I’m slowly becoming convinced that Seoul has some of the best hotels of any major city in the world. My recent one night stay at the Lotte Hotel has almost sealed the deal for me. Almost.
Everything about the experience (the check in process, the room, the view, etc.) was great. Nearly perfect even.
My only complaint? Maybe it was a bit too formal for my tastes. I wasn’t expecting such a hoity-toity experience.
A full review of my one night stay at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul
Note: I booked a Grand Deluxe Double Room (say that three times fast!) in the Executive Tower. In other words, what I’m about to show you is a slightly more upscale experience compared to a standard room in the main tower.
Location
The Lotte Hotel is located right in the heart of Seoul (30, Eulji-ro, Jung-gu). As a matter fact, it’s just two blocks away from the Seoul Plaza Hotel – one of my favorite hotels anywhere in the world.
Welcome to the Lotte Hotel in Seoul! Hold onto your butts, because I have a Lotte to say about this one…Things like: “That’s a Lotte of windows!” (Sorry, I’ll stop now). In all seriousness, this is a very good looking property from the outside.
The immediate area is very walkable (and lively). There are a wide variety of shops and restaurants to explore in every direction. I’m telling ya – you’ve gotta be a total curmudgeon to not like how centrally located this hotel is.
Pro tip: if you have reserved a room in the Executive Tower (like I did), take advantage of the separate entrance for that. Of course, I didn’t realize it was even there until after I checked out the next day. Figures.
The lobby (and checking in)
There are two lobbies at this property. The one on the ground floor is for guests in the main tower. The lobby for Executive Tower guests is located on the 7th floor (in the Executive Tower). Both are extremely impressive.
Once inside, you’ll discover two things: First, the decor is phenomenally impressive. Second, the lobby for Executive Tower guests is actually on the 7th floor. At least I was able to figure that out quicker than the fancy entrance thing.
Getting to my room
Finding my room was relatively quick and easy. It was also extremely impressive (at least visually). It almost felt too fancy for a little peon like me.
Oh, and that elevator? That’s phenomenal too.The 20th floor executive tower hallway. I see no executives doing business. The hell?The 66th room on the 20th floor is my domicile for the evening. Let’s do this!
My room
I had fairly high hopes for the Grand Deluxe Double Room. I mean, with a name like that, it just has to be good. Unfortunately, I built it up too much in my mind beforehand. It was a lot smaller than I was expecting.
“Annyeonghaseyoooo!” (Did I do that right?) Big bed, little room. In other words, the size of the king size bed impressed me. The overall size of the room did not.This is the view looking back towards the main entrance. Still small, but pretty freakin’ nice.
The thing that surprised me most about this room is the fact that the style and design was completely different than the room that I had at the Lotte Hotel in Saigon. Same hotel brand. Way (way) different decor.
As you can see, I’m having a bit of difficulty taking pictures of this room without the bed photo bombing everything like a total a**hole. This couch (and table) looks inviting! I’ll have to test this out later.(Later)Just to the left of the couch is……a shelving unit with one hell of an impressive collection of alcohol. Eeny Meeny Miny Moe…Those of us with less sophisticated tastes (and a presumably more boring lifestyle) will appreciate the two bottles of complementary water. And the coffee/tea machine too! Here’s the minibar, filled with (you guessed it) more alcohol. They’re trying really hard to get me to start poppin’ bottles.Actually, I think they’re just trying to get me to spend money. Any money at all. Those Pringles look good, don’t they?They almost got me with the Pringles. Back to the review! That desk I was standing next to in the last pic? It’s sharp AF. Watch out for that corner! Colors and textures are pretty nice IMHO. This room may be small, and I don’t think that it’s very executive-y, but I can give it a high marks for style and design.Another very nice looking (and sharp-cornered) piece of furniture. My apologies if that crooked tissue box is messing with your OCD like it’s messing with mine. “But Scott! I don’t care about the furniture – show me the dang control panel!” Speaking of control panels and switches, I very much appreciated having both 220V and 110V on tap. USB and HDMI ports too!What can I say about the closet space other than 1). The hangers were very high-quality, and 2). The storage / drawer unit was just as useful and stylish as any other furniture in the room, and 3). It contained no dead bodies?
The view
Thanks to being located smack dab in the middle of Seoul, the view from my room was mesmerizing (to say the least). Even from the 20th floor, there was so much to see in every direction. 24 hours a day even.
The view was excellent (day or night). I do recommend a very high floor if you want to avoid all of the noise from the streets below.
The bathroom
OK. The bathroom was a little weird. Yes, it was extremely nice, but the layout was a bit odd – at least if you compare it to the bathroom I had in my room at the Incheon Grand Hyatt.
Oh. That big box on the right? That monstrosity is the bathroom.And that goofy looking guy you see in the vanity mirror? That’s me (pretending to be an influential hotel reviewer).Here I am again (showing you the shower this time). Be honest – how influenced do you feel?There’s also a giant tub in the shower area. Warning: there is no door separating the tub from the rest of the bathroom. Everyone is going to see your junk! At least they had the foresight to put the toilet into which own separate room. A room with a frosted glass door by the way, which is partially transparent. I say again: everyone is going to see your junk!All criticisms about privacy aside, it’s a nice bathroom. I’d rate it a solid 3.9489 stars out of 5.
Room service
With all of the great restaurants within walking distance of this hotel, ordering room service is a total splurge to say the least. I was feeling lazy on the morning of my departure, so I took a gamble on having breakfast delivered directly to my room. It was good. And I’d totally do it again.
Maybe “sausage” means something a little different in South Korea? I paid five whole dollars extra for those two bite-size balls of meat – which ended up being such a tease (because I could’ve easily even 10 of them). At least the waffles were really good.
Pros and cons
Seoul is absolutely worth visiting as long as there are great hotels such as this scattered throughout the city IMHO. This was a fantastic experience. It really helped to make this visit to South Korea better than I could have anticipated. But like I said – it’s not perfect.
Pros
The location is fantastic. It doesn’t get more “central” than this.
The staff made me feel like a rockstar. They were extremely helpful, courteous, and kind.
Everything was spotless and clean. Nothing was out of place!
Cons
Being split into two separate halves can make it a confusing experience for first time visitors. Executive Tower guests will have a very different experience than main tower guests.
It’s a fancy place. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it could be jarring if you’re not prepared to be expected to raise your pinky as you sign the reservation agreement during the check in process.
