[Hotel Review] - Humble House (Premier Room), Taipei, Taiwan (4 - 7 Nov 16)

Location

Humble House Taipei is located in Shin Kong Mitsukoshi (新光三越) in Xin Yi area (信義區). In fact the mega shopping mall that spreads across a few buildings in the area is just below the hotel, pampering guests with shopping options. Taipei 101 is jut right across the hotel, within five mins walk. There are two MRT stations (from two different lines) nearby the hotel. The closest is the Taipei City Hall Station (市政府站) which is a mere three mins walk away, while the Taipei 101/World Trade Centre Station (台北101/世貿站) is a good eight mins walk from the hotel. From the stations, one can easily get to anywhere in Taipei City via the efficient MRT system. Despite the centralised location, there isn't any 24-hour convenient shops nor fastfood chains nearby the hotel. 

Hotel Signage 

Facade of Hotel

The Room

I checked into the Premier Room of the hotel. The design of the 36m Sq Room is very well laid out. The room can be segregated into three main areas, namely the closet area, bedroom and the bathroom. The layout of the contemporary room makes it feel spacious. The clever use of full length mirror, makes the room look even more spacious.

Closet Area

The Closet Area is what one would see when entering the room, stretching the entire width of the room. A wooden theme spreads out the entire area. To the left of the entrance is where one can find the minibar area, housed in a generous cabinet that does not occupy too much space. A Nespresso machine complete with two capsules replenished daily and electric kettle are placed on the countertop of the three-panel cabinet. A small fridge is well hidden in one of the three panels. Cups and wine glasses are also stowed neatly in the other two panels. The closet area is to the right from the entrance of the door to the room. This area, separated by a false wall, doubles up as a walk-in closet (there are door panels to the wardrobes). At the end of the area is a powder table, complete with a chair, for female guests to put on their make-ups. There are two large sized wardrobes in this area, one with drawers and the in-room safe. There are no lack of wardrobe space in this room, capable of taking up weeks of clothing. I find this space very practical and gave me a sense of extra space in the entire room.

Minibar area beside the main entrance to the room

A small fridge is well tucked into one of the cabinets in the minibar area. All contents inside this fridge are chargeable

Wooden based closet area with a powder counter at the end of the corridor

First of the two panels of wardrobe. There are lots of room for guests to hang their clothing

Second panel of the wardrobe. The in-room safe is located here on top of a three-tiered drawer

Bedroom

Pass the false wall, one would find themselves in the bedroom. Entering the bedroom, a large window panel is what caught my eyes. This panel, allowing sufficient light into the room, does make the room look spacious. The blinds to this window is controlled electronically. There is a work desk placed right in front of the window, with a panel comprising of two international power outlets as well as connections to the TV. To the right of the entrance to the bedroom, one can find a large King bed, with bedside tables on either side of the bed. The king bed is very comfortable to sleep, provided me with excellent sleep quality. There is a 2 seater couch placed at the far end of the bedroom, in front of the LED TV. I do find the placing of the TV a tad odd. Most hotels would have the TV placed right smack centre facing the bed, however the TV in the Premier Room in Humble House Taipei is placed to the right side, occupying the wall space to one side of the room. This makes watching TV for guests sleeping on the side nearer to the entrance of the room a tad hard. Perhaps Humble House Taipei compromised the placement of the TV for the large window panel, which is fine by me. The lighting in the bedroom (especially at night) feels very cosy and comfortable, which helped to promote better sleep quality. 

