Avatar-worthy artistry: ArTree Hotel Taipei
A unique tree-themed hotel in Taiwan's capital that blends nature and technology for an inspired (and inspiring) stay that makes you feel like you're in Pandora from James Cameron's Avatar
ArTree Hotel is a four-star boutique hotel in Taipei, Taiwan.
Quick Facts:
The hotel’s whimsical feeling begins the moment you visit the website, where the “About” page declares: “Every adult’s mind is hidden in a pure fairy tale. If the city is not where you feel belong to or called home, please enter ‘arTree’ the natural wonderland, where is filled with fantasy, creativity, and novelty.”
It continues… “We are gleeful when we see trees fulfill with leaves, ease with our mind when feeling the breeze blowing and paddling in the water, nature beauty holds us in an affectionate embrace.” The English translation could use some work (for which I’d happily volunteer, haha), but you catch my drift!
The hotel highly values its environmentally-conscious stance. Natural materials and biological products have been incorporated in the surroundings as much as possible, and they follow as many sustainability-friendly practices as possible.
As a sustainability-friendly hotel, from September 1st, 2024, the hotel no longer provided disposable amenities. If in need, a guest can contact the front desk during their stay, but they won’t be there by default.

This boutique hotel has a really unique concept led by its chairman, who they say is so “passionate about trees and nature” that he was inspired to “create this hotel with a unique natural appearance.” Its name, “arTree” is meant to fuse nature, texture, and technology in a seamless way, and all of its furniture has been custom-made within the spirit of the hotel. It’s designed to feel like an adventure, not just a place to stay. As its website proclaims: “It’s not only a designed hotel based on nature theme, but a tree museum.” And it’s right - I did feel like I was stepping into an Avatar-esque world when I walked in, with even the lifts boasting clever little details (scroll to see)!
There are five different room themes, divided into the sections of Orient (Chinese- and Japanese-inspired design), Forest (a relaxing woodland theme), Sand (a grand, luxury-led vibe led by the grandeur and rich history of the Middle East), Rock (inspired by riverbanks with shallow shores and organic stones near grottos and rivers), and Lovestone (an “urban casa” theme with a bold, executive feel).
The room rates are seasonal, and if you’re going during high season, it can get quite pricey. I’d say you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck in terms of space - the rooms are quite large compared to many other hotel rooms in Taipei. But finding a nicer, more upscale hotel in Taipei in general isn’t cheap. The market isn’t quite developed yet, so there is a fairly large gap between the super-fancy and amazing hotels that are really expensive, and tiny hostel-like no-frills places, in my experience. This place actually did fit in the space in between. When I visited, I had to make last-minute plans, which also drove the price up - but I was really happy with my choice here and felt like I got my money’s worth, and the soothing atmosphere I craved upon landing from my 12+ hour journey. It was cheaper for me to book on the website than it was on Booking.com - the latter quoted me NT$10,990, while I paid NT$9,420 for a night in a “Rock Standard” through my direct booking.
The Write Benefits - features we loved:
There is an awesome co-working space in its beautiful, spacious lobby. With plenty of wide-open areas and spa-like music playing (the kind that’s soothing, not annoying), alongside nature sounds like birdsong, gentle winds, and trickling water, it’s a truly peaceful place to work. It almost feels like getting a dose of meditative sound healing while you work. They offer complimentary tea and coffee there too (although it is really only open to guests, not randoms who stroll in to enjoy it all for free). There are plugs down the table as well, and I found this to be a delightful and functional place to work on the day I checked out, when I was ready to vacate my room but not yet ready to move on to my next destination. I’d happily have used it more if I’d stayed longer.
Don’t miss:
If you like a lift selfie, you need to get one here! I personally don’t haha, so trying to get a shot of this (below) without getting myself in it involved a fair bit of acrobatics - but it was well worth it, when the elevator was this pretty. The light changes slightly during the day and the night, and it really added to the atmosphere. The hotel’s lobby is on the first floor, so you enter through a hallway with a bellhop in it first (where there’s another pretty tree), then these beautiful lifts take you up to the lobby floor, where you are welcomed by a glowing digital wall. It all makes it feel like you’re entering a digital art installation, rather than staying in a typical hotel.

