We recently wrapped up a week in Seoul, splitting it between the JW Marriott Seoul and Four Seasons. After experiencing both, I don't think there's any question that Four Seasons is a superior hotel. JW was fine, just underwhelming in most regards. Some thoughts about both properties...

JW Marriott Seoul
- Location is excellent. Even though we didn't shop much at the attached Shinsegae department store, it was nice having many restaurants, a market, and the subway all in the same building. It was also easy enough to navigate.
- We booked the Griffin suite and it was just okay. The furniture layout in the living area was rather odd, with a large empty corner. View of the river and Namsan Tower were nice. There was some wear and tear (missing tile under the sink, chips/cracks in paint and doors). The shower was small and amenities were average. The shower temperature was very tough to control, with it either being ice cold or scalding hot and little middle ground. The bed was nice and comfortable. The curtains in the bedroom didn't shut completely to black out the room and there was a lot of ambient light from the various controls in the room, which was rather annoying.
- Breakfast in the lounge was underwhelming. It was partly my fault for booking the suite not knowing that it only included breakfast in the Executive Lounge, not the restaurant Flavors, which we were told would run us over 120,000 KRW each for breakfast. In hindsight, it would have been better to book the "Bed and Breakfast" deal rate for only 20,000 KRW more per night. Also annoying was there was no regular coffee in the lounge, only Americanos.
- Service was unremarkable. Everyone was nice and as helpful as they could be, but no one went above and beyond. We had small children and had to ask for the children's plates and utensils at breakfast half the time. The concierge was unable to get us a taxi one morning and we had to ask a family member to come pick us up, which was disappointing. The front doormen were hit or miss in terms of helping us with our bags and getting in and out of the cars.
- The hotel is fine for a short stay and especially if on business, but I doubt I'll be back.

Four Seasons
- Location is the only downside here. It's terrible for regular travelers spending most of their time south of the Han river. Driving to the hotel is a nightmare in the evenings and probably even worse when protests are taking place. It's a short walk to the subway station.
- We booked the Premier room and it was quite nice. Layout and furniture were good. The window shades blacked out the room entirely. The shower was large and amenities were great.
- Breakfast at Market had an extensive selection, but a lot of it fell a bit flat in terms of taste. We went back for the dinner buffet one night and it was absolutely excellent.
- Service was excellent. Someone always helped us load and unload everything from the cars. The staff would randomly come to greet our children by name and hand them small toys and activities to keep them busy. The doorman even gave us directions to the subway which involved the least amount of uphill walk since we had strollers. Everyone greeted us with a smile and we felt at home.

To be honest, as much as we loved the Four Seasons, we'll probably go back to the Conrad the next time we visit Seoul. Although we haven't been there since before the pandemic, our memory of it was great. They have an excellent breakfast, very close proximity to a mall with lots of shopping and restaurants, and an overall ideal location for us going out and about.