Work desk in front of the large window panel, which allowed natural light into the Premier Room  in Humble House Taipei. This is one of the reasons why the room feels spacious

View from the window. The room I was allocated faces an office building

Multi media plugs that connects to the TV and a couple of international power outlets can be found on the work desk

View of the bedroom. The King bed is large and provided me with excellent quality of sleep

A two-seater couch tucked in the far end of the room, which is functional and yet not taking unnecessary space in the Premier Room in Humble House Taipei

40" LED Sony TV in the room. The placement of the TV is off centre from the bed, but it faces the couch directly

Control panel for lightings and the blinds is located on one of the bedside tables, together with one of three phones in the room

Bathroom

The Bathroom in the Premier Room in Humble Hotel Taipei is large! It is separated from the bedroom by a large two panel sliding doors, with floor to ceiling mirrors on both sides of the door. From the entrance of the bathroom, to the right is where the bathtub is located, placed in front of a large window panel. Again with the same concept with the bedroom, the clever use of large window panel by Humble House Taipei makes the confined space feels spacious. The blinds to this window is also controlled electronically as with that in the bedroom. Facing the entrance to the bathroom, next to the bathtub is where one can find the sink area. The single sink countertop has heaps of space for guests to put their extra toiletries. I like the way Humble House Taipei placed additional toilet amenities. These amenities such as toothbrushes, razors, shower caps, etc. are neatly arranged in a drawer at the sink area. Next to the sink area is where one can find the toilet. The toilet is fully automatic, with a touch of a button on the control panel placed on the wall next to the toilet bowl, the lid is being lifted. The toilet seat is also warmed, guests do not have to sit on a cold toilet seat every time they use the toilet. The toilet also has washlet features. Next to the toilet bowl is a large walk-in shower area, enclosed with glass walls, separating the wet and dry area. Despite using only regular shower head, the pressure for showering is never weak.

The bathtub is to the right, placed in front of a window panel, from the entrance to the bathroom

Sink area in the toilet. The space to place additional toiletries is ample

Wet area and the toilet bowl in the bathroom

Swimming Pool

The swimming pool in Humble House Taipei is located on 7 floor of the hotel. Placed on a raised platform, at one corner of the open area, the pool is large enough for guests to do decent laps in. What I like about the pool is the view. The pool is situated right in front of Taipei 101, guests swimming or tanning by the pool will be treated with a view of the iconic building in Taipei. As there are no buildings or trees by the pool, I find this area great for guests who want to get a tan. However guests using the pool are required to wear swimming caps, which are available for purchase from the staffs at the pool.

Swimming pool with a view of Taipei 101

Access to the swimming pool

Shin Kong Mitsukoshi viewed from the swimming pool

Shower points at the swimming pool

View of action in Shin Kong Mistukoshi from the pool

Gym

The Gym in Humble House Taipei is also located on 7 floor of the hotel. I do find the gym a tad small, with limited number of treadmills and stationery bicycles. Despite the small space, guests can still get a decent workout in the gym.

Small but functional gym next to the swimming pool

Breakfast

Breakfast in Humble House Taipei is served daily from 6.30 to 10.00am at the Terrace Restaurant located on 6 floor. There are sufficient variety for breakfast, catering to most of the guests staying at the hotel. On top of the traditional continental breakfast, there are also local dishes, such as congee and preserved vegetables being served for breakfast. I also find a small area where Japanese soba noodles are made available. There is also a counter where guests can create their own sandwiches. There is also a section serving salads and fruits. 

Decor of the Terrace where breakfast is served

DIY sandwich counter during breakfast service

Some of the food on offering for breakfast

Garden outside the Terrace restaurant

Service

The service I received during my stay in Humble House Taipei is impeccable with exceptions to some of the staff at the Terrace Restaurant. The great service started from the moment I stepped into the lift lobby on the ground floor of the hotel (the reception is located on 6 floor). There are no lack of greetings from staffs the moment I walked into the entrance of the hotel. The staffs even pressed the lift button and offered to deliver my luggage to the reception. These friendly staffs never fail to uphold the warmthness of the hotel whenever I pass them regardless of the time of the day, making me feel welcomed as a guest. The excellent service continued to the reception, where I was greeted by staffs whom promptly processed my check-in and ensured that I get to my room soonest. There are also no lack of friendly welcomes whenever I walked past the reception regardless of the time of the day. The staffs were also attentive and noted the requests that I have made when I mentioned my room number to them.

