Guest House Sheraton Grand Taipei Hotel

Excellent Taiwanese food, especially the soups. The hand pulled chicken with crab was very innovative. There was only one dish I thought was exited poorly, the sesame chicken rice wasn't very different from what I've had before and the chicken was dry. I almost gave 5 stars but the service could be improved. Nothing terrible about it but if the server is going to prepare and dish every course on the side and serve to us (instead of communal sharing), they need more than one server because it was very slow. The room offers good privacy.

Taipei's Guest House (請客樓) offers a refined dining experience perfect for sharing. We successfully split a set menu and added a la carte dishes. The signature "Whispered" appetizer and the fragrant Sesame Oil Chicken Rice are absolute, must-order highlights. This distinctive, high-quality Sichuan and Huaiyang cuisine provides a truly memorable and sophisticated meal.

Very nice place and food is delicious and display is nice. As one of us knows the place very well so we got several complimental food, almost can't finish all dishes. This place really have its level and keep it well. I like spicy and they do have many dishes with right spicy and taste wonderful

This was glorious. I totally get why people rave about guest house. Some highlights: The thin beef jerky was so crispy and flavorful. Beef stir was surprisingly so spicy and so good. 水煮魚 is always a fav and this one did not disappoint with the 嘛. Mapo tofu oh my god. I’m not one for tofu, not even mapo tofu, but I could eat endless amounts of this one. Rice noodles just kept ending up in my mouth… I was so full at this point and yet I couldn’t stop. They also perfected the 麻油雞飯 flavor wow

As per its name, a presentable place to indulge guests. Food is good. Our favorite (must ordered) is the sea cucumber, flavorful, bouncy and chewy. The highly recommended applewood infused short ribs is well prepared though the meat could be better selected so it won’t have too much tendon/tough part. The hawthorn juice is delicious. Amazing service - helpful in highlighting special dishes; apportion soups and juice on the side and serve to each guest. Overall great service, good food. Pricing is on the high end. Averages NTD 2090 per head for lunch.

Food was flavorful and creative — the shrimp lettuce wrap and the noodles were standouts, super tasty and memorable. But as a Michelin-starred spot (and formerly two stars), we came in with higher expectations, not just for the food but also for the service. Unfortunately, service didn’t quite measure up. Our server accidentally spilled our watermelon juice and didn’t offer a replacement, and despite noting it was a birthday celebration when we made the reservation, the team completely missed the cue to bring out the cake. The ambiance and dishes were great, but service fell short — maybe that’s part of the reason for the star drop. Still a solid experience, just not quite as polished as we’d hoped.

Excellent service and good quality of food indeed. I was glad we did not go for the set menu and just chose the dishes we felt like trying, as the serving size was adequate for 4 adults who just wanted to try as many dishes as possible but didn’t want to have any leftover. It was a decent Asian lunch to treat overseas visitors or families, as they did a great job serving you tea and food at the right pace with plenty of privacy and time to talk. We ordered 7-8 dishes, 3 desserts and tea, and it cost us about 7000-8000 NTD. Highly recommended to visit during weekdays if you have trouble booking or go with a group of friends to try more dishes.

Food was not what i anticipated. Some dishes came out salty and had to be sent back to remake. I can't say any of the dishes we ordered was outstanding. Moderate food at high end price. However, i did enjoy the culinary butler services.

I enjoyed my stay at Sheraton in the last few days, my second time this month. Rooms are nice and clean, well stocked with coffee, tea, & bottled water. It has a few dining facilities, a deli, and a bar/lobby that I used a few times to meet with friends. The Sheraton Fitness is on the 17th floor. I was so busy eating and drinking with friends that I didn't find time to explore the gym. It is conveniently located next to a blue (BL13) MRT station. You are enter/exit from exit #2 (the closest) or exit #3 that has an elevator when you have luggages.

Was here in 2019 right before COVID pandemic broke out. Being a Bonvoy member I always stay here. It is the most convenient of the Marriott brands in Taipei. Everything is as I remember it except for the coffee bar. They now have a convenient drip coffee that tastes great. No mor toiletries in the room but you can ask for a bag in the lobby. Restaurants in hotel are fantastic but a bit pricy. Many decent places to eat around the hotel. Metro line is just outside the hotel.

