Originally Posted by falcon9xr

I was at both the JW Marriott Dongdaemun and at the Plaza this past February. I much prefer the Plaza.

The JW Marriott Dongdaemun has a nice location on paper, but in actuality is pretty far from the "touristy" stuff in Seoul. There are three (well maybe four...) main tourist attractions located in the vicinity of the JWMD, all of which I feel are overhyped. Dongdaemun gate is literally just the building, you cannot walk through it, taking pictures with it is awkward because of the way it is situated in traffic. Dongdaemun Design Plaza felt too commercialized, and did not feel like an authentic place for artists to get inspired and showcase their work. And Cheonggyecheon stream was just a stream (I was expecting a park-ish thing like the lake near Lotte Tower). The possible fourth tourist attraction is the late night clothes shopping, which I was not interested in. The other downside is that if you are trying to get downtown, it is a bit tougher to get a cab (they aren't waiting out front generally), though there it is close to subway lines 1 and 4.

Granted, my thoughts on the tourist attractions are all subjective, and those who lean towards the more artistic or creative side may find the area really enjoyable.

As far as the property itself, the JWMD is a really nice property, with an excellent lounge. If you are able to get a suite upgrade, you'll find the rooms are spacious, and you'll have a nice view of the Dongdaemun gate. The fitness facilities are great, but you will be charged for sauna use (per use, not per day or per stay).

The Plaza is located across from City Hall, and you will find that it is diagonally adjacent to Deoksugung, and a walkable-ish distance away from Gyeongbokgung. In front of Gyeongbokgung, you'll find a bunch of museums, like the Admiral Yi museum, the King Sejong museum, National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, and I think the Presseum is there too. There are a bunch more also.

There are almost always cabs in front of the hotel, if you're looking to go somewhere else, and it is directly connected via an underground tunnel to subway lines 1 and 2.

The downsides are that, as mentioned, the rooms are smaller, though I felt that the suite I was upgraded to as a Titanium (then Platinum Premier) was more than sufficient for my wife and me. The lounge also isn't as good as the JWMD. The fitness center is really nice, but it definitely isn't as "posh" as the JWMD and it is located in a separate building (which you can access via the underground tunnel, so you don't have to go "outside"). If it matters to you, the sauna at the fitness center is included (though I'm not sure if that is because of status or not).

I definitely intend on staying at the Plaza again sometime in the future, but probably not the JWMD. My stays in Korea tend to be point stays though, so I'm trying to get the best point redemption, and the JWMD isn't what I would consider a great redemption value. YMMV if you are looking at paid stays.

Hope that helps!