Why are Taipei hotels so expensive?

[GuyInTaiwan]

BTW, $1,800--$2,200 for room is really very reasonable in Taipei. It's just that if you are on a budget, you may be able to find something cheaper if you stay at a hostel or a lushe. FYI, elsewhere in Taiwan NT$1,200 to $1,500 is reasonable.

I actually don't think 1,800-2,000NT is "really very reasonable". Maybe it's "really very reasonable" for Taipei when compared to other places in Taipei, but then I would say Taipei is ridiculously expensive. The reason I say that is that if you look at the hourly rate of an average worker in Taipei, it's what, 6-10 times what they make? Where I'm from, Melbourne, Australia, the average person probably makes $30/hour (AUD). I actually don't think people would consider $180-$300 for a hotel room to be "really very reasonable" in Melbourne. How do hotel prices compare to local wages in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., etc.?

Hotels in Taipei seem to be disproportionately when compared to other things such as food or transportation, and especially when compared to those in other parts of Taiwan or in other countries. I've found places for a quarter of the price in other cities in Taiwan, yet I don't think workers in those cities earn a quarter of what those in Taipei do.

Why, then, is Taipei so expensive for hotels?

[sandman]

BTW, $1,800--$2,200 for room is really very reasonable in Taipei. It's just that if you are on a budget, you may be able to find something cheaper if you stay at a hostel or a lushe. FYI, elsewhere in Taiwan NT$1,200 to $1,500 is reasonable.

I actually don't think 1,800-2,000NT is "really very reasonable". Maybe it's "really very reasonable" for Taipei when compared to other places in Taipei, but then I would say Taipei is ridiculously expensive.

I need to stay in a hotel in Edinburgh for a couple nights later this year. I'm looking at around NT$4,600+ per night for a twin with a 3-year-old. That's the cheapest and in a NOT nice part of town. Average seems to be around 250 quid (NT$11,600). So yeah, Feiren's quite right. Cheap as chips!
Not sure why I used Edinburgh, of course, any more than I can figure out the relevance of Melbourne prices, but there you go...

[GuyInTaiwan]

sandman: So, based upon this site:

http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert/?Amount=1&From=TWD&To=GBP

4,600NTD = ~98 GBP

How does that compare to an average hourly wage?

Even still, why is Taipei so much more expensive than other cities in Taiwan, despite people not earning the same multiple?

[jimipresley]

A decent 4-star hotel in South Africa will cost you between R800-R1000 per night (NT$ 3500- 4500). So yes, NT$ 1800-2000 is pretty cheap.

[Feiren]

Also I said reasonable for Taipei. Hotels in Taipei are more expensive than those elsewhere in Taiwan just like hotels in New York or San Francisco are more expensive than elsewhere in the US. Of course the reason is that land is far more expensive in Taipei than other places in Taiwan and labor is somewhat more expensive.

I agree with the other posters who think hotels in Taiwan are generally a good deal. In a major US city, it can be hard to find a room for less than US$120 per night (NT$3,300). In NY or SF, that would be more like $150 per night.

[GuyInTaiwan]

Feiren: I'm basing it purely upon how much the median wage would be. The median hourly wage in Taiwan is (based upon 40,000NTD/month) about 230NTD/hour. It's probably higher in Taipei, though I don't know.

jimipresley: What's the average hourly wage in South Africa?

[jimipresley]

jimipresley: What's the average hourly wage in South Africa?

That's moot, though, GiT. What's the average hourly wage of people who tend to stay in hotels? They're not there to cater to the downtrodden, mate. The target market of the hotel industry is not the working classes. It exists to make a killing off of the rich and the impulsive.

When the down-at-heel take a vacation every second year, they tend to stay in self-catering motels or campsites (far more sensible options, anyway).

[TainanCowboy]

So...You people haven't discovered the "secret" yet

Get Your Taiwanese wife/Significant Other/Secrecretary to make the reservations. The rates are ALWAYS higher for the waiguo.

Taiwan Fact O Life # 17.

[chung]

I'm basing it purely upon how much the median wage would be. The median hourly wage in Taiwan is (based upon 40,000NTD/month) about 230NTD/hour. It's probably higher in Taipei, though I don't know.

If you base the hotel rates on GDP rather than median wage, you'd find that the hotels are indeed quite affordable. As I'm sure you're aware, Taipei has one of the highest per capita GDP rates in Asia - excluding Japan.

http://www.cens.com.tw/cens/html/en/new ... 26710.html

[GuyInTaiwan]

jimi: I'm talking about PPP.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purchasing_power_parity