This review is for the Guest House that has the tasting menus. Dress code is anything from casual to formal. We did the pine set option. It was good overall. They give you bigger portions than most tasting menus. I would have liked to hear the servers give explanations about each course, instead of just setting it down. We didn't do the Michelin menu but many of the same items were also on our menu. The highlights for me were the first course that had 6 different items on the plate, Buddha jumps over the wall chicken soup, braised pork knuckle, and the sweetened almond soup with egg white and bird's nest. The braided lobster was a little dry, a side of butter would have improved the flavor. Pan fried A5 wagyu was good but it didn't melt in my mouth. The soon hock with scrambled egg in fish gravy was tasty but I was hoping for something more complicated. This is the kind of dish you can get on the regular menu not the tasting menus. This should be replaced with something more upscale. I would give the tasting menu a 3.5/5.

I arrived at this hotel during my vacation with my spouse and a family friend who has never been to Taiwan before. It was also my spouse's 43rd birthday today. It was a fight from the very beginning at check-in to try and get my Lifetime Titanium Elite membership benefits in the two rooms that I had booked and paid full price for. They flat out refused to give my group of three access to the concierge lounge for appetizers and drinks and acted like they were being magnanimous by offering us breakfast in the morning. This is totally unacceptable. I have stayed over 1,200 nights at various Marriott properties over the past 25 years. The person who presented herself to me as the hotel's general manager (Yoshi Wu) wasn't helpful or accommodating at all. She also refused to provide me with her regional manager's contact info.

It's been exactly a year now and I am glad that I am back again for an update . Everything from check-in to restaurant we're still perfect and professional. I want to give the review for my first time at the restaurant . The buffet offers a great variety of choices . Sushi stations have excellent choices of sashimi and sushi freshly made to order , carving station has prime beef and other meats , noodle section has traditional Chinese ginseng chicken soup , etc . Overall , this is an excellent restaurant for breakfast lunch and dinner buffet. The location is very convenient , there are two 7-11 and family marts around the corner , MIT stations are right outside the hotel . I wish I can stay here a little longer .....until my next trip to Taipei again . Good job Sheraton employees!

Someone went thru my auntie's bag and took roughly $600+ in pesos and dollars with a photo of the opened envelope that was sealed. The management claimed that no one went to her room and advised us that we should file with police but because it happened the night before our early flight . We didn't have enough time to call and my auntie is extremely upset and helpless that she just let it go. We feel that the management would help more. We booked 3 rooms for 3 nights and one of the room was under the gym so the first night my family was tired from traveling and woke up @ 5 am with a banging noise. They moved my family and agreed that because the gym is above that noise is expected but no compensation for the inconvenience. Overall, we expected a better service. We stayed @ Sheraton Saigon prior to come to this hotel and we feel that we got treated better there than here.

A conveniently located (especially if one is relying primarily on the MRT for travel) hotel, the Sheraton Grand Taipei was a great place to spend a few nights on a recent trip to Taipei. While there's not too much going on in the immediate vicinity unless you're into 豆漿 （dou jiang - soy milk) breakfast in which case there is a much hyped place a block away with long lines, its location one stop from Taipei Main Station on the blue line makes it rather quick to access a number of other subway lines on the MRT. The hotel itself is pretty nice. As a Titanium member of the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program, I was entitled to a welcome gift of points or breakfast in their restaurant. I also had access to their club lounge which offered breakfast separate from the restaurant and various food throughout the day and drinks and food during "happy hour" (reservation required) at night. The food quality in the lounge seemed roughly on par with the food served at the breakfast buffet, which is to say it was okay but not great. If you want to save some money I guess you could keep yourself full with just these options but Taiwan is known for great cheap food so only eating in the hotel would be a terrible waste. I chose the breakfast in restaurant over points. The breakfast area was pretty nice looking. You select a time window for your breakfast to help with capacity control. Food quality and selection is impressive if all you've known is continental breakfasts at American hotels and about par for the course for a nice Asian hotel. As mentioned before the food is decent and maybe even good but not great. I was upgraded from a standard room to a "deluxe" room. No idea if there's much of a difference but the room was clean, spacious enough, and pretty nice. The bathroom was fairly impressive - loved the shower design. If you're not used to asian heated toilet seats and bidets the toilet might be a bit much for you but it was a nice modern touch. Didn't try the tub. Robes, slippers, a few snacks and plenty of bottled water was provided in the room, which was handy since one should generally not drink tap water in Taiwan. Bottled water is cheap and plentiful here. Overall, enjoyed the stay and would definitely stay again.