The staffs at the gym/pool area were excellent. They would rush to open the door leading to the swimming pool whenever I access the smoking area at the pool. They would also quickly stand up whenever I pass by them. There was an occasion that I wanted to swim in the pool, these staffs would quickly organise themselves and rushed to the pool before I arrived to ensure that towels are made available.

The housekeeping staffs working on 28th floor were amazing as well. They would greet me with a warm smile whenever I walked past them. There is an occasion where I request for extra shower gel with one of the staff, Kelvin, when he was working in one of the room on the floor. Instead of being grumpy and irritated, he responded with a smile.

The service rendered by the staffs in the Terrace Restaurant was a mix. The first day I was greeted by a rather cold staff who seemed interested in only doing her job. There were no smiles given nor did she attempt to strike a conversation. It appears she is not the only one that has this attitude in the restaurant. I bumped into several others with such attitude throughout my stay in Humble House Taipei. There were some others whom were very friendly and acceded to my request for beverages promptly. Despite the mixed service, plates were cleared quickly and there were no instances where I returned to my table with used plates laying around.

Reception area located on 6 floor

Afterthouoght
I had a pleasant stay in Humble House Taipei. In terms of hardware, the Premier Room in the hotel is well designed with the lay out and I found the room rather spacious for me open up two 28" luggages on the floor. I particularly like the closet area, where I placed my shoppings whilst in Taipei, thus not cluttering the sleeping area. The clever use of large window panels in the bedroom and bathroom plus the use of mirrors makes the room feels larger than it is. Service received in Humble House are mostly positive with staffs making me feel welcomed. There are no lack of smiles and greetings and staffs who are so eager to render help to guests who needs them. The location of the hotel is superb with a large shopping malls right at the doorstep of the hotel. I highly recommend staying in Humble House Taipei and will return to the hotel the next time I visit Taipei.

[Hotel Review] - The Fullerton Hotel (Postmaster Room), Singapore (10 - 12 Sep 16)

Location

Occupying the former General Post Office, The Fullerton Hotel is located in the centre of the CBD in Singapore next to Singapore River surrounded by office buildings. The nearest shopping mall is about 20 mins on foot, however Fullerton Hotel provides regular shuttle service to the nearby shopping malls. There is an MRT station about 3 mins walk from the hotel. The Fullerton Hotel was accorded National Monument in 2015, staying here is like staying in a part of history of Singapore.

Facade of The Fullerton Hotel from across the street

The Fullerton Hotel was accorded a National Monument in 2015 printed on its keycard

Hotel Atrium

Reception area in The Fullerton Hotel

The Room

Bedroom
I checked into the Postmaster Room during my stay at The Fullerton Hotel. The earthy tones of light brown and beige colour running throughout the room eludes a cosy feel for guests entering the room. The three-panel wardrobe resembles a traditional Japanese door, with white panels and thin wooden trimmings. Although occupying but a small part of the room, the wardrobe is large enough for guests to put away one week worth of clothing. The panel immediately next to the main entrance has shelvings and drawers, which gives ample space for guests to put away smaller pieces of clothing. Guests can also hang up their cloths in the two-panel wardrobe next to it. A small foldable stool can be found inside this part of the wardrobe for guests to put their cabin-size luggage onto. I was able to put away my duffle bag on the stool and have the wardrobe doors closed.

