Tttony

Cabs are cheap in Seoul just take a taxi you won't regret the 5000 won or so it will coat

crabbing

more info here.

bkafrick

Cabs are very cheap in Seoul... It was only 2300 WON (or $2.07) from door #4 of Seoul Station to the Hilton. Wow.

This, by far, is the best way to go. There is no way I'd walk the 750 meters or so around the block with luggage up a hill for $2.07.

Side note, everything is cheap in Seoul it seems. I bought bottled water from street vending machines for 500 WON... (45 cents). Crazy.

Very nice Diamond experience. Two Executive Lounges (29th and 31st floors). I only visited one of them for breakfast. You also have the option of dining in the main breakfast restaurant in the lobby. I was only here for 1 night, so didnt partake in much. Very nice staff. Bell hops were great - refused to let me carry a thing. Everyone spoke excellent English.

The AREX from Incheon to Seoul Station was very easy. 43 minutes door-to-door. WIFI is available from one of their local carriers if you have a prepaid card. I just used my phone with Global Data from Verizon. No biggie.

Pierre48

Have any FT participants stayed here in the past two years? Interested to have some updates for this property which I am considering for later this month.

Time traveller

I am also curious about recent experiences at the hotel. I have read there is an airport limousine to the hotel besides the AREX train to Seoul station. Anyone know the pro/cons of one vs the other? I suppose the train would bypass traffic during rush hour, but means you still have to transfer to a taxi at the Seoul station.

wav3rider

I stay here regularly. Upgrades on Thurs-Sun are almost impossible as they have a casino attached and they save them for them. The hotel is a nice Hilton. It has 2 executive lounges where you can get a decent breakfast with eggs cooked to order. In the evening they have drinks and hot food. I always take the KAL bus because you don't have to transfer. You could walk up the hill from Seoul Station but its a steep walk up a hill and I don't recommend it. Always ask for a room with a view of Namsan and you will get a view of Seoul Tower and a park. If you wanted to go to Itaewon it's only a 5000Won trip most days. There are some good local places down the hill to the right but they don't speak english there but you can point at the pictures. I will be there again next week and was just there 2 weeks ago

ryanic

I've heard that the 1st floor breakfast (which is AMAZING) is no longer free for Diamonds. Can anyone confirm this? It was free the last time I was there (April 2014).

Pierre48

Thanks for your response wav3rider. Does the KAL bus from the airport drop you at the hotel?

Uncle Lars

I was not offered the free breakfast in the lobby option last month, when I stayed for five nights with my wife and daughter. Per the front desk, our daughter would have had to pay $62 per day to have a pretty basic American breakfast with my wife and me in the Exec lounge (kids are not allowed in the Happy Hour which is a good thing, and the Lounges do have pour-your-own open bars from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM each evening with a reasonable selection of snacks as well). A rollaway would have been another $60 per night. Also, coming from Conrad/Marriott/Radisson stays in Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia it was strange to be in a place that wanted $8 for a toothbrush from the minibar, when these were provided at our other stops. I have to say that the service was quite stellar in the Lounges and at the hotel in general, and the train station location was good too. The presence of the modestly sized casino may be a good or a bad thing Not a bad stay at all, but with my limited Points I will probably book free stays at other locations in the future.

manderwa

I stayed here last night. I wasn't a huge fan. The staff was super nice - absolutely no complaints there. My room was on the executive level with a fantastic room, but it seemed dated and the bathroom wasn't great.

I ended up following the directions from their web site on how to get there from Seoul Station - it involved turning up and alley and going through a parking garage and through the casino. Later I walked the long way to Seoul Station out the front door of the hotel and down the hill to the station. It was much longer, but less sketchy. On paper, the location seemed convenient but in reality, it was less so. I checked into the Conrad today and it's so much nicer. Also the Millenium Hilton seems to add more service fees on to their room rates so check the total prices if you're comparing rates to the Conrad - even if the Conrad initially shows up as higher, they can be almost identical once you check the total.

teemuflyer

I have 2 nights booked at the Conrad and thought it would be nice to try this Hilton out for the 3rd night. Would you absolutely not recommend doing this and just staying at the Conrad?

I was thinking this was more central, so we could enjoy the sites easier, and our return to ICN would be easier taking the train from the Seoul Station..

NoStressHere

Similar questions as last poster.

We get into ICN at 9pm. Staying two nights. Flight out is 10am, so would head to airport early. Probably get breakfast at airport lounge (Delta/Skyteam).

Even though we are Diamond, would have limited use of lounge for one day due to late arrival first night, early departure last morning.

Also, thinking train back to airport would be as easy as dealing with bus?

Will spend the full day doing some quick tours... probably half day organized, half on our own, so hotel locations is a bit of concern.

Prices between Conrad and Millennium are close enough that does not matter.

manderwa

I really didn't like the vibe of entering and exiting the Millennium due to cutting through the parking garage and casino. I was traveling alone (and I'm female) so that definitely makes a difference, but I thought the Millennium was an average to below average Hilton property while the Conrad was lovely, convenient and much more luxurious in my opinion. I expected that I would like the Millennium location MUCH better than the Conrad location, but for me, not feeling super safe/comfortable with the Millennium definitely made me prefer the Conrad. I got used to riding the subway which was cheap and convenient with a t-money card so getting around wasn't a problem. The airport bus drops off and picks up at the front door of the Conrad which is super convenient especially if you have a lot of luggage. Taking the train from the Conrad is an option, too - Yeouido station is connected to the IFC mall which is connected to the Conrad. I think the main benefit of the train is that it's cheaper and I guess it runs more often although I think the bus comes every 20 to 30 minutes so that's not bad.

I had a departure around 10am as well and I ended up eating (complimentary Diamond) breakfast at Zest (the restaurant on the 2nd floor) at 6:30am since the exec lounge breakfast didn't start until 7am and then I caught a bus to the airport that left maybe 7:15am (not sure the exact time.) If I ever go back to Seoul, I would definitely choose the Conrad if the prices of the two hotels were comparable, but YMMV.

NoStressHere

Thanks MANDERWA for your comments. Older couple, so the "sketchy" path from the train is a little issue, but probably less so than a single female. If the online schedule is correct, we probably would not catch the train anyways, so bus it is, either hotel.

Leaving, it would be nice to have just the express train to airport. I assume from the Yeouido Station we would be on a local to airport, or have to transfer at Central Station?

I tend to like the train as you are more likely to have no delays, where a bus/taxi can have traffic. I usually do not stress, but do work to avoid it as well.

Which of the two hotels are good for just heading out and walking around to see the city?

pauleeepaul

Seoul is huge. There are walkable areas around both hotels but you will need some form of transport to see the city. I prefer Gangnam for food and shopping but YMMV. Agree the airport bus is the way to go- very comfortable and civilized.