Back again in Taipei for Moon Festival, the town and hotel is low demand as everyone has looked to get out of town Got upgraded to a two room executive suite. Given Covid the lounge is all served dinner and breakfast, actually think better food and service than when it was a buffet, can't beat the value, service and amenities. Can't beat the value, service and proximity to things!

Nice hotel great breakfast and walking distance to Taipei Main Station. Club lounge is nice and all round good service

This property is in a convenient location. Has a lovely club lounge, well maintained rooms with comfortable furnishings. Incredible patient and helpful staff. The decor is modern and familiar. Only irritation was from the noise from elevator maintenance, but they warned us about it especially when I considered booking a meeting room in the club lounge where the noise was loudest during the day

Sheraton Grand is located within a walking distance from Taipei train station. High speed train from the airport is available and convenient for transportation. Also centrally locates for all kinds of restaurants (street vendors to nice ones) Staff spoke excellent English and very polite and efficient. A room is comfortably large enough and I really liked their bathroom. Separate shower and oversized tub. I sent my suits for dry cleaning and it came back very nicely. Gym has good amount of equipment available and they have an outdoor swimming pool. However their pool is very small and not really ideal for a lap swim. (I did it anyway)... Breakfast is 770 NT and it was just okay. They have so many small shops opens early for cheap breakfast. Might be fun to venture out to try local food.

Good place to enjoy afternoon tea. It offered more than just snack. In fact, it was more like a comprehensive lunch buffet that included salad, main dishes, sushi, sashimi, fruits, desserts, ice cream, and all kinds of coffee & fruit juices/sodas; customers ate the afternoon tea could definitely skip dinner, since it lasted from 1500-1700. This restaurant located adjacent to the hotel lobby is a ideal place for customers who like to eat late lunch.

Excellent service, good location, great food in the club lounge. I was greeted by the staff at the front door upon our arrival. I got to the hotel before 10 am. I was able to have an early check-in. The front staff also offer me the late check out until 4 pm. It's very convenient. I got the automatic upgrade since I'm SPG membership. The room is very clean and updated. The fitness center has all the equipment that I need for my daily workout. When I was waiting for my friend in the lobby, the staff offered me a bottle of water. I was surprised for someone noticed me since the lobby was busy at the time. I and my friend had breakfast at the club lounge. The food is great. There were many varieties between western breakfast and Asian traditional food. We were greeted by an excellent staff, her name is Emma. She brought us coffee and introduced us to the places and Taiwanese food that we can try. I appreciated her great service and her warm smile. I highly recommend this hotel to everyone.

Wonderful place to stay. Clean and comfortable. Near MRT. Great restaurants in hotel. I would definitely stay here again.

The Sheraton Hotel in Taipei is a good hotel. I have stayed here many times over a lot of years. In terms of location, this hotel is ideally located for you to walk pretty much anywhere in central Taipei. This is really a good thing because, at least as I see it, Taipei is one of those city to truly come to know you should see it on foot. Whether you want to walk to the Chang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, the Taipei Songshan Sports Center, or the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, if you are willing to hit the payment this hotel is a good central location to do it from. In terms of staffing, overall this is a pretty good place. Through my many stays at this hotel, for the most part, the staff has always been nice and helpful. A few times, when the staff was overwhelmed by an influx of Mainland Chinese Tourists, which at least in recent years has become the primary customers at this hotel, they were a bit less than courteous. But overall, no real complaints. The rooms are nice. They are not great but they are okay for a five-star hotel. This is not one of those hotels that you go into the room and say, "Wow." But, the rooms are clean, well taken care of, and provide you with all of your necessary amenities. There are a couple of pretty good restaurants in this hotel. They have a nice Thai restaurant and the Antoine Room is a nice place for upscale dining. Personally, I like The Pizza Pub which is a good place to grab a quick meal and have a beer. Overall, however, as I always say, if you want to truly experience local cuisine don't eat at a hotel restaurant. Go to where the local's eat. Overall, this is a good place to stay in Taipei. I have continued to return to this hotel and plan to do so in the future.

