Courtyard Namdaemun vs. Aloft Myeongdong
As I stated above I have put in numerous nights at the Courtyard Namdaemun, and decided this time to do a week at the Aloft Myeongdong. This is my first time staying at an Aloft, so keep that in mind for my review.
The location of both are very good. The Courtyard is closer to Seoul Station / City Hall if one were walking it is in the middle of those two stations. It is also about a 5 min walk from Hoehyeon Station (#4 line). The Aloft is about a 5 minute walk from Myeongdong Station (#4 line). There are tunnels from about 2mins outside the hotel all the way to City Hall Station which takes maybe 10 or so minutes to walk there. For location though, I would give higher points to the Courtyard due to being closer to 3 subway stations as well, the sound off the street is a lot less. I have a "city view" room at the Aloft and I face Lotte Dept. Store and the main road. The sound of the buses was going quite late into the night, and started off early in the morning. The noise level is quite a difference.
This current stay I got upgraded to a deluxe room at the Courtyard, which was quite big and had a big bathroom and a room with a desk. The desk though was quite small and almost useless to do any work. My last stay was in a regular room, which was quite small, and had no desk. I've had a suite before, which is very nice at this hotel, as well the family room which is also quite nice. The Aloft was FULLY booked. I tried to get an upgrade but the entire hotel is booked. I even went online to check. I originally booked a Studio King, and that is what I got.
Studio King room size is bigger than I thought. It is a good size room for the price point. Has space to put your luggage at the end of the room and still have space to walk around the bed. The desk is a good size and is very functional to get work done. Beside the desk is a place to put some smaller luggage and a "bench" of sorts one could sit and read. I can look out to the city from sitting at the desk if I was inclined to. The bed is the same as the Courtyard. The pillow menu is slightly different. I am leaning slightly in favor of Aloft for more selection of pillows. There were 5 in the room and all were different so that I could find the one that suited me best. I like that type of pillow menu. The bathroom is where this room disappoints. It has one of the Asian type toilets with a butt cleaner. I prefer the normal type toilets as they have more space for your person when you sit down. The shower at the Aloft is soft without a lot of water pressure. I like showers with water pressure as I want to scrub and get the soap off quickly, not have to wait while a soft shower rinses me. The room is very modern looking, and has a "newer" feel to it. I like the feel of the room. The TV is smaller in the Aloft, but has better channels for an English speaking foreigner than the Courtyard does. I like the room safe better in the Aloft. It is more modern and handles a 6 digit number versus 4 at the Courtyard. Also there aren't closet lights that never shut off at the Aloft.
Gym: the gym at the Courtyard is bigger and has more items one can use. The Gym at the Aloft really shouldn't be called a Gym. It is a very small room with 6 machines and no weights. The stretching area is big enough for one person. This is not really a multi person gym.
Washing Machines: Both have them. Courtyard is 5000 won, Aloft is 2000 won. My thought is why is the Courtyard so much more for the exact same machines?
Lounge: Courtyard has one, Aloft doesn't. This alone is making me regret picking the Aloft. Why? See next point...
Breakfast: The Aloft breakfast selection is less than the lounge has at the Courtyard. I was very disappointed at the selection considering breakfast is in the main restaurant. Also, if one were paying, they charge like 30000+ for that. It really isn't worth more than 10000 won. Courtyard wins for this hands down.
Elevators: The Courtyard has 4 vs the Aloft having only 2.
Essentially the Aloft seems like a bare bones, "trendy" hotel aimed at millennials, whereas the Courtyard is a full service hotel aimed at a different audience. Considering they are both within the same price point, the Courtyard would be my pick for the following reasons:
- Lounge
- More elevators (means less waiting time)
- Bathrooms (toilet/shower is much nicer)
- Bigger Gym
- More room service options / more in house dining options
- location.
I hope this helped someone. I will say there are a lot of Plat+ members that stay at the Courtyard, so getting an upgrade might not happen. I find the more I stay there, the better I am treated. I have 7-8 days in June, and I am not sure if I want to stay around Myeongdong again, so I'll be checking this thread too to see other hotel reviews.