Lailai Hotel — Hotel in Taichung

Positives:

All the staff we dealt with were very helpful and accommodating. 🙇🏻‍♀️🙏🙇🏻‍♀️🙏🙇🏻‍♀️

I couldn't find my pouch after checking out, so 2 housekeepers and a manager helped me check the room again. I went to have a look as well but we couldn't find anything.

When they realized it had a stack of cash and credit cards, the 2 housekeepers started going through the trash to find it. 🙏🙏🙏 🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️

George from the restaurant front desk was really helpful too. He provided us with takeaway coffee cups, containers, and cutlery for the hotel buffet breakfast when we slept in and were about to miss out on the buffet. 🌟🌟🌟 Breakfast buffet is Taiwanese style (eg. congee, stir fry, lu rou fan, pork chop, curry, steam buns) with few Western options (eg. toast, cereal, salad)🙇🏻‍♀️🙏🙇🏻‍♀️🙏😋

Location is very good. Hotel is right next to Yi Zong night Market, Chongyo Mall and close to the train station with local busses at the doorstep. There's a multi-level bookstore in front, lots of shopping and food around.

Bidet and strong water pressure.

Room slippers.

Rooms are larger than normal.

Soundproofing was good.

Free laundry and dryer is a perk.

Negatives:

No bathtubs. No bathrobes. No view. The bed is rock hard, and the towels are thin. There were a few long, short and curly hairs belonging to previous guests left in the bathroom when we checked in. Decor makes the hotel look even more dated than it already is. Dim and yellow light in the rooms and hallway coupled with the emptiness gives me the creeps. Wallpaper is peeling off. No hair conditioner. Basic amenity kit in the room (cotton buds, shower cap, and dental kit), but razor and comb is available upon request...

A hotel where the staff really takes care of you, for a worry-free stay in Taichung. I've stayed at the Lai Lai Hotel three times in the past four years, and I can say it's not only my go-to hotel for Taichung, but it's really the standard by which I judge all other hotels. It's like home-away-from-home rather than a commercial hotel where you pay for every thing you touch. In the West, rooms come with this farce of a meal called the "Continental Breakfast"--an assortment of store-bought croissants and take-out cups of coffee, and both run out quickly as the guests climb over each other for the paltry offerings before they run dry. At the Lai Lai, however, you go to the basement café and eat a wonderful buffet just as good as any restaurant you could want. The staff from top to bottom are truly warm and helpful. I feel that, whatever problem I have, the hotel will take any reasonable step to assist me, and English is not a problem at all: wonderful professionals like Roselala, Nina, Janice, and many other colleagues always know what to do. The rooms are always clean and the perfect combination of furnished and simple. And the location is ideal for Taichung: you're 400 meters south of the giant Chung-Yo Department Store, 600 meters north of the delightful Second Market, and within walking distance of the train station (though not with luggage). The staff remember me every time I return, and I wouldn't think of staying anywhere else if I can find space at the Lai Lai. This is the epitome of what any...

Several notable bonuses for staying at Lailai set it apart from other hotels:

1. it shares the building with World Gym, the franchise started by Arnold Schwarzenegger. The hotel provides a voucher for guests to work out for free. They say it is the largest gym in Taiwan, and the variety of exercise machines, weight machines, and free weights seems to bear that out. If you're addicted to working out like me, you may even feel spoiled . There's a broad offering of exercise classes and hotel guests are welcome, also for no fee. Note, the mid afternoon classes cater to retirees.

2. an excellent breakfast buffet is included. The variety of dishes is surprising. More impressive is that many of the dishes changed on the second day of my stay. So often these hotels will serve the same breakfast day after day, so that after a few days even the delicious food seems boring.

3. free laundry! The basket in your closet has your room number on it. If you happen to leave your clothes in the washing machine or dryer too long, the next person to come along can simply dump your clothes into the bucket and just get there wash on.

The hotel is across the street from a huge night market with a great variety of foods!

The one issue I did have was that the AC did not bring my room to a comfortable temperature. Apparently, the 9th floor AC units are not as effective as those on the 6th floor. The staff was super about changing my room immediately and letting me know not to expect the room to cool...