Conrad Seoul {KOR}

Old Nov 17, 2017, 8:47 pm
  #301  
 
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nice review! Very excited to stay in this suite type.
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Old Nov 21, 2017, 8:11 pm
  #302  
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Originally Posted by BuddhaExplores
Completely agree! Partner and I went around the IFC mall to have a bit of food as well - https://buddhaexplores.com/2017/05/3...l-food-review/

In terms of the actual property, we stayed in the Grand Executive Suite early this year and absolutely loved it! The food at the lounge and also the breakfast was excellent - the only downside is the fact that the IFC district is a bit of a failed project in South Korea because most of the offices are still empty. My review of the property is here:
https://buddhaexplores.com/2017/05/2...-suite-review/
https://buddhaexplores.com/2017/05/2...akfast-review/
There's still a very strong attachment to being in Gangnam for prestige and brand image. Fairmont opening across the street with a giant Hyundai department store will make the area more lively and busy. Conrad Seoul is one of the better ones in the world.
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Old Nov 22, 2017, 11:27 am
  #303  
 
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Originally Posted by Aventine
There's still a very strong attachment to being in Gangnam for prestige and brand image. Fairmont opening across the street with a giant Hyundai department store will make the area more lively and busy. Conrad Seoul is one of the better ones in the world.
Thanks. I just booked 2 nights in March. FYI - you can get 50% off Hilton properties in Korea (and Japan) right now.

http://hiltonhotels.jp/sale-en?CID=O...e,Home,Book,i1
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Old Nov 22, 2017, 12:41 pm
  #304  
 
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Originally Posted by Single_Flyer
Thanks. I just booked 2 nights in March. FYI - you can get 50% off Hilton properties in Korea (and Japan) right now.

http://hiltonhotels.jp/sale-en?CID=O...e,Home,Book,i1
Booked yesterday! I just wish they offered it on base rooms during my stay. Exec room still less expensive than a base room. Add in a paid suite upgrade and I'm at $255/night for a Grand King Corner Suite with lounge access incl tax during my stay (value of $683/night incl tax). Can't beat that!

FYI, Diamond members can get a guaranteed upgrade (when available in advance) from ANY category to a Grand King Corner Suite for KRW 70,000/night + tax, or you can use eStandby for KRW 45,000/night + tax and roll the dice when you get there.
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Old Nov 24, 2017, 1:54 am
  #305  
 
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Stayed here 2 week ago. Booked using Cash & Points. Being a gold member, they automatically upgraded my room to the Grand King Corner Suite for 2 nights with free breakfast at the restaurant. I inquired about the Conrad bear at the executive lounge. They initially said it was for sale at the lobby, but being a gold member, they offered to provide 1 free bear.
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Old Nov 24, 2017, 8:58 am
  #306  
 
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Originally Posted by ItsAllRelative
Stayed here 2 week ago. Booked using Cash & Points. Being a gold member, they automatically upgraded my room to the Grand King Corner Suite for 2 nights with free breakfast at the restaurant. I inquired about the Conrad bear at the executive lounge. They initially said it was for sale at the lobby, but being a gold member, they offered to provide 1 free bear.
Well thanks for *blanking* on my good deal yesterday!
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Old Nov 24, 2017, 7:23 pm
  #307  
 
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Originally Posted by ItsAllRelative
Stayed here 2 week ago. Booked using Cash & Points. Being a gold member, they automatically upgraded my room to the Grand King Corner Suite for 2 nights with free breakfast at the restaurant. I inquired about the Conrad bear at the executive lounge. They initially said it was for sale at the lobby, but being a gold member, they offered to provide 1 free bear.

Am staying next month. I do like to collect the bears, so thanks for the tip about asking at exec lounge. Seems like upgrades are given frequently as well
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Old Nov 24, 2017, 8:10 pm
  #308  
 
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Just finishing a stay here - Gold and booked an executive River View (I wanted lounge access and had heard the hotel was stingy with upgrades/access) - when I checked in in the lounge, they offered me either 1,000 points or breakfast in the 2nd floor restaurant as a benefit. Took the breakfast and it was very much worth it - the breakfast buffet is amazing.

