Having just opened the month before our visit, I was hesitant to book the Conrad Seoul, knowing from previous experience what teething problems a new hotel can experience.
But, a deal that looked like an alluring opening rate and a suite with a square footage that beat that of my house swayed me to click “confirm”. And I’m really glad that I did.
Being the spreadsheeted travel geek that I am, I had carefully researched all the public transport routes to the hotel. However, upon arrival at Incheon after a (not at all) arduous flight, we threw all that planning aside and jumped in a taxi.
35k KRW (i.e. half the cost of a London black cab for quintuple the distance) later, we rocked up at reception.
Early check in was no problem at all and within a blink of an eyelash we were whisked to the 34th floor to our Executive King Suite. Never mind the fact that our room was expansive and gleaming fresh, I was immediately distracted by the stunning dual aspect (yes, I watch too many property programmes) windows and the views right over the Han River and Seoul.
I’ll pause in a moment for a picture review, but before that, I have to mention the staff. They are young, they are keen and, above all, they are engaged with their career without the ennui of the “professionals” that you often come across that are all about the task at hand without any personality. Having said that, each member of staff that we met waited for us to engage with them before they sprang into ‘chat’ mode, so I can imagine that they would give a “don’t bother me” type of guest the exactly correct service for their needs as well.
Here’s our room:
Conrad Seoul bathroom including a TV in the mirror, in case you get bored by your ablutions by CreativeBill
Conrad Seoul - the view from the bath by CreativeBill
Conrad Seoul boudoir by CreativeBill
Conrad Seoul suite living room by CreativeBill
Conrad Seoul view from one side by CreativeBill
Conrad Seoul sunrise view from the other side by CreativeBill
Our rate included access to the Executive Club lounge so we headed up there on our first night for cocktail hour. We immediately bumped in to fellow FT’er
rrrrrich and enjoyed a glass or two with him. Just goes to show that you FT’ers certainly do get around. Are you reading this in a lounge? Who’s that sitting next to you? Go on, ask if they are on FT. I dare you!
Conrad Seoul Executive lounge night view by CreativeBill
Conrad Seoul lobby bar by CreativeBill
On our third day, the air conditioning unit in our room decided to set itself on the “hotter than the surface of the sun” mode. We woke up gasping and that wasn’t just due to the over-indulgences of the previous evening. Needless to say, a quick call to reception had us settled in the Club Lounge to await a room transfer after they discovered that they couldn’t fix the issue immediately. I know things like this are an annoyance, but they handled the problem with absolute aplomb, which made all the difference.
Conrad Seoul Executive lounge for breakfast by CreativeBill
Conrad Seoul Executive lounge for breakfast by CreativeBill
Conrad Seoul Executive lounge bar, looking down towards the library by CreativeBill
Conrad Seoul - they were so kind they even wrapped the tress up to keep warm by CreativeBill
The last evening saw us too weary to venture further afield than the in-house restaurant, The 37 Grill & Bar, but the food was excellent and we had a delightful server who regaled us with stories of his time working in New York. That’s something that we noticed a lot during our time here, young people are coming back from abroad to make their lives in their homeland. It’s a definite accolade to how fantastic a city Seoul is.
Conrad Seoul restaurant by CreativeBill
Conrad Seoul pool by CreativeBill
All in all, this is somewhere that I would highly recommend you stay if ever the opportunity should present itself. Top marks from me.