Corridor outside the Postmaster Room

Main Entrance to the room with the three-panel wardrobe

Space in the wardrobe to hang cloths

Single-panel side of the wardrobe with three drawers to put more stuff in

Wardrobe is located next to the main entrance to the room

With the wall that makes up the bathroom opposite the wardrobe creates a small corridor that leads guests into the room. Stretching from the wardrobe through the entire depth of the room is hip height cabinet, using the same coloured wood as the wardrobe the hotel was able to achieve consistency in the colour scheme of the room. This makes the room look comfortable and not too confusion with the minimum use of colour schemes in the room. This cabinet houses the mini bar fridge as well as a safe nicely hidden away from sight. Right smack on the centre of the cabinet is the 42" LED TV, which  is placed directly opposite the King Bed. Facing the main entrance to the room, tucked away in a corner is where the workdesk is located. The workdesk is rather sizable and doubled up as a dinning table for me during my stay there. On the workdesk, the hotel provided a mobile phone which guests can use as a mobile wifi device. Local calls on this mobile phone is complementary from the hotel. There are also various media inputs located next to the workdesk for one to plug in their lifestyle devices to be projected from the TV. There are several options in the menu of this TV, including movies which are chargeable. Otherwise, guests can choose from the many local and international channels for entertainment.

Other than the TWG tea and instant coffee, the rest of the items in this rack are chargeable 

The safe is well hidden below the electric kettle

Mini fridge

Large 42" LED TV

Some reading materials are provided in the room

A large workweeks cum dinning table tucked in one corner of the room

Media inout that connects to the TV located next to the workdesk

Stationery can be found in a drawer next to the workdesk

The hotel provides this mobile device that allows guests to make unlimited local calls for free. This can also be used as a mobile wifi device

The King bed is placed opposite the LED TV. The large bed can sleep thee comfortably and the sleep quality of the bed is superb. I had great rest on the bed throughout my stay at the Fullerton Hotel. The pillows placed on the bed are soft, however Fullerton Hotel does provide a pillow menu with varying degrees of firmness to suit their guests. I opted for the buckwheat and firm feather pillow. As I prefer firmer pillows, I find the firm feather pillow to be more comfortable. As with many international hotels, a couple of bedside tables are placed on either side of the bed. There is a master control on the right side of the bed which controls the lighting as well as curtains to the balcony. There are no lack of power outlets in the room, with two on either side of the bed. Placed slightly in front of the bed, tucked to the wall of the bathroom is a single seat armchair with foot rest. There is a small coffee table placed beside it. I find myself sitting on this armchair watching TV and reading a book whilst in the hotel. The armchair is rather comfortable to sit one. The placement of this armchair does not seem to come across as an obstruction for movement in the room.

A very comfortable King bed that gave me a good night sleep 

One of the bedside tables. The plush toy is not complementary

Arm chair right in front of the bed with the TV and workdesk

This panel is located on the right side of the bed that controls the lighting as well as the curtains to the balcony

Dirty spot on the telephone that was missed out by housekeeping staff

Balcony

The main difference between the Courtyard room and the Postmaster Room is that the latter has an attached outdoor balcony. There are a few times of rooms in the hotel that comes with balcony. Furthest into the room is where one can find the door to the balcony. The balcony spans across the entire width of the room. There are a couple of chairs and a table placed to one side of the balcony. Though the view (the room that I stayed in faced an office building) isn't that great, I enjoyed relaxing by the balcony as it is rather windy. There is no direct sunlight onto the balcony, making it my favourite spot to hang out. There are two double panelled doors to the balcony. One would have to be careful with the outer door as it tend to slam back, thanks to the hydraulic door closer. Not too sure if the glass panel of this door will shutter with prolonged slamming of the door.

Door to the balcony. There are two doors before one can reach the balcony

Chairs in the balcony for guests to chill

I can see part of Singapore River from the balcony. The room I was assigned faces directly to the office building

Bathroom

The bathroom is located opposite the wardrobe and next to the entrance. The marble laid bathroom is rather spacious. There are two entrances to the bathroom, one by the main entrance and another next to the King bed. There is a large bathtub opposite the sink top, tucked in a corner of the bathroom. The sink top has ample space for guests to place their toiletries. There is a three-tiered shelf carved out of the wall that provided additional storage space. Next to the bathtub is a walk-in rain shower stall, enclosed by glass providing a wet and dry area. I like hotels that designed their bathrooms with a separate walk-in shower, which not just make showering easier (without the need to climb in and out of the bathtub for shower), it also separates the wet from the dry area. This means the wet flooring in the bathroom is kept to the minimum. Next to the shower is a toilet cubicle, which comes with an additional door.