I've had a great stay - the staff are absolutely incredible. I've been amazed at the number of times I've been greeted by name, even though the hotel is completely booked. Would definitely stay here again.
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Old Nov 25, 2017, 3:18 am
  #309  
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I have stayed here a few times and it's one of the best Conrads I have been to. The hardware is fantastic and is one of the few hotels that I consistently book a suite to guarantee that I will have one (rather than hope for an upgrade), because it is a great room. If you are patient and if you can forego the flexibility of travel dates, and you are willing to lock yourself into prepaid rates, then you can usually wait for a flash sale and get the suite for a very good price. Last time I booked months in advance and I got the suite for 2.3m KRW per night, so 210 USD. And about a couple months before my stay, I saw another flash sale where I could have paid about 10% less so sub $200 for a suite which is amazing. During my last stay, the weather was getting cold and the heating system in the room started kicking in, and was making a bit of clicking noise and I could not sleep. They temporarily transferred me to another room just for the night to sleep (and I could leave all my belongings in the suite). I therefore could see how the standard rooms look like, and they are great as well. Very spacious and the bathroom while not as impressive as in the suites, still one of the better ones I have seen for a standard room.

Conrad Seoul is also one of the very few hotels where I do not shop to compare with the competition because I find that what I get is top notch for a good price and I am fully satisfied. Almost everywhere else in the world I like to mix things up to see what's on offer in other hotels. That by itself is the most telling fact about my opinion of the Conrad.

I usually like a quiet breakfast in the lounge, but at this hotel the breakfast in the restaurant is so great that I always eat there, and never in the lounge. The gym is excellent and has a nice choice of machines. You can easily access the hotel from the airport door to door with the airport bus #6030 for 15k KRW per person.

One of the few downsides is as mentioned by others in this thread. The executive lounge on weekends feels like a completely different place than during the week. It is full of people on a staycation, very busy and very crowded; not nearly as enjoyable. In addition, I have found the food quality in the lounge for happy hour to be decreasing in the last couple of years, particularly the choice of warm food. They have three options and nowadays is typically fried stuff and sometimes pizza, whereas they used to have more elaborate dishes that you could turn into a meal. It's a bit of a disappointment for Asian standards, but the hotel being connected to the IFC mall which has a food court, you can easily have several choices for dinner without having to go outside, and you also have several options to bring back takeaway when in the mood for eating in the room to enjoy the suite. I have done it on several occasions.

The hotel is connected to Seoul Metro lines 5 and 9 via the underground through the IFC mall. It is convenient but a bit of a walk before getting to the station. Which brings me to the other slight negative about the Conrad. For several places we want to go to, lines 5 and 9 are actually not the most convenient for us, for example if you want to go to Myeongdong which is not that far from Yeouido, yet you have to change lines twice. Also the line transfers in the Seoul metro system is not always straightforward like it is in other cities. There can be a long walk between lines within the same station. So you end up sometimes being better off just transferring once and walk the rest of the way to your destination, rather than transferring lines twice to reach the station exactly at the destination you want to be. Anyway, all that to say that if you are not in Seoul for business, perhaps Yeouido is not the best location. The metro will bring you where you need to be, but expect that it might take a bit longer than you think. Not nearly a deal killer for me but if you have never been to Seoul and will go for only 2-3 days and want to maximize your time, you should keep that in mind.
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Old Nov 25, 2017, 8:28 am
  #310  
 
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Originally Posted by escape4
I So you end up sometimes being better off just transferring once and walk the rest of the way to your destination, rather than transferring lines twice to reach the station exactly at the destination you want to be. Anyway, all that to say that if you are not in Seoul for business, perhaps Yeouido is not the best location. The metro will bring you where you need to be, but expect that it might take a bit longer than you think. Not nearly a deal killer for me but if you have never been to Seoul and will go for only 2-3 days and want to maximize your time, you should keep that in mind.
This is very good advice! I actually found to get to Myeongdong it was more pleasant to just take line 5 to Gwanghwamun and then walk 20 minutes or so south. While it did take longer to get to places (I was in Seoul for tourism) I found the service and the rooms at the Conrad to be worth the extra inconvenience.

