Seoul, Korea
Jaded Hotel Report May 29-30 2013 Seoul, Korea
Stayed one night in the Grand Hyatt Seoul. I didn’t try the gym, room service, or any other services. But I did have breakfast in the Terrace restaurant, and it was quite good, if expensive - about $40 US. The coffee was very good. Full range of American, Japanese and Korean options. The bread and fruits were very fresh. The overall feel of the hotel is a bit dated, but in a good, grand way. True to its name it sits up on a hill overlooking the area, and the views from the lobby and many of the rooms are excellent. There is a large pool and beautiful gardens and greens around the property. Very nice terrace area for outdoor dining. The immense lobby is warm yet opulent, with wood throughout, and large pillars, high ceilings. Very nice place to hang out for coffee or drinks. The seletion of restaurants is very good, including a coffe/wine/dessert café that looked wonderful – I wish I had time to try it!
The service was excellent throughout. Friendly and quick to help without being overbearing. The halls and rooms are quiet, and have a distinct Asian feel with wood and mirrors and ink drawing/ paintings to accent. First impression of the room – very appealing and welcoming. The room was smallish but felt larger due to the huge bank of windows and the glass table/counter that extended the width of the windows. There is plenty of counter and cabinet space in beautiful wood, with mirror accents everywhere. If you don’t care for mirrors watch out here, the bathroom is almost fully mirrored. I found it sparkling clean and fully functional with excellent water pressure, temp, full supply of amenities nicely displayed. The towels, robes were large and fluffy. The bedding was soft, although the bed itself seemed hard to me, I had no discomfort sleeping on it. I missed the lack of a non-allergenic pillow though.
Minibar fully stocked. Nice large coffee/tea pot with good supply of sugars, creams etc. NO iron and board. There was a good sized safe, internet was free for basic services which was fine for my purposes. Temperature was fully controllable, and I was able to make it nice and cool for sleeping. Noise level negligible aside from the occasional bump. TV channels seemed rather limited to me – many Korean channels, but not much selection other than the basics for US. There was a DVD player though. Power plugs were fully accessible for various plug types, including US and UK. Also full data access USB, cable, etc. Room lighting was great – plenty of light. No make-up mirror in the bath, so it was a little awkward to find the right mirror with the right light, but there were plenty of them!! The bath soaps, etc. were very good quality. Very pleased with the closet – lots of top quality wooden hangers, plus several soft hangers. Plenty of room.
I enjoyed the hotel very much and next time I am in Seoul I will stay there and try to explore more options!
Jaded Hotel Report May 30-June 1 2013 Sheraton Incheon
This hotel is quite different in style than the Grand Hyatt. It’s much more modern, in a city full of high rises and office towers. The feel of the lobby and the room is typical modern hotel – a bit chilly and utilitarian. The front desk service was efficient, but in general lacking in the traditional Korean arrival feel. Same with the room and the hallways. First impression of the room – nice size, roomy. The room is fully functional, and larger than the other one. Excellent view (I am on one of the SPG floors – 15th) large bank of windows. Very complex light system by the bed, which is handy once you get used to the buttons. Nice pressed coffee service – excellent touch! Also there is a large tea pot and very good mini bar selection. Full power access and data access options at the desk, which is a generous size with good lighting. Comfortable desk chair, plus an easy chair and ottoman with lighting for reading right above it. Nice!! The counter space, and storage is also good in this room – the layout is typical.
Closet is very nice, with excellent hangers, soft hangers, iron and board, good bath robes – although not the softest, fully functional terry cloth robes. Phone service worked on the first try, unlike the Grand, which I was never able to get out of “busy signal”.
Day 2 – the bed is definitely comfortable. The shower does not hve the same pressure and the temperature is temperamental, either very hot or too cold. The pressure could have to do with the “green” aspects. The internet is NOT free. The breakfast is not nearly as nice as the Hyatt, albeit cheaper. The business center is not open on weekends, the restaurant selection seems kind of limited. There is no outside pool, so no pool bar area to relax. The lobby lounge is strangely configured. All in very open space, kind of echoey and cold, it feels more like an internet café than a true lounge. I tried to go down just now at noon to get a beer and maybe some lunch, but the place with a bar area did not open until 1 pm. The regular breakfast place was open, but it has no ambiance at all.
The concierge was helpful with shipping my papers home – god knows how much it will cost!! They say there is a gift shop, but it’s a very high end place, not the normal thing, and so far as I can tell there isn’t anything easily accessible. This whole area seems to be in the developmental stage, not fully established as a commercial, retail center. You can take a taxi to Incheon, I guess, but for some reason I am not in the adventurous mood today. More and more that seems to be the case. It’s just that this hotel doesn’t feel comfortable at all. It is reasonable price, and it’s not BAD by any stretch. It’s just impersonal, kind of antiseptic, not all that pleasant. I think that maybe I will share a taxi with Eric tonight and just go on over to the airport and shop or something.
So, I am hanging out here for half an hour……the TV channels are very limited on the English language side also – so not too much to rely on there for entertainment.