I really enjoyed my stay at Sheraton Taipei Hotel during my Weekend in Taipei. Close to Train and Bus and Subway Stations so I can get to wherever I want easily! I usually end up taking the Airport Express Bus from Taoyuan International to Main Station and it is less than 15 minute walk or so to the hotel. And of course, High Speed Rail Station also has train that takes me to any of the surrounding area. Subway will take me to near by tourist sights! The room I stayed in was quite spacious for Asian standard but a little dated. Standard amenities though I never have breakfast as I rather have a simple Taiwanese breakfast in the smaller restaurants in surrounding area. Will probably stay here again next time when I am visiting Taipei! Hopefully soon!

Great location. There is a subway station on the block and the high speed rail station is only one stop away. The breakfast has many options and is very filling. The rooms are comfortable. The staff is attentive and helpful. The large atrium tends to be very warm, particularly on the higher floors. Also the guest rooms get warm until you return and adjust the thermostat.

Marriott cancelled my reservation for 5 days without any communication. I showed up and they had my family and infant waiting in the lobby for 30 minutes calling the global headquarters to resolve the issue. The experience was quite unprofessional in terms of the interaction with the front desk.

This hotel is located in Zhongzheng which is within a 15-minute walk of Shandao temple and National Taiwan Museum. Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Taipei Botanical Garden. Very close to museums and lots of restaurants in this area. Staff speaks English as well as Mandarin Chinese. Spacious rooms and comfortable beds and amenities. They also have breakfast buffet that you can pay to enjoy. Absolutely delicious with western and eastern style dishes. Definitely a must have is their desserts. So pretty and decadent and quite tasty.

How come the Sheraton here is so much nicer then the ones in California??? What a nice surprise! Great location! it's 10 mins walking distance to Taipei station and yes it means you will be surrounded by FOOD Their suite is nicely decorated and comfortable. Automatic wash toilet seat in both bathrooms. The room is dark enough and cold enough with a comfy bed. I love the master bath since there's a glass wall between the tub and the bedroom. so you can still see your love one while taking a bath. Executive Lounge Pretty standard but seem more quite then the other SPG lounges. Food is limited and taste so so. Still a good place to work. Luckily there are so many little local restaurants around the hotel (within 1 mins walk). It's easy to get a quick bite. Staff are very nice and helpful!

I've stayed at this hotel many times over the years, at least 10 stays across the last 10 years. Just completed my most recent stay today and this hotel is really excellent choice for value and location. It's in the Taipei Railway Station area which is a very convenient part of town with lots of shopping nearby and easy MTR or taxi ride to the Taipei 101 area. I think the best part of this hotel is all the little surprises. In the SPG rooms for platinum members, they upgraded the toiletries to Heyland and Whittle (paraben-free, natural products). The lounge has a great selection of breakfast and HH items. You can almost have dinner just in the lounge during HH. The breakfast in the atrium cafe has improved over the years and now has a great selection of local Taiwanese offering as well as really well executed western breakfast dishes. Breakfast also features a number of healthy fresh-squeezed vegetables juices and an amazing salad bar offering items like baby taro. The rooms, while a bit dated are very clean and comfortable. Highly recommend this hotel. I'll be back often. Note: The internet is often spotty here.

I have stayed at this hotel a couple of times and it certainly lives up to my expectation. For the price I paid, I think it deserves recommendation for those who wish to live near Taipei Main Station: Located near to Shandao Temple Station and 15-20 minutes walk to Taipei Main Station, it's conveniently located and there are a few decent cafes and restaurants near to it. There is also an airport bus stop that takes you to Taoyuan Airport, so it's pretty convenient. As for the room, it's not the most modern around, but it has what you expect - spacious, comfortable beds , free wifi and hot showers and these are important for a comfortable stay! The staff are friendly and courteous and their English is decent so you shouldn't have language problem with the staff. Check out the buffet as the hotel has some decent offerings, but I rather spend the money elsewhere, enjoying the good local food at the Taiwanese night markets.

