly late strict 16.00 check-in time. Although we would be checking out early the next day, there was no flexibility when it came to the check-in time. Still, at the least she took our passports to register us in so that we could just collect our keys by that time.

After the registration process, I walked about the lobby for a bit and took a while to appreciate the various aeroplane models on display. As an avgeek, I thought this was a very cool display and wished a lot more airport hotels had something like this. Best of all, the planes on display were either of airlines serving Taoyuan Airport or models of historical aircraft operated by Taiwanese airlines.

Since there was no hope of waiting another four hours in the hotel, we decided to take the Taoyuan Metro to get a late lunch and some food for the night in downtown Taoyuan. We came back at around 17.00, by which time our room had become ready.

Our Standard Twin Room

With our keys in hand, we made our way up to the seventh floor, where our room was located. After figuring out the hotel’s confusing layout, we found ourselves walking down a dark corridor to get to our room near the far end.

Bedroom

At a size of 28 sqm or 301 sqft, our standard room shouldn’t feel that small, though surprisingly something about it felt stuffy. The bedroom features two firm but comfortable single beds, each equipped with a personal reading light. Behind the bed is a large printed abstract mural depicting water and some sort of sphere. Definitely a fashionable design choice in 2010, although less so in 2023. By the window is a small lounge chair and a complementary side table beside it.

Across the beds is a small desk with a work chair, complemented by a wall-mounted flat screen television. This is followed by a wall-mounted mirror, beside which is the small minibar section. Thoughtfully however, the hotel does have two luggage racks, which I think is appropriate given the hotel’s location and traveller clientele.

Despite being on the seventh floor, our room didn’t have any meaningful views of the airport or the apron. Instead, we were treated to this grim view of CAL Park and the EVA Air corporate offices. Not especially great, but at least the windows were double-glazed and soundproof, ensuring that aircraft noise don’t seep into the room.

In all, I felt that the room looked like it belonged at any run-of-the-mill four-star hotel anywhere in the world, which I reckon is on-brand for Novotel. Surely, I have no idea where this property got its five-star rating, although I’d admit that the room is quite comfortable for an airport hotel.

Bathroom

Like the bedroom, something about the bathroom made it feel very small. The entirety of the space is clad in faux marble-patterned porcelain tiles, which made it look quite cheap. Disregarding that, the bathroom features a vanity with a large illuminated mirror, alongside a glass-enclosed shower stall. Still, I did appreciate the fact that the shower features a rain shower head, despite the mediocre water pressure. Additionally, whilst the shower stall is separated from the rest of the room by frosted glass, the partition remains marginally see-through, especially with the shower cubicle lights turned on.

Across the shower is the toilet, which is also separated from the rest of the bathroom by a frosted glass door. Like most hotels in Taiwan, the toilet features a smart bidet function, although nothing special to the like of a Toto Neorest toilet you’d find at more luxurious hotels like The Okura Prestige Taipei or Park Hyatt Tokyo.

The bath amenities came from a brand called Hotelman, which I’ve never seen or heard of before. Whilst the packaging looked quite nice and upmarket, I found them to be mediocre quality. A brief Google search didn’t return many results, although it appears to be a brand from a local producer of hotel amenities. For one, I especially didn’t think it was successful at ‘We make you better’ 😉

Amenities

Gymnasium

Despite the lack of any places of interest nearby, I’d have to commend the Novotel’s well-equipped gymnasium. Located on the mezzanine floor right over the lobby, the gymnasium can be accessed by keycard 24 hours a day. When I visited, the gym was equipped with all sorts of cardio and weight machines, which I found were well-kept.

Pool

In addition to the gymnasium, the hotel also has a swimming pool located inside its spa facility. The pool has a length of 25 metres and is heated. In the area is also a jacuzzi alongside a children’s pool, both of which are similarly heated.

Shuttle Service

If you have to ask me, the Novotel’s complimentary shuttle service is definitely the ace up their sleeve. The hotel operates a shuttle that departs either every thirty minutes or every hour depending on the time. Whilst I was not aware of the need or possibility of reserving a seat on the shuttle, it would be a good idea to tell the reception that you will be using it. In our case, even with two buses, the hotel shuttle was completely full at 05.00 on the day of our departure.

Service

I personally felt that the service at Novotel Taoyuan Airport was forgettable at best. Whilst the staff I interacted with weren’t in any way rude or hostile, they didn’t seem particularly friendly either. In any case, the staff members seemed very uninterested and were merely going through the motions with their jobs. I don’t reckon you could expect any sort of proactive service here, although I did think that most staff grasp English pretty well!

Overall

Given the rate we paid and the small rooms, I don’t have many good things to say about the Novotel. For one, I felt that the hotel was overpriced for what it is and definitely does not rank as a five-star hotel in my books. Furthermore, I felt that the strict 16.00 check-in and 11.00 check-out times are absurd, especially for an airport hotel. Despite that, I acknowledge that given its location and shuttle service, the hotel pretty much operates as a monopoly, which probably explains how it sustains such rates and services. As such, unless I have an early morning flight from Taoyuan International Airport, I wouldn’t be in a rush to stay at the Novotel again.

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