The other thing to be aware of is that the Korean government has disabled Google Maps for walking and driving directions. The app will still give you public transport directions, but once you leave the metro you've got to navigate to the pin on your own.
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Old Nov 25, 2017, 8:41 am
  #311  
 
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Originally Posted by escape4
...wait for a flash sale and get the suite for a very good price. Last time I booked months in advance and I got the suite for 2.3m KRW per night, so 210 USD. And about a couple months before my stay, I saw another flash sale where I could have paid about 10% less so sub $200 for a suite which is amazing. .
Slight (order of magnitude) correction required - 2.3M KRW is $2,100 USD. Hopefully you were not paying that for your room!

I just finished another stay at this fantastic hotel. The staff definitely get to know you by name. Quite amazing! I booked during the September flash sale for my stay in November, and was able to get a room for 135,000 KRW per night (an unbelievable $125 USD). While I booked a King Bed Premium River View room, at check-in they presented me with the key to a very nice Grand King Corner Suite River View room. One of the best upgrades I have ever received.

While I had the choice of the sumptuous buffet at the second floor Zest restaurant or the Executive Lounge on the 37th floor, I only ate at the restaurant buffet once and the lounge the rest of the week that I was there. The lounge had beautiful morning views, enough for me to choose from, and I could get in-and-out quickly (a priority with early morning meetings).

I discovered that the restaurant on the 37th floor (37 Bar and Grill) had specials on Sunday night and one week night (maybe Thursday?) with several menu items available for 37k KRW (the regular menu was more in the 50-60k KRW range). Enjoyed a good meal and wine with colleagues there on the Sunday night.

Last edited by GJS - yow; Nov 25, 2017 at 10:12 am
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Old Nov 25, 2017, 9:46 am
  #312  
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Originally Posted by GJS - yow
Slight (order of magnitude correction) required - 2.3M KRW is $2,100 USD. Hopefully you were not paying that for your room!
Oops, my bad. I looked too quickly at my online invoice. 2.3m KRW was my final bill on an 11 night stay, not the nightly rate! So I paid 210k KRW per night, or $190 USD per night for the suite. That means the subsequent flash sale I saw after I made my booking must have been for something like $170-175 USD for the suite.

Great for you that you ended up with the suite for $125 USD, very well done!

I did not think I could get such an upgrade for 11 nights however and I did not want to take a chance; $190 USD was already good enough for me! :-)
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Old Nov 25, 2017, 9:49 am
  #313  
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Originally Posted by dcmike
This is very good advice! I actually found to get to Myeongdong it was more pleasant to just take line 5 to Gwanghwamun and then walk 20 minutes or so south. While it did take longer to get to places (I was in Seoul for tourism) I found the service and the rooms at the Conrad to be worth the extra inconvenience.

The other thing to be aware of is that the Korean government has disabled Google Maps for walking and driving directions. The app will still give you public transport directions, but once you leave the metro you've got to navigate to the pin on your own.
Indeed, I do the same thing. Get off somewhere else and walk. Seoul is a very nice city for walking if the weather is good, so I would rather enjoy extra time walking outside rather than sitting (or standing) in the metro! I fully agree that the Conrad is well worth the slight inconvenience of being in Yeouido for tourism especially for people who like to walk.

I was not aware about Google Map. I wondered before why I could not get directions! Thanks for the info.
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Old Feb 14, 2018, 8:50 pm
  #314  
 
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Staying here now. Booked a king room, and was upgraded to corner suite (as Diamond). Fantastic room, can highly recommend the ramen downstairs at the noodle bar.
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Old Feb 14, 2018, 8:51 pm
  #315  
 
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Regarding maps, download Naver Maps application on your phone, works well.
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