5-Star Hotels in Seoul

The room was great, located on the 23rd floor with a stunning lake view. When I booked, I selected a three-person meal option for two adults and one child. The price for a two-person meal and a three-person meal was different at the time of booking. However, upon arrival, the hotel informed me that one of the meals in my three-person package was a complimentary children's meal. Since my child is 13 years old, exceeding the 12-year age limit, they were not eligible for the free buffet breakfast, and I was asked to pay. To avoid disrupting our travel plans and mood, I paid for the meal. However, I find this explanation completely unacceptable. I purchased a three-person meal package, but at the hotel, it was treated as if I bought two meals and received one free. If I had known it was a complimentary meal from the hotel, why would I not just book the two-person meal package and save some money?! I urge Trip.com and the hotel to communicate and provide a satisfactory resolution.

This hotel is perfectly located! It's just south of Seoul City Hall Square and west of Myeongdong. The subway station is only a few dozen meters from the lobby entrance, and Sejong-daero is right to the west. It's also not far from the major palaces and Namsan, so the location couldn't be better. The staff are very friendly, attentive, and welcoming. While the facilities might feel a bit more compact compared to newly built five-star hotels in China, they are well-maintained and perfectly adequate. Overall, it offers great value for money.

The bigger the hope, the greater the disappointment. By domestic hotel standards, this place is essentially an upgraded budget hotel in terms of hardware. Regarding the service, every staff member I encountered greeted me warmly and proactively. When my ride-share dropped me off at ground level, two attendants helped me carry my luggage upstairs. Its location is absolutely unbeatable, right in Myeongdong. It's very close to Lotte Duty-Free, Shinsegae Duty-Free, and the Nanta show. My final conclusion is: Is it worth over 5,000 won for two nights? I can only say that the Wyndham I stayed at in Busan for just over 700 won felt more like a five-star hotel in terms of amenities, and it only cost a third of what I paid here.

Everything else was top-notch and, in many ways, exceeded our experiences at other Four Seasons properties. However, one aspect we found disappointing was the strict minimum spending requirement per guest. We were traveling with children, yet regardless of their age, we were required to meet a minimum spend of approximately $150 per person to be seated at both the terrace restaurant and the Japanese restaurant. Even at the Italian restaurant, we felt pressured to order both appetizers and main courses for the children. While the food and service were excellent, these policies made dining with a family feel less welcoming and detracted from an otherwise outstanding stay.

The hotel employee was very thoughtful and provided us with free room upgrade and a slice of cake because of our wedding anniversary. That was very considerate and nice gesture. Also warm water in the pool was a big bonus. However, there are few things I would like to point out which are important for us as a family traveling with a kid: 1) children are not allowed to play screen golf. That was upsetting since we never had such issue at other hotels. Also you need to reserve time slot first, which doesn’t work for people who came to Seoul for tourism or leisure purposes. 2) children are only allowed to enter pool until 17:00. That’s extremely strange since many people check in after 15:00 and there would be no time to swim at all in that case. Also people mainly prefer to do shopping and sightseeing and relax at pool when they return in the evening. So this restriction is very strange for us. In that case hotel needs to either notify the guests during reservation or turn it into “adults only” hotel. 3) hotel has a very strict check in check out rules: 15:00 check in and 11:00 check out, not 30 min later/earlier; while standard international check in is 14:00 and check out 12:00. Usually hotels especially 5 stars hotels are very flexible and let guests check in 1-2h earlier if the guests already arrived and would allow them check out 30min-1h later without any issue. 4) Gym and pool close at 21:30. That’s very early compare to other hotels, where facilities usually work until 23:00 and sometimes even 24h. 5) Gym, sauna and pool are not exclusive to the hotel guests only. Anybody with paid membership can enter, which makes it crowded and inconvenient for hotel guests, especially on holidays and weekends. Also you need to take 2 different lifts and walk by the bridge to get there (basically it’s not the same building as hotel) I would say it’s not a 5 star hotel, but more like a premium residence, that is suitable for a long term stay without children.