Grand Sheraton is a good hotel with a great location. When we first checked in very late at night, there was construction going on and it was very noisy in the lobby. I was afraid that this would not be a good stay with the construction work but there were no such issues. The rooms were quiet and had all the basic amenities you would need. The rooms are a bit old but everything was clean. We were 3 people in the room and had booked 2 double beds. I guess the size of double bed in Asia is different than the one in US as the double bed looked more of a twin bed. The sleeping arrangements were a little cozy because of this but we managed. :) The breakfast was good with plenty of options. There are other restaurants in the hotel but we did not eat here. This hotel is next to Shandao Temple station and 10 minute walk from Taipei Main station. You can walk to Chiang Kai-Shek memorial hall (10-15 minute walk). There are lot of coffee houses and bakeries around this area. The staff were friendly and helpful.

I had a horrible experience checking into this hotel. Gin tried to help me but she really didn't try to understand my needs. I had booked two rooms and wanted them adjoining since I have small children. After many attempts to tell me it could not happen even though this was requested when booked, she found two rooms that can accommodate the request after requesting to speak to a manager. The rooms were not ready for a couple of hours and when we came back, the rooms that were provided were in separate areas. After waiting for another hour, speaking to the manager Annie and down grading our rooms, we were finally able to get an adjoining room. This hotel has nice rooms, yet if you need any type of special request, you will get the run around.

Nice hotel in a good location in Taipei close to MRT stop and close to a famous hole in the wall breakfast store! It's also very close to the main train station which is a bonus. The rooms are nice except the king bed was basically two adjoining twin beds which was odd. The gym is on a top floor with newish equipment. I like the elevators in the hotel which gives a good panoramic view of the entire hotel restaurant. We accidentally left our umbrella in our room and tried to reach out to customer service but weren't able to locate the lost umbrella even though they found other umbrellas.

It's hard to beat the location of the Grand Sheraton in Taipei Taiwan. The staff is super friendly and you're greeted on a first name basis whenever you go to the front desk. I was given a small upgrade to a Junior suite for the one night that I was there. It's an older building. So it's not as new as the Marriott. But the location is absolutely excellent. I have a friend who stays there regularly and raves about it. The staff in the concierge lounge are very nice as well. The selection wasn't spectacular but it was fine.

The hotel located about about a 1/2 mile from the main train station nearby the main bus depot. The hotel has several meeting rooms and specialty restaurants. We were checked in by Lien at the front desk. The service at the hotel was outstanding. The rooms were large. The Internet Service was very good. The Breakfast Buffet was extensive and the food was very good. New stay checked in April 2019 upgraded to a suite arrived late at night. The next morning I had some questions about the buffet breakfast or the Sheraton Club Lounge breakfast Mabel explained the new benefits under the Marriott Bonvoy Benefits. I needed a large box William who works at the front desk and at the Concierge Desk in the Club Lounge found the exact size at the Post Office near the hotel.

I stayed at the Sheraton Grande Taipei Hotel for a week, and overall, the rooms were pretty nice and the amenities were adequate. The entryway and corridors are not as grand and expensive as you would see in hotels in mainland China. I would say 85% of the guests I saw were in big Chinese tour groups, and about 10% were business travelers, if that. This hotel is mainly for tour groups, as evidenced by two big tables that tour operators have in the lobby. The lobby is always rushed and cramped. Over the course of the week, I had two different rooms, with drastically different layouts. One had a very large bed area in a very small bathroom with the shower and tub in the same place. The other room had a very small bed area but the bathroom was very large and had a standalone shower. They were pros and cons to both, but I guess I like the bigger bathroom layout. I would talk to check-in before I arrive to ensure which kind of layout I want, since they're both the same price. I read online that people really enjoyed the breakfast buffet. It was pretty large, that's for sure. They have mainly Chinese options, with a few Western standards. Towards the end of my stay, after having tried basically everything, I personally stuck to the French toast and the Indian chickpea salad, since that's the best they had. There's a large fruit area, which is standard for hotel like this that caters to Chinese guests. The gym here is not very large, but there's almost a "secret" gym upstairs from the original gym that no one told me about but I found out about it by wondering. It's where the pool is. There's also a very large men's sauna. The sauna was very expansive and had shower stations everywhere and steam rooms and hot tubs and even a very nice lounging area. At the end of the day, Sheraton Grande Taipei Hotel is a good option if you're saying in Taipei. The location is relatively aentral, though it's about 10 minutes by walking distance to the nearest metro station, if tourism is the primary reason for your visit. The service is very nice and up to Western standards.

