monahos

The Swiss Grand Hotel in Seoul is to become a Hilton:

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/times/20...0342740110.htm

Dr,Lion

Here is the address of Swiss Grand Hotel in Seoul!
The room looks very nice, but a little far from city center?

http://www.swissgrand.co.kr/zpwwebma/eng/index.html

underpressure

When will this happen?

SeoulMan

The former Swiss Grand Hotel is due to become a Hilton on April 1.

http://wk.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/dat...0202010006.asp

not2bgrounded

Thanks SeoulMan. I plan to attend a conference in 2003 and it is good to know there will be a Hilton at the convention center.

magic111

We are staying at the Grand on a three night 30k award next week.
At the web site it is stated that they have a complimentary shuttle from Incheon (56km)
Has anyone information on how to contact the hotel about arrival short of calling them from the states?
Thanks in advance for any other personal information about the hotel.

hsyoo

Grand Hilton Seoul provide free shuttle service to and from the hotel. You can take the shuttle on arrival level at 8 - 10 gate (I am not exactly sure.) You can ask one of ICN service center at arrival levle.

magic111

Thanks for the information hsyoo
I will search out the ICN service center upon arrival.

hsyoo

Grand Hilton Seoul is a bit far away from city center. If you happen to commute to and from the hotel to city center, and use taxi, don't forget to bring hotel name card. There is another Hilton in downtown, and a lot of taxi drivers still confused. Grand Hilton used to be Swiss Grand Hotel.

magic111

Okay here is the final report for anyone who might look here someday while they are doing research on the Grand Hilton Seoul.
The hotel provides a complimentary shuttle to and from the airport shuttle. The only shuttle that goes to the airport is for airline crews.
You have to go to bus stop 12-A at the airport and take the 602-1 bus. 6000 won = about $5. Get off at the Grand Hilton stop = about 45 minutes and a Grand Hilton shuttle will be waiting for you at the stop. The return is the reverse - Hilton shuttle to airport shuttle bus stop - airport shuttle to airport 6k won.
The hotel provides a complimentary hourly shuttle to Itaewan (special tourist shopping district) with stops along the way at the Donginimmum Subway stop - US Embassy - City Hall.

hsyoo

Hmm... Interesting. I thought that they provide free shuttle service to and from the airport for both airline crews and hotel guests. Grand Hilton Seoul's catch phrase is the "closest" deluxe hotel to ICN, and that is why I guessed that the "shuttle" idea came from.
Anyway, maybe they allow hotel guest take the shuttle.. Just ask nicely.
I remembered that not only airline crew but hotel guest took the shuttle...

inasmuchas

For those interested in this property, I am currently staying here and highly recommend it. I'm Hhonors Gold and am staying on a Reward stay and have been afforded fantastic service by all the staff.

The Executive floor rooms are very comfortable, the Lounge is modest but well equipped. Breakfast is comprehensive. Each of the rooms on the Executive floors have free high-speed internet access.

Overall the facilities at this property are outstanding. The only possible down-side is that it's location is not in central Seoul. The hotel is located about a ten minute walk from Hongje Subway station, which from there is about 15 minutes into central Seoul. The subway, for those who have not been to Seoul, is similar in size to London's Underground, and is quite straight-forward to navigate.

One thing to note is that the hotel no longer offers a shuttle bus service to Incheon International Airport, however there is an Express Limousine Bus (6000 Won) which drops you off outside the hotel, where a Hilton shuttle picks you up for the short drive up the drive-way.

korea71

I am in Chicago. My wife is in Seoul. She was feeling knid of gloomy. I needed to get her some flowers and candy fast. Usual sites on the web either cost too much and\or could not confirm a delivery time. So, I called the Grand Hilton Seoul and they arranged for flowers and candy to be delivered in less than 2 hours. I will be staying there in April for about 5 nights. They really made our day!

korea71

Just completed a 5 night stay here. This is the closest premium hotel to the airport. 3 nights and then 2 nights separated by a night travelling to the countryside. On arrival, escorted to the Executive Lounge on the 11th floor. Checked in in about 2 minutes. Whisked away to our room. King bed with comforter, not the lame bedcover stuff. Large TV with a VCR.(they don't rent any movies though) Large working desk and most important, free internet PC with LCD monitor and FAX/SCANNER/COPIER. I don't care too much about bathrooms but my wife thought it was OK(all marble).

After about 5 minutes unpacking, we received 2 letters and a bunch of fruit. The letters were from the General Manager and Director of Operations welcoming us to the hotel.

Exec lounge breakfast was quite good and the menu changed daily. The last 2 days, were told to eat breakfast at the buffet rest. comped. (maybe not enough folks on the exec floor for the full brkfst spread)

The crowning point for this hotel is the level of service.

My wife called asking for an iron and ironing board. delivery time: 1 min
I asked for a voltage converter. delivery time: 1 min

The level of service extends to the restaurants and bars also. They have 1/2 hour shuttle service to the city center and several other places that we used quite often. This has become my home when I am in Seoul. This was my second time here. This was a mix of paid and pointstretcher reward nights.(mostly reward) I will be going back very soon. edited to add that I am a Diamond.

[This message has been edited by korea71 (edited 04-18-2003).]

jjbc

Recently completed a one night stay. Do not usually stay at the Hilton in Seoul, but need a few more stays to recapture Gold status based on a promo. About 3 years ago, as Gold, stayed at the hotel for about 10 days, so I got to know the hotel reasonably well.

The hotel is closer to the airport and about a 10,000KRW taxi ride from downtown (non rush hour from the - Westin hotel). This hotel was known as the Swiss Grand Hotel, and some cab drivers still go by that name.

The hotel is located at the top of a hill (which is not much of a walk, but can be during the peak of summer in a suit and tie). From the entrance of the hotel to the nearest subway station is about a 10-15 minute walk.

As a gold - in the past - was given a room on the executive floor. Check was done at the executive floor. As a silver, simply booked a room on the executive floor. The staff and level of service is still fine. However, the offerings in the executive floor seem to be pretty skimpy compared to years past. Free alcoholic drinks during happy hour, though it ends at 20:00. Had breakfast in the lounge, reasonable offering with an omelet/egg station.

This hotel is starting to get very dated. While the rooms are still very clean, and the bed reasonably comfortable, there is simply nothing remarkable about this hotel. And its location is a bit out of the way (unless you are pretty familiar with Seoul). And certainly, could not compare to any of the starwood and hyatt properties.

The pool is pretty large and the gym is not too bad (though again, some of the equipment is starting to get a little dated.

Restaurants - did not try, though I had room service one night and ordered a Korean dish (which was acceptable).

As a side note, during my recent stay, I also stayed at the Sheraton Walker Hill and the W, and my sister was at the Westin. All these hotels seemed quite busy while the Hilton was eerily empty.

If the rates are reasonable, there is nothing wrong with this Hilton, but it sure will need a large overhaul to compete against other hotels. As it has its location as a handicap against it.

I thought I would post a comment since there has been no update for quite some time.