I booked for 3 nights, but apart from the check-in day, housekeeping only came once during the other two days. I'm not sure what kind of frequency that's supposed to be. Before booking, I saw reviews mentioning slow housekeeping, but I thought it was an isolated incident. Since I was out shopping all day in Seoul and only got back to the hotel around 7 or 8 PM, seeing a messy bed and sofa really affected my mood! The room only came with 4 bottles of water daily, and refills weren't always prompt. Toothbrushes cost 2000 KRW each. My Chinese charger worked fine, no adapter needed. The front desk staff at check-in were very friendly, and the location is super convenient. You can enter Hyundai Department Store directly from a small door in the hotel lobby. These were the only two good points. The department store closes at 8:30 PM. Hope this helps anyone considering booking.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Four stars, deductions mainly for hardware details) For our trip to Busan's Haeundae, we booked this two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment-style family room. Booking in advance made the price very reasonable, and it's perfect for groups or families traveling with children. ✅ Pros & Highlights: 1. **Excellent Location**: Right next to the heart of Haeundae's main street. You can step out and immediately find shops for browsing, shopping, and buying daily necessities, making transportation incredibly convenient. It's only three subway stops directly to Shinsegae Centum City department store, making shopping and dining hassle-free. 2. **Great Layout**: It’s a standard two-bedroom, one-living-room layout with two queen-sized beds (1.5m). The two bathrooms mean no fighting over facilities. It also has a separate living room and an open-plan kitchen, plus a washing machine in the room, which makes daily laundry and cooking very convenient. 3. **Unique Balcony & Amenities**: The most unique feature is the rotating balcony, offering a good view. There's a café on the ground floor where guests can have breakfast (I didn't pre-order breakfast). The overall space is spacious and has a strong homey feel. There are three air conditioners in the unit, providing ample cooling. ⚠️ Areas for Improvement: 1. **Housekeeping Request**: Unlike regular hotels, there's no 'make up room' light. If you want your room cleaned, you have to call the front desk to schedule it, which is quite inconvenient. 2. **Lack of Blackout Curtains**: The second bedroom only has a sheer curtain, no thick blackout curtain. As soon as it gets light, direct sunlight streams into the room, making it easy to be woken up and affecting sleep quality. I hope the hotel can add blackout curtains to improve this. 3. **AC Remote Control Issue**: There's only one remote control for three air conditioners. If you want to turn on the AC in different rooms, you have to keep moving the remote back and forth, which is very inconvenient to use. 4. **Hot Common Hallways**: The common hallways on each floor don't have air conditioning. When entering and leaving the room, the hallways feel noticeably stuffy and uncomfortable. Overall, the value for money is good, and the location and layout are very suitable for family travel. However, there are quite a few hardware details that could be optimized. Friends who are particular about blackout curtains and AC remote convenience might want to consider these points beforehand.

I booked the Timber Room. The location was fantastic, especially being in the Gangbuk area. While the parking lot was spacious, the corners on the ramps going up and down were extremely narrow, requiring careful navigation. The 'mountain view' wasn't really visible from our room; I kept the curtains drawn because it felt like people right next door could easily see inside, which was a bit disappointing. The swimming pool was decent, and all the staff members were very friendly. Although I didn't try breakfast, it's known to be excellent, so I plan to have it on my next visit. The TV in the living room wasn't working for some reason. I was too lazy to try and fix it, so I just ate without it. It was a shame there was no table, and the sofa felt quite old, which was also a minor drawback. Despite these minor issues, there was absolutely no noise from upstairs, downstairs, or neighboring rooms. Opening the living room window let in lovely bird sounds, making it feel very nature-friendly.

Facilities: The hotel is well-equipped. Although it's located halfway up a hill, there's a shuttle bus for tourists to Myeongdong and Hannam-dong, and it's also very convenient to call an Uber or a taxi right outside. If you don't go out, you can easily spend half a day at the hotel's swimming pool and gym during the day, and the lobby bar in the evening has a great ambiance with live music. Ambiance: The hotel has a very old-money feel. The window views are beautiful, and the colors of the mountain forest change with the seasons, which I imagine would also change one's experience of the hotel. The rooms are very beautiful; I highly recommend a mountain-view room. Service: The service is exceptionally attentive, breaking away from traditional Korean service. There are staff members at every point, especially in the gym and dining areas, who guide you, so you won't feel lost or confused when you go by yourself.

On this trip to Seoul, I chose the Novotel, and it was a great decision! The location is fantastic, just a few minutes' walk from the subway station, making it super convenient to get to Sinsa and Apgujeong for shopping. The room was spotless and very comfortable. The gym and sauna were a nice bonus; after a long day of exploring, a good soak was incredibly relaxing. The breakfast had a wide variety of options, and I was very satisfied with it. Plus, they have robots that deliver items, which is a really cool and convenient touch. Overall, the experience was consistently excellent. Whether you're in Gangnam for leisure or business, staying here will make your trip very easy and comfortable. Just a heads-up: check-in is at 3 PM, so plan your arrival accordingly.