This purpose-built MICE hotel opened in 2015 in the northernmost part of Taipei’s Zhongshan District, a new precinct with wider roads, greener environs and a lower density of buildings. Marriott Taipei is the only five-star international hotel in the district, and it provides business travellers easy access to Neihu Technology Park and Nangang Software Park. It is also only a five-minute walk from Jiannan Road MRT station, and two stops away from Songshan Airport.
Rooms The hotel offers 320 rooms, of which 25 are suites, and four are specially-equipped rooms for handicapped guests.
I stayed in the 40m2 Deluxe Room and enjoyed the floor-to-ceiling window which allowed in natural light and afforded unobstructed city views. I like how there were ample electrical outlets around the room for me to charge my gadgets.
A long wooden panel along the wall made up for the lack of a work desk. However, this space could use brighter lights.
MICE facilities Because of its massive international conference centre, MICE business accounts for 40 per cent of the hotel’s overall traffic. With 3,000m2 of space, the conference centre is the largest in town, and is suitable for all sorts of events, from small social parties to large-scale conventions.
The 1,260m2 pillarless Grand Ballroom on the fifth floor has a 9.9m-high ceiling and has capacity for 1,000 people, cocktail-style. On the same floor are two junior ballrooms, which can be combined to accommodate 230 people, and three breakout rooms.
Eight salons on the third floor are suitable for smaller events, while the Garden Villa on the eighth floor is perfect for intimate social gatherings.
But what every event planner should check out at this hotel is the Panorama Ballroom on the 36th floor. The 360-degree view of Taipei city it offers is a winner.
The property can also cater for car show thanks to a heavy-duty cargo lift.
In August, the hotel partnered with a virtual reality firm to create a feature on its website that virtually walks clients through its MICE facilities. It’s the world’s first Marriott to roll out this initiative.
Other facilities On-site facilities include a gym, swimming pool and spa, as well as five F&B outlets, some of which offer private dining areas.
