Due to the need for me to bring my snowboard, I had scheduled my first night in Seoul over at Sheraton D-Cube, which is located on top of the Sindorim subway station. This is a convenient hotel to stay in due to it being a direct stop for the limousine bus to and from Incheon Airport, however, they do not have any airport bus to Gimpo Airport. For my first night in Seoul, I picked this hotel to overnight in and took the opportunity to store my luggage with them until my return for the last night in Seoul. During my first stay there, I was given a nice King bed with a room on the upper floors overlooking Seoul. The standard best available room was pretty good as it was a new hotel. Feels more like an upmarket Westin than a Sheraton. The concierge and bell desk is on the side of the office tower in the D-Cube City complex which also houses a shopping mall. Arriving at around 7pm, I was immediately helped with the luggage and escorted to the 40th storey for check-in. It felt weird to have a female carrying all the heavy bags for me, but her friendliness and eagerness in ensuring the guest is taken care of was a total world of difference from my experience with the bell desk at Hyatt Regency O'Hare.
Sheraton D-Cube Lobby
Deluxe Club King Room
Sunrise in Seoul from the Room
Upon check-in, the receptionist informed me of all the Platinum benefits including my access to the club lounge with the possibility of having breakfast at the Feast, located on the same floor as the check-in lobby. For my first stay, I went to refresh myself first after the ultra-long flight and thus skipped on visiting the club lounge as I had breakfast at the Feast restaurant. While I enjoy breakfasts at club lounges most of the time as I like the ambience better, the breakfast at the Feast is the most comprehensive I've seen in any hotel. The large space with huge windows offer diners a bird's eye view of Seoul and I would encourage everyone to have breakfast here once. The buffet spread is also amazing with a whole section dedicated to Korean cuisine and also offers Japanese and Chinese choices in addition to a wide variety of western options like an egg station.
Breakfast at Feast
Feast Restaurant
On my first stay, as I mentioned earlier I was given a nice room with the bathroom having a separate tub and shower cubicle. The bathtub also has a large window overlooking the bedroom. A lounge chair with an ottoman is placed at the end. The room was also spacious enough and there was already a bottle of wine with fruits placed on the small side table as a welcome amenity. For my second stay, I was upgraded to a nice suite after checking in at the club lounge. The suite upgrade was definitely the highlight in this hotel as it is a real suite with a large living space equipped with a living area and powder room. The bedroom is in a separate space with a chaise lounge by the window. The bathroom is also much larger with curved windows overlooking Seoul. Furthermore due to the high location of the rooms towering over the other skyscrapers nearby, there is a sense of space and a nice view all around. In the suites just like in the rooms, one gets the Nespresso machine, which is one of my favourite features in hotel rooms! Finally the suites also come with upgraded L'Occitane branded bathroom amenities.
Living Room of the Executive Suite
Bathroom of the Suite
For both stays in the hotel, the concierge service was also exceptional and the service in Korean hotels seems to be such that they will print out a list of locations for you on piece of papers complete with opening hours as well. They were able to provide good recommendations for dining options outside the hotel which I really appreciated. In addition, the bell desk was very helpful in finding a taxi for me to Gimpo airport on the afternoon when traffic was chaotic due to heavy snowfall. Compared to the Park Hyatt Seoul, I would still rate the Sheraton Seoul D-Cube highly for the impressive service and the fabulous breakfast at the Feast. For SPG members, the Sheraton D-Cube is definitely a great choice in Seoul as it offers convenience and easy access to both airports while still being conveniently located for sightseeing. This is especially so if one is venturing into Yeouido which is the political centre of the country.