Humble House Taipei

Rooms and decor

Humble House Taipei sets its own definition of an art hotel in Xinyi, and the Curio Collection by Hilton chose it to represent Taiwan among its boutique properties with a real identity. The founder of Humble Group is a contemporary-art collector, so more than 600 pieces are installed across the lobby, corridors, bar and rooms — paintings, sculpture, video art and older collectibles. Walking the lobby feels like walking a contemporary gallery. Every room has art on the wall too, some of it original work by award-winning Taiwanese artists. The rooms run an earth-tone palette with linen curtains, and stock Hilton amenities alongside local Taiwanese brands. Real guests score the hotel around 8.8/10.

Food and amenities

The signature is the 25-metre rooftop pool. Search for open-air pools with a Taipei 101 view and a lot of the photos you get come from here — the pool sits on the building's rooftop with Taipei 101 standing full in the frame, nothing else blocking it. By day the sun plays on the water; by evening, when the tower lights change colour, the whole view shifts with it. Travelers from Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia book in to shoot it, with loungers lined up resort-style and sunset the best window. Downstairs, the Italian kitchen LA FARFALLA gets called the most authentic in the district by Taipei locals, serving fresh pasta made to order, and the bar leans into cocktails mixed with Taiwanese liquor.

Location and getting there

Humble House sits on top of the BELLAVITA and ATT Zhongxiao malls, which means you can shop without leaving the building. MRT Taipei City Hall is a 5-minute walk, BREEZE Xinyi is 4 minutes, and Taipei 101 is about 12 minutes on foot. The one catch: the entrance is inside the mall, and you ride a lift up to the 24th floor to reach the real lobby, so first-timers often get briefly lost. The Hilton concierge will book Din Tai Fung at Taipei 101 and the popular spots around Songshan — the service here is genuine, not a token gesture.

Things to know before booking

The mall entrance is the main trip-up: arriving guests have to find their way up through the complex to the 24th-floor lobby, which is disorienting the first time. The lobby on a high floor rather than at street level adds to that. And the rooftop pool gets crowded on weekends, so if the pool shot is why you booked, aim for a weekday. None of these change the core of the place, but they are worth knowing before you arrive.

Our take

Humble House Taipei is best for couples, art and design people, and anyone after a luxury hotel with character rather than a standard chain. From around $186 a night you get the rooftop pool with the best Taipei 101 view in the district, the 600-piece art collection, and a well-reviewed Italian kitchen. We recommend it with confidence for couples who want the rooftop-pool photo and a setting that feels different — a 5-star boutique with a character that is genuinely hard to find in Xinyi, where the usual chains hold the ground.