Since launching its first property in Schiphol airport in 2008, the citizenM group has been busy sprinkling its ‘affordable luxury’ branding across western Europe and North America, with, we hear, 15 new properties due to be rolled out faster than you can whip out your passport. This past month, it opened its eleventh – and first Asian – outpost in Taipei, ahead of Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur.
Rising 26 stories above the historic North Gate, the 267-room hotel cleaves close to the brand’s DNA – to wit, an interior design by Dutch studio Concrete of brash primary colours anchored by swathes of black, mood-lighting and a team of chirpy, tee-shirted Millennial staff, the latter, somewhat burdened with the grandiose title of ambassadors.
Gadgetry dominates whether the self-check-in counter on the ground floor, the lively video wall art in the corridors, or the iPad in the compact all-white rooms that control everything from the blinds and room temperature to the menu of shifting ambient lighting
A 24/7 bar and canteen on the second floor serves up quiches, congee, instant noodles and Continental fare, though, this being Taipei, there are abundant and more locally authentic fare to be had nearby, not the least of which are Hua Shan Market’s sesame flat breads, Ay Chung’s rice flour noodles, and Din Tai Fung’s fabulous dumplings a few blocks away next to the Museum of Contemporary Art.
ADDRESS
No 3 Section 1
Zhonghua Road
Zhongzheng District
-
A new Athens gallery is a celebration of old and new, a stone's throw from the AcropolisNew Athens gallery Melas Martinos by Local Local is a contemporary art space, a stone's throw from the Acropolis, in the Greek capital's Monastiraki neighbourhood
-
Haute Couture Week A/W 2025: live updates from the Wallpaper* teamFrom 7-9 July, Haute Couture Week A/W 2025 arrives in Paris. Follow along for a first look at the shows, presentations and other fashion happenings, as seen by the Wallpaper* editors
-
Boundaries between art and life dissolve in Katherine Hubbard's intimate documentation of her mother's illnessIn 'The Great Room', Katherine Hubbard merges caregiving for her mother with an unflinching documentary of the process
-
The city skyline isn’t the limit for the newly opened Capella TaipeiDesigned by André Fu, Capella Taipei is a long-overdue and much-needed addition to the Taiwanese capital’s limited luxury hotel scene
-
Tszwai So’s The Blue hotel redefines Taipei’s landscapeThe Blue hotel sees architect Tszwai So take an experimental approach with Just Inn’s new flagship in Central Taipei
-
TaG Living’s redesign of Thomas Chien Restaurant delivers a lesson in circular designTaG Living transforms Michelin green-starred Thomas Chien Restaurant using repurposed waste from Taiwan
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico -
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland -
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia -
KLoé Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -
Casa Hoyos — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
