Capella Taipei: What A Hotel… I’m Now Obsessed With The Capella Brand

We just spent a few nights at the 86-key Capella Taipei, which opened in 2025, setting a new standard for hotels in the city. I was very much looking forward to this stay, not just because I thought this specific hotel looked beautiful, but also because I was intrigued by the Capella brand more broadly.

I had heard amazing things about Capella, but wasn’t sure what actually set the boutique hotel group apart. Well, now I know, and I’m kind of determined to stay at every Capella property. This brand is much more differentiated than I was expecting.

I don’t have enough good things to say about the Capella Taipei, and I can’t recommend a stay here enough. From the design, to the incredible service, to the generous inclusions, this property exceeded my already high expectations.

For what it’s worth, the rate for our nights was around $700 per night, which is obviously steep for Taipei, but you really do get a lot, and you have to appreciate the general value you get for your money in parts of Asia vs. the United States, when talking about hotels of this caliber. In this post I’d like to share some initial thoughts, and then soon I’ll have a full review.

The Capella Taipei has breathtaking design, beautiful rooms

Each Capella property has a completely different vibe that’s specific to the location, and some properties are really eclectic. The Capella Taipei is described as a “modern mansion,” and I think that perfectly sums it up.

The interiors were designed by André Fu Studio, also behind properties like Upper House Hong Kong, Waldorf Astoria Osaka, Dusit Thani, Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto, etc. This is one of the most gorgeously designed and residential feeling hotels I’ve ever stayed in.

The Capella Taipei food & beverage outlets are all located on the first and second floor, and are open to the public. How beautiful is this?!

But then the rooms and main lobby are located on floors 14 through 17, and that’s only open to hotel guests, so it really creates an intimate feel. When you’re on any of those floors, you feel like you have the place to yourself.

We were staying in a deluxe room, one category up from the entry level accommodation, and I loved the design.

How pretty is this pool, with Taipei 101 out in the distance?

Or how nice is the spa?!

And look at the quality of that gym equipment!

I love Capella’s generous inclusions and gestures

Beyond the design, the first thing that stood out to me is just how many little things were included with our stay. It’s nice when you stay at an expensive hotel, but feel like you’re actually well taken care of, and like the hotel isn’t stingy with guests.

For example, we had a lovely welcome amenity consisting of a bottle of champagne, fruit, and some sweets.

All non-alcoholic drinks and snacks in the minibar were included.

Each night with turndown service, we were brought a different little gift, from an acupressure massager, to an herbal medicine bag, to walnut massage balls.

The blue magpie is the national bird of Taiwan, and we were talking with one of the staff about how cool the hotel’s design is, with all the ways they integrate the birds into the property’s design. That evening, there were two blue magpie stuffed animals waiting for us in our room.

Another evening, a tasty dessert was placed in our room for us with turndown service.

On our last morning we had an early departure, and the hotel proactively insisted on packing us a breakfast to go. And it wasn’t just a croissant — it included a sandwich, a full fruit plate, etc.

For that matter, they had a lovely departure gift for us, with a thoughtful handwritten note (don’t ask about the picture… or do… it involves Twilight).

Here’s another cool concept — Capella has the “Living Room” concept, a space that’s open to all hotel guests on a complimentary basis. It’s a nice place to relax, and also has complimentary non-alcoholic drinks and snacks throughout the day.

On top of that, in the afternoons there’s an afternoon tea service, and in the evenings, there’s even a complimentary happy hour.

The Capella Taipei has friendly and passionate staff

Service at Capella Taipei was simply top notch. Across the board, the staff just couldn’t have been lovelier, from the German general manager, Dennis, to all the restaurant staff, front office staff, etc. (a special shoutout to Edward, Fiona, and Joyce, who made our stay extra memorable… but so did so many other people, so that’s by no means exhaustive!).

As I mentioned above, I was curious what differentiated the Capella brand soft product, and based on this experience, two things stood out regarding service, beyond it just being good.

First of all, service very much felt like Aman back in the day, where hotel staff are incredibly engaging, constantly check on guests, get to know preferences, have conversations, etc. You certainly don’t feel like “just a number” here, but instead, are made to feel like a guest in someone’s home. I can’t count the number of times that the general manager personally checked on each guest.

The other interesting thing is that Capella refers to many of its employees as “cultirsts,” and the idea is that they act as ambassadors for the culture of the destination. Capella is clearly a premium leisure brand more than a business brand, and I love that, as there’s nothing that feels corporate about this property.

For example, three times per day they have “Capella Moments,” intended to highlight different parts of the local culture. This includes a morning, afternoon, and evening ritual. As an example, one afternoon you could do umbrella printing in the living room.

The Capella Taipei is a next-level food & beverage powerhouse

I have never in my life seen a hotel this small with this impressive of a food & beverage program. I just couldn’t believe the variety of restaurants and bars that the hotel has.

The hotel has Rong Ju (a Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant with a modern twist), Mizue (a ryokan-inspired Japanese omakase restaurant), Ember 28 (a grill-focused steakhouse of sorts), Plume (the all-day lobby lounge, also where breakfast is served), Atelier Plume (the elegant coffee shop), and The Glasshouse (literally a three-story bar, with each level having a distinct concept).

The thing is, you have some hotels that have a bunch of outlets, but they’re all just sort of “meh.” We ended up checking out a few of the Capella’s options, and each of the experiences couldn’t have been better.

For example, we had dinner at Mizue, and it was one of my favorite omakase experiences ever. Yes, the food was excellent, but what really made it special was Chef Hara. He’s still a relatively young guy, but his passion and enthusiasm took the experience to the next level.

Much like the rest of the Capella experience, everything just felt so deliberate and thought out. For example, for one of the courses, guests were asked to take off their rings, because the vinegar could damage them. So we were presented with little ring pillows, made by Chef Hara’s mother. I mean… how can you not love that?!

We also loved The Glasshouse, and went there for drinks one evening. We went to the Taiwanese-inspired floor, which was absolutely packed. I also loved how imaginative the cocktails were, and settled on one with kumquat. Yum.

Bottom line

We had an amazing stay at Capella Taipei, and I can’t recommend this property enough. It’s probably one of my five favorite city hotels I’ve ever stayed in. I loved the property’s design, the rooms, the friendly and frictionless service, and the great amenities, including some stellar food & beverage outlets.

Obviously this property isn’t cheap, though given the hotel rate inflation we’ve seen all over the world, I’d consider this to be a pretty great value, all things considered. I’d say it’s worth traveling to Taipei just to stay at the Capella, but of course Taipei has so much more to offer as well (I loved it more than ever with this stay, and think it’s now among my top four cities in Asia). Capella has certainly won a new fan after this stay, and now I need to figure out which Capella to hit up next.

What’s your take on the Capella Taipei?