Top tip:
In Japan, the “konbini” (convenience store) has an almost legendary status, and it’s no different in Taipei (where there is a lot of Japanese influence - but in general, this is true of pretty much anywhere in East Asia!)
A pilgrimage to a 7-11 is one of the first things I’ve done on any trip to Taipei since I was a kid, and in this case, there’s one literally across from the hotel. The hotel does have a restaurant that is lovely by day, but it’s not typically open for dinner - and this means the hotel also doesn’t have room service. In any other place, I’d be more upset about this - but in a country that truly puts the “convenience” in “convenience store,” it’s really not that big of a deal. If you want to grab a bite to eat in your room after a long flight, and don’t want to get takeout from one of the many nearby restaurants, you can get everything from a famous 7-11 egg sando to a tea egg, man-tou, a bowl of steaming hot instant ramen noodles, to heat-and-eat full meals, a wide array of snacks, and more there. You can eat in the 7-11 too, but it’s much nicer in your room.
Writing fuel:
In general, Taipei is not a city where you ever have to worry about finding something good to eat. Because of this, I didn’t actually eat at the restaurant - after a very long week, my flight from Dubai left me hit with terrible jet-lag, and since the breakfast did end tragically early (one of my gripes at hotels), I wound up skipping it to grab lunch at my hit-list of “things I must eat every time I’m in Taipei, and more” list instead. However, I did wish I’d had more time, so I could have actually tried the hotel restaurant - if anything, because it is utterly beautiful. I did go in to snap a few pics, though, and the staff were kind about letting me wander in to explore it as I wished.
The venue is called the Forest Restaurant, and like the rest of the hotel, the interior decor here is beautiful and unique. There are lamps shaped like monkeys, seats that feel like tropical tree leaves that curve around your spine, and wooden tables. The lights keep changing, in that same digital art, Avatar-esque style. In terms of cuisine, it serves international as well as Cantonese cuisine from 7am to 10am for breakfast (See what I mean? Ends so early!) while after dark, you can use the space as a lounge bar if you wish. They also serve custom gourmet meals for private bookings if you wish, which can be served in their private VIP dining room. The latter seats up to 20 guests, and unique art is expected here too - it has a large wall mural featuring hand-painted modern interpretations of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac.
The fun toilets
Every time a Westerner friend of mine visits Asia, they share their joy and excitement about being able to try one of the fancy Japanese-style toilets with all of the gadgets on it. This hotel has those in the room, next to the shower and the tub (in the rather spacious bathroom areas) - warmed seats and all. Enjoy, haha.
It’s all in the details
One of the things I loved most about this place was all of the little thoughtful touches in places that didn’t necessarily need to be there, but added so much to the entire vibe. For instance, at night, the hallways also featured the same soothing, dim lighting found through the rest of the hotel, and my room number was illuminated by a lamp hidden behind two little bird statues, going with the nature theme.
Parking
The Taipei Metro is an awesome way of getting around, and taxis are plentiful and affordable in the city too - but if you’re driving, you can park your vehicle at the hotel from 1pm on check-in day, until 1pm-on check-out day. If you run over, you’ll be charged at USD$50 per hour (with no max limit). Parking isn’t easy to find in the city!
A hidden gem
The hotel also has a spa component, where you can not only get a massage but also enjoy a Japanese-style onsen (hot spring water bath). There are three onsen tubs here. You must pre-book to use them, but they’re lovely and well-kept. You can access it from 10am to 10pm (as long as you have an advance reservation), with a price of NT1,800 + 10% service fee for 60 minutes, or NT2,200 + 10% service fee for 90 minutes. There’s also a gym available, open from 7am to 10pm daily, with treadmills and so on. In terms of design, it’s probably the least-interesting (ok, a little boring) room in the hotel - but it’ll just help motivate you to finish your workout faster so you can get back to the rest, right? Taipei is a walking city, anyway, so you can continue getting your steps in even after you’re done!