OKU Hotel Turns Taichung’s Former Sakurada Department Store into a Stay with Dining and Bar Spaces

The former site of Sakurada Department Store in Taichung's Central District has now been transformed into OKU Hotel, located at No. 357, Chenggong Road, Central District, Taichung. Rather than demolishing and rebuilding, the hotel's renovation preserved the original building's foundation and historical context, allowing the spatial fabric of the old town to continue. The hotel is within walking distance of old-town landmarks such as Taichung Park, Second Market, and the Liuchuan riverside, making it one of the examples of revitalization among old buildings in this area.

The interior design was handled by the international design firm HBA Studio, which has previously worked on projects for Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto, Capella Bangkok, and Park Hyatt Suzhou. For the OKU Hotel project, HBA Studio worked with a building bearing historical traces, requiring a balance between preserving the structure and introducing new functions—a different design logic compared to projects built on entirely new sites.

What facilities does the hotel offer?

OKU Hotel features Lumen restaurant, Ailìse Bar, a gym, and a multifunctional art and culture space. Among these, Ailìse Bar centers on gin culture as its core concept, with an indoor wine/spirit tower serving as one of the visual highlights of the space design. The bar's menu was curated by Victor Yang, proprietor of AHA Saloon and a World Class world champion bartender, meaning the drink list was overseen by a professional with competitive bartending experience.

How should guest rooms and old-town strolls be planned together?

The hotel's official room type page lists features such as a 49-square-meter room type and copper bathtubs, but these descriptions apply only to specific room types and cannot be directly applied to every room in the hotel. When choosing a room, it helps to first check the room's area, bed configuration, and bathroom layout, then compare the materials and layout shown in photos, rather than relying solely on a single promotional image to decide.

Using No. 357, Chenggong Road as a starting point on the map, one can check the relative positions of Taichung Park, Second Market, and the Liuchuan riverside. These destinations correspond respectively to a park, a market with food options, and a riverside walking path, suitable for arranging an itinerary based on the day's intended theme; walking times should be estimated based on the actual route and individual pace.

Why is the old department store's new purpose worth viewing alongside its dining options?

With the hotel, restaurant, bar, and art space all sharing the same building, the renovation extends beyond just the rooms. Lumen and Ailìse offer different usage scenarios at different times of day, allowing readers to observe through the dining spaces how the design team carried forward the building's historical context. Whether the dining and bar venues accept non-guests, as well as their business hours on a given day, should be confirmed directly before visiting.

The key point of observation for OKU Hotel is how the original structure of Sakurada Department Store accommodates new lodging and dining needs. Preserving an old building does not mean all room types are uniform; viewing the public spaces, guest rooms, and surrounding neighborhood together offers a better understanding of how this renovation participates in the daily life of Taichung's Central District.