judgeg_g

Hi all,

I am wondering if anyone has knowledge of what the current hotel(s) that Asiana are using for their STPC? For a number of years it was the Seoul Royal in downtown Seoul - at least for those of us flying from Sydney, Australia to Europe.

I had heard that, as part of cutting costs, they were no longer using the Seoul Royal. Does anyone know what their current hotel of choice is for STPC customers?

Gasolin

Not sure if it's for all routes but last time I checked, it was the Incheon Airport Hotel... nothing really fancy at all.

sol95

Last time I STPC-ed, I asked for Royal Hotel Seoul in MyeongDong. That was in June last year, and I'm not sure if they still do. I had to force it out of them, as the shuttle bus for the hotel had already left. They initially said that the only hotel was in Incheon. That was not an issue for me as I speak Korean. But non-Korean speakers may have problems trying to convince them. I think the issue is that the SYD-ICN flight arrives too late to get on the shuttle bus, which I think leaves between 6:50-7:00. Also, if you have a morning flight, then you need to get on the 6am shuttle, which means you don't get breakfast in the restaurant, although they do provide a small packed breakfast roll and juice.

Last year, I took one of the airport limousine buses which I paid for first, and was then reimbursed at the hotel. Usually, I just take the Best Western Incheon which is the default offering, as they're more convenient for early morning flights.

Gasolin

How did you force it out of them? I also speak Korean, but they did seem to be quite stubborn with that one... like there was just no other option available, according to them.

sol95

I've stayed at the Royal Hotel Seoul before, so I just mentioned it by name asking if it was no longer available. They said the bus had left already, to which I asked why it left so early and if there was any other way.

judgeg_g

Thanks guys. Looks like Seoul Royal is still a no-go. Best Western Incheon is probably okay. I guess I could hop on the AREX if I wanted to get to the city centre.

wpcoe

What are the parameters for qualifying for a STPC hotel? e.g. How many hours? Only certain routings?

judgeg_g

Firstly it is the Economy Class fare class (return fare of course). When you book on the Asiana website it now shows 4 or levels of Economy Class fare and states which fare gets 70% points and which gets 100% points and there's a button called Rules next to each fare level which tells you if you are eligible for STPC or not. Also, at the bottom of the screen, when you're choosing your flights, it shows the following information:

Warning before ticketing completion!
- Complimentary overnight accommodation (including 2 meals and free bus transfer) will be provided to return passengers
(Except R, L, W, T, X, N, I booking class ticket) for the following destinations:
Please click “other rule” whether you are eligible for the overnight accommodation
* China – All destination except Macao
* Japan- Tokyo (Haneda, Narita), Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Okinawa, Miyazaki, Sendai, Sapporo, Kumamoto,
Matsuyama (except operating by Air Seoul Flight)
※ Departure from Gimpo, transfer will not be provided between a hotel and Gimpo Airport. (Incheon Airport to the hotel will
be provided)
* Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Manila, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Bangkok, Phuket, Delhi, Phnom Penh
* Khabarovsk, Yuzhno Sakhalinsk, Tashkent, Almaty, Astana
* Frankfurt, Istanbul, London, Paris, Rome
* New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago, Honolulu
- Complimentary Day-Use accommodation (including 1 meal and free bus transfer) will be applying for the following cities:
* Chicago, Istanbul, Changsha, Chengdu, Guilin, Bangkok, Clark, Da Nang, Cebu, Jakarta, Ho chi Minh, Phnom Penh,
Phuket, Almaty, Tashkent, Astana
※ A passenger who is eligible for both overnight accommodation and day-use, they can only use one of them.
(Example: A passenger travelling to Istanbul can select either overnight accommodation or Day-Use hotel)
- The complimentary hotel and day-use hotel will not be provide to the economy passenger during blackout period.
To all destination except USA
21Jul-20Aug
Arrival in USA
21Jul-20Aug, 24Dec-11Jan
-Passenger can purchase a single overnight room for USD 100 per person, or twin share overnight room for USD 80 per person, or USD50 per child sharing with an adult. The charge for day-use is USD60 per person.
- Please contact Asiana Airlines Sydney Office on 02-9260-4300 to make a hotel booking at least 7 days prior to the departure.
- Asiana Airlines will not take any responsibility for any damage or losses incurred because the passengers have not contacted to our reservation desk for hotel booking at the right time.

mikesaidyes

THIS should be a sticky. That's THOROUGH detail right there. But is it only valid for SYD departures, though?

sol95

it's the blurb that comes up in the fine print when you're making a booking on the OZ website.

judgeg_g

I think it is very much dependent on the combination of departure and arrival cities. I've tried some other city combinations and nothing was mentioned about STPC - although in those cases it was only a few hours connection at ICN.

Best way to find out is to do a search for fares on the Asiana Website and see what comes up in the rules for that particular fare.

sol95

Looks like The Royal Seoul Hotel in Myeongdong is now being offered again as an option.

I STPC-ed on 9 April from SYD on my way to JFK. The flight landed 7pm, so I was at the counter around 7:20pm. The attendant at the desk offered me a choice of a hotel in Incheon (the Best Western) or a hotel in Seoul. As I wanted a bit of a sleep in the next morning before my 10am flight, I chose the less than optimal Incheon option. But it seems a choice is being offered once more.

judgeg_g

Thank you so much for the info. I'm off in a week or so and am hoping this happens for me too.

sol95

Let us know if that a choice is offered to you too. I'm not sure it matters, but I was flying in J.

judgeg_g

Hi, the Asiana desk had me all set for a local hotel but I told them I wanted the city. They said I would have to wait for an hour for the shuttle bus and I said that was fine.

So they told me to go and have a seat and about an hour later a small shuttle bus showed up and took me to Seoul Royal Hotel in the city. I was verrry happy!

Was able to go out that night and have a good time. When we checked out the next morning, they gave us vouchers for the normal airport bus for the area - 6015 - and directed us to the airport bus stop. Not a problem - got back to the airport in good time to catch my next flight.

Thanks again for letting me know that Seoul Royal as still an option.