Wandering overseas since age 19, she packed her bags to return to Hualien and open a capsule hotel to reconnect with her roots

▲ The beds at Hive Capsule Inn are bunk-style, featuring deliberately industrial-chic rooms with red brick walls as the standout feature. (Photo / Provided by Hive Capsule Inn Hualien)

ReporterYan Xintong/ Comprehensive Report

Located just a 2-3 minute walk from Hualien Railway Station, Hive Capsule Inn is jointly operated by a couple. The inn’s design was conceived by the owner, while the owner’s wife, Chen Yixuan, drew on her extensive experience working abroad since age 19 to manage the hotel.

▲ Hive Capsule Inn is located on Guomin 10th Street. (Photo / Provided by Hive Capsule Inn Hualien)

The owner’s wife, Chen Yixuan, said, “With a human-centered, roots-returning philosophy, I decided to return to Taiwan to live and run this homestay.” She also added, “Originally, this was a 30-year-old house. We saw it and really liked it, so we renovated it into what it is today.” It turned out that the original owner of the house was an elderly man who had been waiting for his son to return, but eventually came to regard the landlord and landlady as his own children, allowing them to stay and manage the property ever since.

Asked about the inn’s design, Chen Yixuan said she looks online for inspiration: “I’ve been working abroad since I was 19, aspiring to work in many different countries each year. Later, the owner would ask for my ideas, and I incorporated what I saw overseas into the design here.” Chen Yixuan has worked in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, France, the Netherlands, Thailand, the Philippines, and more.

Chen Yixuan expressed deep gratitude to her friends for their help during the establishment of Hive: “At the beginning of the construction, we were even scammed by the designer and once considered hiring a lawyer to terminate the contract. Later, we had to ask all our friends for help—whether it was fixing plumbing or toilets—and it took us from three months to a full year and three months to complete this decent inn.”

As the name suggests, a capsule hotel consists entirely of bed units. Chen Yixuan said, “Here, the beds have everything you need, including bedside lamps, lockable storage lockers, handmade small desks, and uniquely, universal sockets—unlike other hotels that only provide standard Taiwanese outlets, these also have two USB ports.”

▲ The capsule rooms are fully equipped without cutting any corners. (Photo / Provided by Hive Capsule Inn Hualien)

Chen Yixuan also mentioned, “We have shared single beds and double beds on the second floor. The homestay design comes in two styles: red-brick industrial and versatile Scandinavian. The floors in the common areas on the second, third, and fourth floors are made of imitation iron sheet material, which she and the owner personally carried back and laid down. The wooden doors in the rooms are barn doors, handcrafted by the owner, with the creative idea inspired by Chen Yixuan’s experiences working abroad.”

▲ Hive Capsule Inn Hualien (Photo / Provided by Hive Capsule Inn Hualien)

Besides the capsule-like rooms, the inn also offers imported showers. The owner’s wife believes bathing is an important experience—the shower area here is hotel-grade, featuring both rain showers and water jets, and even includes Taiwan’s only broadcast-listening feature.

▲ Hive Capsule Inn Hualien features ultra-cool neon lighting—showering feels like being in a spaceship, plus you can listen to the radio. (Photo / Provided by Hive Capsule Inn Hualien)

Chen Yixuan said, “The name ‘Hive’ actually reflects how a group of people work diligently like bees for the hive, which is how Hive came to be. Hive is like a home—we hope everyone who comes to Hive feels at home, warm, and treated like family.”

Hive Capsule Inn
Address: No. 1, Guomin 10th Street, Hualien City, Hualien County
Phone: 0937168173 / 038342999
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HIVEbnb.com.tw
Services: Accommodation, bar.