We returned to the Sheraton Grand Taipei recently for another visit, and it was just as wonderful as the first time a year earlier. The facilities are still immaculately clean (housekeeping is excellent), high quality, and nicely designed. The location is right on an MRT stop, and easy to get around (and walking distance to many other sites). There are also numerous top restaurants on-site, and locals know it as a top destination. We also heard that renovations are underway (even though the rooms and common areas are already really nice). Of course, the thing that really sets the Sheraton Grand Taipei apart is service, and that is still excellent. We were treated like old friends as well as respected guests by so many wonderful staff from the moment we checked in to the moment we left (especially in the Club Lounge). Over our stay, we had the pleasure of interacting with numerous staff: 1) Sylvia and Talon were great managers of the Club Lounge, orchestrating the very well run operation. Sylvia, in particular, was wonderful--helping us with beautiful accommodations, helping make very difficult last minute reservations, and checking on us throughout the stay. a. It was also clear when Sylvia and Talon were the managers on duty, because the staff were more relaxed and interacted with guests more (in addition to doing their regular duties), which is one of the things that differentiates the Club Lounge (and Sheraton) from just another hotel with free breakfast/meals. We hope their approach of allowing staff engagement with guests continues. 2) Numerous staff in the Club Lounge were a pleasure: a. Emma was phenomenal! She welcomed us like an old friend and even remembered our preferences from a year ago. She also was so easy/fun to speak with, and was the best person we have ever seen at interacting with guests. Guests would open up, laugh, and share their experiences, leaving with smiles. She embodies the type of class, elegance, and friendliness that we associate with the Sheraton Grand (and seems a natural fit to excel one day be in a managerial role there if given the opportunity). b. Harry was a whirlwind of energy. We don't think he ever stopped moving, running, and making sure guests were happy and taken care of (all while displaying a friendly presence). He's a wonderful and invaluable asset to the Club Lounge. c. Several other staff were wonderful to speak with throughout our stay and taught us about Taiwan: Michelle, Tammy, Kezia, Tiffany, Iris, and the young gentleman whose name we did not get. The service was impeccable and the interactions were all wonderful. Overall, we still highly recommend the Sheraton Grand Taipei as a place to stay, experience, and enjoy on a visit to the area. We are looking forward to visiting again in the future.

It's clean, quiet but seriously overpriced for the quality. I wouldn't have say so if I didn't just stayed in Taipei Garden Hotel last week. I actually have something to compare with. It's clean but everything is older and double the price. The only upside is the roof top swimming pool.

7 mins away from Taipei main station, which makes it super convenience for a business traveler to reach! Employees are friendly. Also, you would perhaps want to stay at club floor to enjoy the exclusive, attentive, and authentic customer service!

This is nice hotel near a really fun area in Taipei the metro is right out the doors so it makes it really easy to go anywhere in the city. The staff is nice but there is definitely a language barrier. The 17th floor lounge is really nice and has alcohol available for certain hours everyday. Some of the rooms are smaller then others. We stayed 7 nights so I ended up having 3 different rooms. The staff was willing to fix any mistake. The breakfast is typical Asian breakfast with a few American things each day. I would definitely stay there again mainly because of the location.

Great location for a spg hotel in Taipei as the Westin closed this year. Lots of local food 10 min walk from the hotel.

This has always been one of my favorite hotels in Taipei, I love their buffet and it's actually where I celebrated my graduation. I recently visited and was kinda disappointed by how noisy and crowed the lobby was. It felt like I was at the night market! There was no special occasion that day, but I think nevertheless they need to control the lobby situation. Some people were just jumping around make loud noises like they were kids. It's really disrespectful to others, I wasn't there for a few mins to say it's ok they are just passing by. I was in the lobby for a while having an important discussion,but constantly got distracted. Maybe they should stop people who come to dine in large groups to exit from the lobby.

A very good hotel. Rooms are clean, beds are comfortable. The hotel is served by Airport Express Bus. Public transportation is nearby.

The hotel itself is not bad. The Chinese restaurant in the hotel has absolutely the worst service I have ever encountered. the waitresses are morons and the manager was of no help. We waited over 40 minutes to have our porridge. the food is not bad, but a bit overpriced. The poor service spoiled the meal. For the crappy service, they have the audacity to charge a mandatory gratitude. definitely a no go for me.