Bathroom at a glance

The bathtub is very large, however unlikely some hotels, The Fullerton Hotel does not provide bathsalts

Single sink in the bathroom. There are a lot of space to store additional toiletries

Walk-in Shower stall with rain shower

Toilet cubicle

The bath amenities provided by The Fullerton Hotel feels luxurious

Additional Amenities

Swimming Pool

The swimming pool in The Fullerton Hotel is located on the 2nd floor. The 25m infinity pool, overlooking Singapore River, is rather small. There is a Jacuzzi area built in the pool. The number of sundeck chairs available are rather limited. On a busy day, one can forget about visiting the pool. The Fullerton Hotel allows guests to use the pool at the adjacent sister hotel, Fullerton Bay Hotel. However one is expected to walk about 5 mins to Fullerton Bay Hotel. There is a bathroom next to the swimming pool, where lockers are available. There is a sauna and a steam room inside the gents bathroom.

Small pool with limited sundeck chairs

Swimming pool area

Facade of the hotel from the pool

Steam room and sauna inside the toilet next to the swimming pool

Gym

Gym in Fullerton Hotel is located at level 1M, opposite Fullerton Spa. The gym is rather small, however is well equipped with treadmills, static cycles as well as limited weights machine. Though not elaborate, one can still get a decent workout in the gym.

The Fullerton Hotel has a very small gym, but sufficient for guests to get a decent workout

Drinks and apples are available for guests using the gym

Breakfast Service

Breakfast is served at Town Restaurant located one the first floor of the hotel. There are no lack of variety served up at during breakfast. Other than the standard American and Continental Breakfast, there are also local fares being served up during breakfast. I find the providing of  local fares to be a very good way of the hotel introducing local food to their guests.

Breakfast is served in Town Restaurant

Most of the food can be found in the centre of the restaurant

The restaurant serves up local fares on top of the standard American and Continental Breakfast

Service
The service levels in the hotel is befitting of a five-star standards. As I arrived at the hotel during the check-in time of 3pm, there is a number of guests waiting to check-in. Staffs were seen coordinating with guests, assuring them that their turn to check-in will not take too long. I saw a pregnant lady in the queue, and thought that the staffs can do better by providing her a seat or place her in a priority queue.  I did not have to wait too long to get myself checked in . However the check-in process is rather slow and took about 15 mins, excluding the wait time.

Other than the slow check-in process, the staffs around the hotel seem to be eager to do their best to ensure guests have a comfortable stay. I called up reception several times to request for amenities and pillows. Whenever I called the reception for amenities or pillow, there will always be a call back to confirm that the stuffs that I requested for has been delivered. I find this check back is good way to ensuring guests get what they requested for. I ordered room service, before entering the room, the staff would introduced himself to me. I thought this is a good way of establishing rapport with the guests.

The biggest star would have to be Izan, a staff working at the pool. He was welcoming when I hit the pools. Izan offered to bring us to the chair that we wanted and even took the initiative to lay out the towels on the chair for us. I seen Izan working hard to provide the same service to all other guests coming to the pool tirelessly, in the hot afternoon sun. He religiously removed towels that were left behind by guests, rearrange chairs to the way they were on top of helping guests to the sundeck chair.

The staffs at Town Restaurant are very welcoming as well. I received greeting from a staff member before being led to my table and handed over their colleagues on the restaurant floor. The staffs in the restaurants are very efficient and obliging to requests from guests. Coffees and teas came very fast, and no empty plates are left on the table. As soon as I returned to my table, the plates are already cleared. Staffs would pop by and check if I needed more coffee.

Overall
I had a comfortable stay in The Fullerton Hotel. The sleep quality on the king bed was superb, the size of the room is just nice. I particularly like the balcony and find it a great place to hang out. In terms of service, they are good but not memorable, except for a few individuals, like Izan.