Best Hotel in Seoul
Oct 10, 2015, 12:29 am
#136
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Join Date: Mar 2013
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They need to go back to the drawing board for breakfast. No market leader with the highest rack rates in Seoul should be serving that pathetic Korean breakfast with parched fruit, mushy rice, little protein and tired looking side dishes.
Oct 10, 2015, 4:29 am
#138
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: BKK
Posts: 6,741
Believe me. I have a very high opinion of the FS way and this failed in pretty much every way. The building and hardware is impressive but the service levels don't match at all.
They need to go back to the drawing board for breakfast. No market leader with the highest rack rates in Seoul should be serving that pathetic Korean breakfast with parched fruit, mushy rice, little protein and tired looking side dishes.
They need to go back to the drawing board for breakfast. No market leader with the highest rack rates in Seoul should be serving that pathetic Korean breakfast with parched fruit, mushy rice, little protein and tired looking side dishes.
Oct 10, 2015, 4:52 am
#139
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: England
Posts: 1,361
As Aventine and I know regarding Aman Tokyo, it doesn't seem as easy as it first appears to fix these as quickly as possible.
Oct 10, 2015, 6:51 am
#140
Suspended
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Location: Barcelona
Posts: 3,317
Oct 10, 2015, 8:04 am
#141
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Join Date: Mar 2013
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Two career Four Seasons men dropped the ball. There isn't even the excuse that they were outsiders like the Aman Tokyo GM.
Last edited by Aventine; Oct 10, 2015 at 8:28 am
Oct 10, 2015, 10:58 am
#143
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: BKK
Posts: 6,741
They have a lot of feedback and now it's up to the GM and department heads to get it right. I won't be around to find out if they do.
This is the rare situation where I disagree. It was so bad that I would have wanted points too if the hotel had a loyalty program. The comped stay doesn't make up for 13 hours of sinus pressure, and a wasted Friday night/Saturday morning.
I'm actually really astonished that a career, 2nd generation hotelier let his hotel open like this. The in-room breakfasts can get better quickly but they should have been good from the start.
Two career Four Seasons men dropped the ball. There isn't even the excuse that they were outsiders like the Aman Tokyo GM.
This is the rare situation where I disagree. It was so bad that I would have wanted points too if the hotel had a loyalty program. The comped stay doesn't make up for 13 hours of sinus pressure, and a wasted Friday night/Saturday morning.
I'm actually really astonished that a career, 2nd generation hotelier let his hotel open like this. The in-room breakfasts can get better quickly but they should have been good from the start.
Two career Four Seasons men dropped the ball. There isn't even the excuse that they were outsiders like the Aman Tokyo GM.
Oct 10, 2015, 4:35 pm
#144
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Join Date: Mar 2013
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I've started writing up my thoughts here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...resorts-5.html
Figured best to keep all the Four Seasons stuff together in its own thread.
Figured best to keep all the Four Seasons stuff together in its own thread.
Jan 16, 2016, 8:05 pm
#146
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Until Park Hyatt Seoul gets their main kitchen and Cornerstone replacement then I wouldn't recommend staying here. The lounge kitchen just can't cook very well. Without food to elevate it above its age and soundproofing problems.
You're better off at FS, Shilla or Conrad.
You're better off at FS, Shilla or Conrad.
Jan 16, 2016, 11:34 pm
#148
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Shilla is the highest luxury option there. Kensington is something new. Looks good, decent from what I've seen on Instagram.
Feb 21, 2016, 3:24 am
#149
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: CPT
Programs: BA BD SA
Posts: 4,467
Best for noob tourist?
We will only be visiting in November but have started planning ahead (as that is at least half the fun!).
The FS looks ideally situated but I am worried about the rocky start and poor reviews the place has had. I'm also not entirely wowed by the décor tbh. Still, given the 3-for-2 rate available, a club room is very reasonably priced and the club looks super.
The Conrad is often cited as having good transport links that compensate for a rather off-target situation (for tourists). Would that be a good option - in a corner suite (at exactly the same price as the club room in the FS)?
The FS looks ideally situated but I am worried about the rocky start and poor reviews the place has had. I'm also not entirely wowed by the décor tbh. Still, given the 3-for-2 rate available, a club room is very reasonably priced and the club looks super.
The Conrad is often cited as having good transport links that compensate for a rather off-target situation (for tourists). Would that be a good option - in a corner suite (at exactly the same price as the club room in the FS)?
Feb 21, 2016, 5:50 am
#150
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,265
I think it's important to put the praises and criticisms in perspective/context, at least as far as my understanding goes:
As well as the usual Four Seasons brand standard that people have come to expect, FS is also pitched at being a contender for the Shilla's place as being "the" hotel in Seoul. Basically, the two are competing for the top spot in Seoul. Therefore, the criticisms are in that context - a Four Seasons with top-of-the-line rates trying to become the new favourite in the city. You would expect everything to be perfect in that context, and many of the highlighted complaints address the shortcomings from that viewpoint (although accepting that some of the issues Aventine experienced does sound more serious)
The Conrad is undoubtedly an excellent property, but it is not competing at the same level as the Shilla/FS. When people praise the Conrad as being a great hotel, I don't think they are looking at it from the same viewpoint as FS/Shilla - it is praised for being a good Conrad standard property in Asia, which is a lower threshold.
Moreover, as the Conrad belongs to HHonors, there will be a number of guests who are staying on points - purely based on my own experience, I tend to be more forgiving of a property when I'm not paying cold hard cash for the room, and if this is a shared trait, I would guess that some of the higher satisfaction at the Conrad may well come from this more generous yardstick.
All of this is not to excuse the reported issues at the FS - but perhaps a long-winded way of saying that I would still go for the Club level at FS if the extra space in the Conrad suite is not so essential. Location is very important in Seoul unless you want to deal with heavy traffic or crowded public transport, and in this regard, FS is far preferable to the Conrad.
As well as the usual Four Seasons brand standard that people have come to expect, FS is also pitched at being a contender for the Shilla's place as being "the" hotel in Seoul. Basically, the two are competing for the top spot in Seoul. Therefore, the criticisms are in that context - a Four Seasons with top-of-the-line rates trying to become the new favourite in the city. You would expect everything to be perfect in that context, and many of the highlighted complaints address the shortcomings from that viewpoint (although accepting that some of the issues Aventine experienced does sound more serious)
The Conrad is undoubtedly an excellent property, but it is not competing at the same level as the Shilla/FS. When people praise the Conrad as being a great hotel, I don't think they are looking at it from the same viewpoint as FS/Shilla - it is praised for being a good Conrad standard property in Asia, which is a lower threshold.
Moreover, as the Conrad belongs to HHonors, there will be a number of guests who are staying on points - purely based on my own experience, I tend to be more forgiving of a property when I'm not paying cold hard cash for the room, and if this is a shared trait, I would guess that some of the higher satisfaction at the Conrad may well come from this more generous yardstick.
All of this is not to excuse the reported issues at the FS - but perhaps a long-winded way of saying that I would still go for the Club level at FS if the extra space in the Conrad suite is not so essential. Location is very important in Seoul unless you want to deal with heavy traffic or crowded public transport, and in this regard, FS is far preferable to the Conrad.