As a continuation of our short set of observations from Seoul, here’s the hotel portion. Since we didn’t see much of the city the last time we thought it would be nice to stay in a different location that was more convenient to the shopping district.

Reason for Choosing

We chose the Seoul Hyatt partially because we needed the stay credit and it was reasonable priced with using cash and points (which give stay credits). It ended up being ~100USD a night and ~7500 points a night vs ~350USD a night. Which for it’s convenient and free shuttle bus to shopping, dining, and metro (Myeongdong area), let alone the view of the city was a great value.

Free Hyatt shuttle bus

The bus has two stops both close to a metro stop. One is in the Iteawon area (circled lower) which has a lot of little restaurants, bars and some shops.

The other is at Myeongdong Station. There is certainly a lot of retail shopping and is a short walk to Namdaemun Market.

Lobby and Check-in/Check-out Experience

We were ultimately checked-in in the lounge. When we arrived, the front desk staff escorted us to the lounge for check-in, but we both agreed, after a long trip it’s hard hearing that you just can’t check-in at the main desk when there is no one around. The main lobby and reception area was quite large and spacious.  While the hotel was pretty full while we were there it never felt crowded.

Check out also occurred at the lounge.  We were able to book our trip back to the airport (KAL airport bus) and charge it to the room with out extra fees.

Where the hotel stood out

The room was standard but had a good location a floor above the lounge.  The nicest part was that the bed.  It was fantastic.  One of the best beds we’ve had at a hotel.  Great mattress, although it could’ve used an extra pillow or two. This was our second time one floor above the lounge in Seoul and both times there was a stairwell down to the lounge. This was a big plus, as the elevators were slower than we would have liked.

Since it was my wife’s birthday I offered up grabbing cake or a treat from the bakery.  Well it turns out they had cream horns.  Which happened to be one of her favorite childhood deserts.  She totally vouches for them. It was one of the best she’s had or so she said.

Where the hotel fell a little short

While the dinner and the breakfast were not much to write home about they did surfice. One of the nice things is there is a separate lounge for families at night.  This other lounge is open all day as well and located on another floor.

The pool looks very big from the room but becomes very pack on the weekends.  The spa and pool area are nice but while we were there they did not handle the crowds very well. There was not a lot of seating by mid-day, and the hot tubs (one indoor, one out door) were not properly sized to the size of the hotel. One word of note: the hotel sells passes to the local families to use the spa/pool/exercise area. This seems to increase the number of people in this part of the hotel on the weekends.

Wrapping Up

Though there are a few less than positives for this hotel the staff was fantastic.  The convenience of the location was wonderful.  If you are into hiking or wandering through a park this is a great option in Seoul, as it is very near the Namsan park that houses Namsan tower, which has great views of the city (perhaps even better views than from the hotel).

Would we stay here again? Most likely, though we might avoid a weekend stay.