ItaThao Smart Stay with Elevator

Everything was great! Even though it's a budget hotel, it was incredibly clean. The staff were always responsive to my questions via messengers and even sent me instructions by email when I couldn't register on Line. We were able to park right in front of the entrance, though that might be because it was low season. The code-based check-in process was very convenient.

This time, I stayed near Ita Thao Pier for my Sun Moon Lake trip. We were so lucky to be assigned a room with a balcony – it was truly enjoyable to just sit out there, feel the breeze, and relax! While the overall room size wasn't huge and it had two single beds, you could really tell the guesthouse puts a lot of effort into cleanliness and maintenance. The entire space was spotless, making for a very comfortable stay without feeling cramped. If I had to pick a tiny flaw, it would be that the mattress was a bit too firm for my liking. However, that's a minor point. The attention to detail and thoughtfulness throughout made me very happy. The common areas also showed the owner's dedication. Everything was smart-controlled, but the owner was super responsive, even without someone physically there. Next time I'm in Sun Moon Lake, this will definitely be my top choice for accommodation!

This smart B&B is quite advanced. When dropping off luggage, you need to bravely trust Taiwan's public safety; there's only a small luggage storage area with CCTV watching over your bags. The room's air conditioning also has a heating function, which is great!

Check-in was such a hassle... you have to scan a QR code just to get into the lobby. Then, I couldn't get the room door to scan for ages. And the air conditioning couldn't be set to heat... I was freezing the whole night.

Highly NOT recommended! This hotel seriously compromised our room’s security and privacy due to a staff member mistakenly issuing the wrong QR code. To make matters worse, the hotel initially tried to gloss over it with a 5-10 minute 'cleaning' and then forced us to accept the cost of rebooking at another hotel as our 'compensation' for their operational losses. Their management and crisis handling were absolutely appalling. Here’s what happened: From July 4th to 5th, 2026, we planned a trip to Sun Moon Lake and booked the Yidashao Smart Inn via Trip.com. This is essentially an unstaffed hotel, meaning self-check-in. The process involves adding their official LINE account, entering your booking name or order number into their system, which then automatically generates a QR code for your room. Customer service is also handled through their official LINE account. Around 7 PM on July 4th, we arrived at the hotel only to find other people occupying our room, 702. We later learned that a staff member from the official LINE account had mistakenly given our room’s QR code to those guests. After finally getting through to the hotel, the owner's initial suggestion was for the guests in our room to quickly pack up and return to their original room, 701. Then, they would clean our room, 702, which they estimated would take 5-10 minutes. We found this completely unacceptable at the time! >> Our two groups of guests were being made to suffer the consequences of their own staff’s mistake. >> And seriously, can a 5-10 minute clean really be thorough? We had a quad room. That cleaning time sounds like they wouldn't even have time to change the sheets. Plus, they don’t provide amenities. My guess is they’d just straighten the sheets and swap out the towels before letting new guests in. We then asked if the hotel had any other available rooms. If not, we expected them to arrange alternative accommodation for us. Thankfully, they eventually found us another place to stay, allowing us to escape the terrible weather outside. <Human error, major compromise of accommodation security and privacy> I believe the hotel's internal management and crisis handling capabilities are completely disproportionate to the room price. Their staff didn't verify booking details before mistakenly giving our room's QR code to others. Someone else had our QR code and could freely enter and use our room. Luckily, we checked in relatively late. What if we were halfway through a shower or our belongings went missing? That would have been even worse! Booking through Trip.com is meant to provide peace of mind, but this smart hotel's internal management and crisis handling are completely inadequate. For travelers with important itineraries or those who prioritize accommodation security, I strongly advise avoiding this place. <Operational losses caused by themselves are passed off as compensation to consumers> The hotel didn't have other rooms, so they booked accommodation for us at another establishment. Besides having to move in heavy rain and bad weather, the new accommodation experience was vastly different from what we expected from our original room. By 8 or 9 PM, we had no choice but to accept the situation. We asked for compensation, but the hotel owner claimed that since they had already booked another room for us, they couldn't offer any further compensation. Why should their staff's mistake and the resulting operational losses be considered our compensation? This ruined our plans to celebrate a friend's birthday. The negligence and their initial handling of the situation were utterly unacceptable and negatively impacted our friend’s birthday celebration plans and our entire trip. <Unstaffed hotel, difficult to reach staff> The phone numbers listed on their official website and Google Maps first direct you to an AI or robot customer service before you can connect to a live person. The quickest way to reach a human is through their official LINE account. <Questionable hygiene due to proposed quick cleaning> The hotel's original solution was for the guests in the wrong room to quickly pack up and return to their original room, 701, and then they would clean our room, 702, in “5-10 minutes.” We found this completely unacceptable at the time. A 5-10 minute clean for a quad room made us feel like the sheets wouldn't even be changed before we were expected to sleep there. (I later saw other Google reviews mentioning feeling itchy, suggesting sheets weren't changed.)