Taiwan provides the full range of lodgings, from basic hostels to world-class resorts. Air-con is standard and no key deposit is required but you'll need your passport or ID to check in. Note that the quality can vary, even at the same price range. Foreigner visitors are not overcharged. Outside of popular areas in summer there is usually no need to prebook rooms.
Accommodation is generally priced per room (or number of beds per room) and not per guest. What is called a 'single' room in other countries (one single bed) is rare; a 'single' in Taiwanese hotel lingo usually means a room with one queen-sized bed, suitable for a couple. 'Double' generally means a double bed but could also mean a twin, ie two beds per room. A suite is generally called a taofang (ie a room with a separate living area). In the countryside many hotels and homestays have rooms called tongpu (東埔). These have no beds but offer thick quilts and floor mats. Usually you must book the whole room but if it's not busy you can often have the room to yourself and just pay for a single person.
Summer, Chinese New Year and Saturday nights are high season. Discounts off the rack rate are the norm even in high season except for a very few hotels (mostly strictly budget) that always charge the same price. Sometimes you must ask, but mostly discounts are given automatically (often they are written on the hotel's price list). Discounts range from 10% to 50%. For resort discounts try midweek and for business hotel discounts try the weekends.
