Amba Hotel

57-1, Section 2, Zhongshan N. Road
Tel: +886 (2) 2565-2828

www.amba-hotels.com/en/zhongshan/                                 Time of Stay：May 2015  

Amba Taipei Zhongshan is a newly opened hotel in the Ambassador Hotel Group.  It opened its doors in the spring of 2015.  The name Amba is quite interesting, because it’s the first four letters of “Ambassador.”  Though not too many customer reviews were available on the internet, we decided to give it a try.  After all, Amba is part of a reputable hotel group.

My initial contacts with Amba Taipei Zhongshan did not leave me with a good impression.  The only request I had was a non-smoking and quiet room, but the reply I got was “any special request will be subject to room availability on the date of arrival.”  The reply concluded by saying, “Should you require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.”  Here’s what I was thinking at the time: If this small request has to wait until the date of arrival, why would I bother with any “further” request?  But when I checked in, I learned that the whole building was smoke free.  If the staff had told me in advance, or at least had shown the willingness to help, it would have made a world of difference.

Amba is conveniently located and is very close to the Ambassador Hotel.  From its clean and chic style, you can sense the unique character of the hotel.  There’s a restaurant right next to the rather small lobby.  The sidewall of the building is decorated with black-and-white logos highlighting points of interest nearby. 

▲The front door of Amba Taipei Zhongshan

▲A stylish sidewall

The room was bright.  While not spacious, it did have some thoughtful designs. There were two layers of curtains to block the sunshine.  The shower was separated from the toilet and the sink.  There was plenty of counter space right next to the sink for toiletries and other things.  I was also delighted to see two thick robes in a not-too-small closet.  In Taipei, many boutique hotels simply do not provide a closet, so Amba is an exception to the norm.  Our room was close to the elevator, but noise was not a problem at all.

▲A chic, well-designed room

▲Shower and toilet on one side, sink on the other

▲A not-too-small closet, with robes provided

Another thoughtful design was a communal area on each floor, which nicely compensates for the small lobby and the relatively small guest rooms.  Free laundry facilities were available on the 2nd floor.  The dryers were powerful by Asian standards. Everything at Amba Taipei Zhongshan was new, cozy, and satisfying, except that the young staff can work on their communication skills and language ability. ▲The communal area on our floor