{"id":47470,"date":"2025-07-18T11:08:58","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T03:08:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/3doorhotel.com.tw\/?p=47470"},"modified":"2026-09-22T18:47:42","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T10:47:42","slug":"butler-stays-as-guest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/3doorhotel.com.tw\/en\/butler-stays-as-guest\/","title":{"rendered":"Staying in Tainan 2025\uff5cA Butler’s Own Stay: Seeing Where I Work Every Day Through a Traveller’s Eyes"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This article also has a PODCAST audio file you can listen to!<\/p>\n\n

This is not a sponsored piece, nor is it marketing copy. I simply wanted to record what it felt like the first time I \u201cstayed\u201d at the hotel where I work.<\/p>\n

Usually I stand behind the front desk watching guests come and go \u2014 some dragging luggage, some with tired faces, some who walk in smiling and say, \u201cThis place really has such character.\u201d We are always busy handling bookings, introducing the facilities, brewing tea, carrying luggage, showing people upstairs\u2026 but in fact I had never once properly stayed at 3 Door<\/strong> in the role of a traveller.<\/p>\n

So on my day off I decided to put everything aside, book a night, pretend I was someone who had come to Tainan on holiday, and see whether this place really is as good as everyone says.<\/p>\n

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Feeling the warmth and the details of 3 Door again, this time through a traveller’s eyes<\/h4>\n
The pace of Tainan makes you want to slow down<\/h5>\n

I have always loved Tainan, not only because I work here but because the city itself has warmth. During the day I wander through the old streets and lanes, and the street food, the red-brick walls and the drifting fragrance of old-time flavours all make you unwilling to hurry. In the evening I go and sit by the sea, watching the sunset turn from gold to orange before sinking quietly below the horizon; it really is healing. And when you are tired, when you have been in the sun all day and eaten your fill of street food and want somewhere comfortable to sleep, that is when your choice of accommodation truly decides the quality of the trip.<\/p>\n

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So the entrance I pass every day is this beautiful<\/h5>\n

Normally I come and go through the side door, but this time I deliberately walked in through the main entrance. The traditional hexagonal tiles under your feet in fact stand for a tortoise shell, signifying peace and prosperity. I pass them every day, yet only on this night did I look at them carefully. These details are not decoration but the intention of our founder, who chose and designed them personally. The rose-gold main door was more beautiful than I remembered too. Many guests get stuck at the door on their first visit, not knowing how to open it \u2014 I got stuck for a moment myself this time (laughs). But that kind of detail, which sets no limits and lets you work it out yourself, is very 3 Door.<\/p>\n

That phrase \u201cwelcome home\u201d moved me more than I expected<\/h5>\n

I know we all say \u201cwelcome home\u201d to guests, but hearing it myself this time still gave my heart a small jolt. Perhaps it was because I had just come back from the sea that day, my hair a little untidy and sand still on my feet, with no defences up. That word \u201chome\u201d sounded very real, and it made me set down some of my tiredness.<\/p>\n

\"\u53f0\u5357\u4f4f\u5bbf\u63a8\u85a6<\/h5>\n
That cup of tea and those snacks are our most sincere care<\/h5>\n

The black tea and the tea jelly both use A+ grade tea leaves<\/strong> from Puli, brewed and made fresh by the butler every morning. I have watched this process many times from the back of house, but only when I really sat down as a traveller and took a sip did I find that this cup of tea is more delicate than I had imagined. The mellow honey fragrance of the tea, together with the springy tea jelly beside it \u2014 in that moment I truly felt what it is to be \u201ctreated with care\u201d.<\/p>\n

Do you remember the self-service snack bar? The snacks there are not just something to eat but stretches of memory: five-spice Kuai Kuai, preserved fruit and prawn crackers sought out from old corner shops in Tainan \u2014 all the flavours of our childhood. What goes into your mouth is a snack; what stays in your heart is a familiar, reassuring childhood memory.
\nOur butlers normally take guests to their rooms in person and explain the facilities, the space and the details of the hotel’s design carefully. Only this time, as a \u201ctraveller\u201d, did I truly understand that this is not a service procedure but a gentle rhythm that says, \u201cleave yourself safely with us\u201d.<\/p>\n

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\"\u53f0\u5357\u4f4f\u5bbf<\/h4>\n

Only when the details are right do you know what a stay you can really feel means<\/h4>\n

When I first started working at 3 Door, seeing the rooms for the first time surprised me. This is plainly in the centre of Tainan city<\/strong>, and yet there are floor-to-ceiling windows? You can see sunlight and greenery? For a moment I really doubted it: is this really a hotel near Tainan Railway Station<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

This time I stayed in the \u201cTianbu Art Twin Room\u201d. The details in the room truly show what comfort means:<\/p>\n

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