Holiday Inn Express Taipei Train Station — Opened May 2025, Free Breakfast Every Morning
If you want a reliable IHG hotel with 'free breakfast every day and free coffee around the clock' in a neighbourhood where a legendary night market is literally three minutes away — Holiday Inn Express Taipei Train Station is one of the most practical new openings in Taipei in 2025. It is a 3-star IHG property, 5 minutes on foot to MRT Beimen and 10 minutes to Taipei Main Station, and every stay earns IHG One Rewards points redeemable worldwide.
One thing worth saying upfront — this is not a ground-up new-build. Holiday Inn Express Taipei Train Station is a rebrand of the former Taipei Hotel Orchard Park building, comprehensively renovated and officially opened under the IHG flag in May 2025. Guests familiar with the original property will notice the same building footprint, but interiors have been refitted to the signature Holiday Inn Express palette of blue, orange, and grey. IHG announced it as part of a broader strategy to expand presence at major transport hubs across Greater China.
The address — No. 73, Section 1, Chongqing North Road in Datong District — puts you in one of Taipei's most interesting and under-rated neighbourhoods. MRT Beimen Station is a five-minute walk, Taipei Main Station (for the Airport MRT and THSR) is ten minutes on foot, and Ningxia Road Night Market is three minutes away. Ningxia is not the tourist showcase that Shilin is — it is where local Taipei families eat: oyster omelettes, red braised pork rice, sesame noodles, taro balls. Add Dihua Street's historic shophouses and Dadaocheng neighbourhood, emerging as one of Taipei's hippest areas, and the location earns its name.
"Free breakfast had scrambled eggs, congee, braised pork, salad, fruits, Yakult — way more than expected for a 3-star. That alone justifies the rate."
The headline amenity is complimentary breakfast buffet every morning, included in the room rate — a genuine differentiator at this price point. Weekday service runs 06:30–10:00, weekends from 06:00. Verified guest reports list scrambled eggs, vegetables, congee, braised pork (lu rou), salad, two flavours of Yakult, fruits, cheese, and hot beverages. In the Social Lounge on the ground floor, complimentary coffee and tea run 24 hours a day — so you can grab street food from Ningxia and bring it back to the lounge at midnight without any judgement.
Rooms follow the current Holiday Inn Express global standard: clean-line furniture, plush bedding with soft or firm pillow choice, high-definition flat-screen television, in-room safe, desk space, and separated wet-dry bathroom layout. One nuance to know before you book: certain Superior Room categories face inward — no exterior window and no view. IHG markets this as a quiet, city-noise-free environment, which it is, but guests who need natural daylight should specifically request a street-facing room at check-in or note it during the reservation. Standard Queen and Twin rooms are more likely to have external-facing windows.
Beyond breakfast, the property offers a Fitness Center (free for guests), self-service laundry machines, a Business Center with printing, and 24-hour Front Desk. Staff have consistently earned praise across platforms for friendliness and willingness to hold luggage after check-out — a small but meaningful courtesy for a full final day in the city.
There are honest caveats here. Because the building predates the IHG rebrand, a portion of reviews note maintenance inconsistencies across rooms — not all units appear to have received identical renovation work. Trip.com rates the hotel 7.8 out of 10 from 60 reviews; HotelsCombined aggregates a broader dataset of 1,051 reviews for an 8.0. Booking.com shows around 7.9 from 31 verified stays. These numbers are solid for a 3-star midrange property in central Taipei, but they are not the scores of a purpose-built new hotel — set expectations accordingly.
For IHG loyalty members, the hotel fully participates in IHG One Rewards. Points earned here are redeemable at any IHG property globally — InterContinental, Kimpton, Holiday Inn, voco, and more. For frequent IHG travellers booking longer stays of three nights or more, the points accumulation is genuinely meaningful.
Bottom line — Holiday Inn Express Taipei Train Station is the right choice if you want a trusted IHG flag, free breakfast every morning, free coffee around the clock, and a neighbourhood where Ningxia Night Market is three minutes from your door. Starting from around NT$3,200 per night (approx. USD $100), the value equation holds up well. It is not right for those who need a window in every room, a rooftop pool, or the confidence of a brand-new-construction hotel.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Free breakfast buffet included — no extra charge, generous spread for 3-star
- ✓ MRT Beimen 5 min walk, Ningxia Night Market 3 min — excellent neighbourhood
- ✓ Friendly staff, luggage storage available after check-out
- ✓ Free coffee and tea 24 hours in Social Lounge
- ! Some rooms are interior-facing with no window or natural light
- ! Rebrand of an existing building — not every room received full renovation
- ! Breakfast quality described as average to good, not exceptional
- ✓ Walk out the door and you are at Ningxia Night Market in 3 minutes
- ✓ Free coffee all night in the Social Lounge — great for night owls
- ✓ Fitness Center and self-service laundry included in the stay
- ✓ IHG One Rewards points earned every night
- ! Certain room categories have no external window — ask for street-facing at check-in
- ! Review count still relatively low, property only opened May 2025
- ! 10 minutes walk to Taipei Main Station — the name suggests closer proximity than reality
- 💡If a window and natural daylight matter to you — some Superior rooms face inward with no exterior glazing → Request a street-facing room explicitly at check-in or note it in your booking.
- 💡If you expect brand-new construction throughout — this is a rebrand of an existing building, not a ground-up build → For truly virgin interiors consider Sotetsu Grand Fresa Ximen or Lore Hotel Dadaocheng instead.
- 💡If you need to be steps from Taipei Main Station — it is a 10-minute walk, not attached → Caesar Park Taipei or citizenM North Gate sit much closer to the station.