EPISODE Daan Taipei — A New Chapter in Da'an
If you've ever walked along Fuxing South Road and stopped at the sight of that bold black EPISODE sign lit by hundreds of marquee bulbs — that's your cue that this place is anything but ordinary. Opened May 2024, EPISODE Daan Taipei is Hyatt's JdV brand doing what it does best: giving a city-centre stay a genuine personality. Here, that personality is music — from the Jay Chou CD waiting on your bedside table to the Mandopop soundtracking the lifts. Throw in a free nightly happy hour at the fifth-floor lounge and 3 minutes on foot to MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing, and you have a hotel that earns its place as one of Taipei's most interesting 2024 openings.
The name says it all. An episode is a chapter — and EPISODE Hotels wants each stay to be a chapter worth remembering. The 136-room Da'an property opened in May 2024 and carries the JdV by Hyatt flag, a brand built around hotels with genuine local character rather than cookie-cutter amenity lists. The design language is Mid-Century Modern: dark timbers, warm brass, jewel-toned velvet — moody without being oppressive. Music is threaded through everything, from the vinyl-wall backdrop at the bar to the Mandopop hits piped into the lifts.
One guest recalls: “They walked in, found a CD player on the desk, pressed play, and Jay Chou's 七里香 started. They didn't expect a hotel to hit them in the nostalgia like that.”
Rooms start at 30 sq m for a Standard King or Twin, stepping up to 33 sq m with a sofa bed, and 36 sq m for the Deluxe King with Balcony. Every category gets a Sealy mattress (consistently praised in reviews), a curated CD player with albums hand-picked by the hotel, Malin+Goetz toiletries (peppermint shampoo, cilantro conditioner), a Nespresso machine, and universal power adapters built into the sockets. Bathrooms in the Deluxe tier include a deep-soak tub with striking blue-purple mosaic tiles that several reviewers specifically called out as a highlight.
The hotel's social core is THE SOCIAL by Lay Low on the fifth floor — a hybrid speakeasy bar, co-working lounge, and live-music venue with a full vinyl-record wall. Every evening, guests can help themselves to complimentary Taiwan Beer, Heineken, house wine, and curated snacks (LOUU Popcorn, cheese platters) during Happy Hour. Multiple reviewers named this as the single thing that made EPISODE Daan feel like better value than its rack rate suggested. Downstairs, CAFE!N — a well-regarded Specialty coffee partnership — handles morning coffees and all-day snacks for guests and the wider neighbourhood alike.
Location is quietly excellent. The 3-minute walk to MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing puts you on both the Blue (BL) and Brown (BR) lines simultaneously, making every corner of Taipei reachable without a taxi. Taipei 101 is four stations east; the airport express connects from Zhongxiao Fuxing in around 50 minutes. Da'an itself is one of Taipei's most liveable districts: SOGO and the Zhongxiao shopping strip within four minutes on foot, Da'an Forest Park a ten-minute stroll, and a cluster of bars, independent cafes and restaurants — including names on Asia's 50 Best Bars list — well within walking range.
On breakfast: EPISODE Daan does not include breakfast in its standard rate, and there is no in-house hotel restaurant. The two options downstairs — Texas Roadhouse (a set of fruit yoghurt, egg and coffee) and CAFE!N (smoked-beef croissant, yuzu chicken burger) — work fine but have drawn grumbles from guests hoping for a traditional Taiwanese spread. In reality, Da'an has some of Taipei's best breakfast spots within a short walk, so it's hardly a crisis — but worth factoring into your budget planning.
Across Booking.com and Trip.com, the most praised attributes are design and atmosphere, cleanliness, and staff attentiveness. The consistent criticisms are thinner-than-ideal soundproofing in some rooms (hallway noise can carry), limited views from lower floors facing the neighbouring building, and a compact desk space that falls short for laptop workers. For a hotel barely a year old at the time of this review, an 8.4 on Booking.com and 9.1 on Trip.com (370 reviews) signals a strong foundation — and the rough edges are fixable ones.
Bottom line: EPISODE Daan is the right pick for lifestyle-oriented travellers who want a 4-star Hyatt property with a real point of view — not just a loyalty-programme tick. If you care about design, enjoy music as atmosphere rather than background noise, and want a Da'an address that opens onto Taipei's best neighbourhood for food and independent culture — this is your chapter. World of Hyatt members get an especially sweet deal at Category 3 (from 12,000 points per night), making it one of the more accessible aspirational redemptions on the island.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Da'an location is excellent — 3-min walk to MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing
- ✓ Music-themed retro design that actually delivers on atmosphere
- ✓ Free nightly happy hour at THE SOCIAL lounge
- ✓ Attentive, friendly staff consistently praised across reviews
- ! Breakfast not included — Texas Roadhouse or CAFE!N are the only options
- ! Lower-floor rooms face the neighbouring building with limited outlook
- ! Some rooms have thinner soundproofing — hallway noise audible
- ✓ MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing 3-min walk, Da'an neighbourhood is superb
- ✓ Rooms spacious and very clean, Sealy mattress genuinely comfortable
- ✓ CD player with Jay Chou in the room — mood is perfect
- ✓ CAFE!N downstairs has excellent Specialty coffee
- ! Rates sit above average for a 4-star in this district
- ! No swimming pool or spa
- ! Parking is limited — public transport strongly recommended
- 💡If you need a full buffet breakfast included — EPISODE does not offer one. Texas Roadhouse and CAFE!N are the only on-site options → Da'an has excellent breakfast spots a short walk away, but budget accordingly.
- 💡If a view matters to you — lower floors face the adjacent building. Specify high floor or book a Deluxe with Balcony to guarantee a city outlook.
- 💡If you're a light sleeper — soundproofing in some rooms lets hallway noise through → request a mid-to-upper floor room and mention it at check-in.