Four Seasons Seoul, Korea -- Reviews and Comments
Jul 27, 2019, 12:54 pm
#241
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: YYZ
Programs: Ex-Bonvoyed, Hyatt, Hilton, BR, AC, AA
Posts: 1,296
Korean summer vacation
The Korean summer vacation period is a blessing and a curse for hoteliers in Seoul. Companies give their vacation from the last 2 weeks in July to the middle of August. Kids have been off since the middle of July.
I would recommend coming here during the weekdays because the weekends have full occupancy for ALL Club rooms and entry level suites. They would not give me more than 12pm for checkout today from my City View executive suite.
As compensation, they let me have full access to spa and Executive Club until my 11pm departure. This was an adequate compromise. There's far worse places to kill time than FS Seoul.
City View Executive suite
A very comfortable semi-entry level suite with a City view bathroom. Nice to get natural light in the the bath area.
Whisper quiet during the weekdays but Seoul city does allow protests on weekends and it was getting noisy at 11am on Saturday. Loudspeakers and Pro-President Park chants.
Executive Club
Offerings have slipped a bit with less table service than before. You have to catch their attention, rather, than them coming and asking you if you want tea or coffee.
Delightful Su, the Executive Club manager left the hotel. She will be missed and this is probably the reason for the Club slippage.
Afternoon tea used to be a lot better than this.
The Korean summer vacation period is a blessing and a curse for hoteliers in Seoul. Companies give their vacation from the last 2 weeks in July to the middle of August. Kids have been off since the middle of July.
I would recommend coming here during the weekdays because the weekends have full occupancy for ALL Club rooms and entry level suites. They would not give me more than 12pm for checkout today from my City View executive suite.
As compensation, they let me have full access to spa and Executive Club until my 11pm departure. This was an adequate compromise. There's far worse places to kill time than FS Seoul.
City View Executive suite
A very comfortable semi-entry level suite with a City view bathroom. Nice to get natural light in the the bath area.
Whisper quiet during the weekdays but Seoul city does allow protests on weekends and it was getting noisy at 11am on Saturday. Loudspeakers and Pro-President Park chants.
Executive Club
Offerings have slipped a bit with less table service than before. You have to catch their attention, rather, than them coming and asking you if you want tea or coffee.
Delightful Su, the Executive Club manager left the hotel. She will be missed and this is probably the reason for the Club slippage.
Afternoon tea used to be a lot better than this.
Aug 7, 2019, 1:48 am
#242
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Join Date: Mar 2013
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I wouldn't pay extra for access since Su Kyung left.
They used to have more than American cheddar cheese and simple Emmental!
Sep 16, 2019, 10:04 am
#243
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 10,053
Korean Thanksgiving has passed and the hotel was swamped with staycationers according to vprp . They did something unimaginable for a Four Seasons and split the Executive Club lounge hour into 2 sittings and forced out a guest before the start of the first hour.
Christmas will only 1 one day off but expect the hotel to be busy with staycationers and personal year end parties renting suites. I'd say this would also apply to New Years as well.
Christmas will only 1 one day off but expect the hotel to be busy with staycationers and personal year end parties renting suites. I'd say this would also apply to New Years as well.
Sep 16, 2019, 4:56 pm
#244
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: HNLICNSFO
Posts: 630
Recently had a 3 night stay here in the palace view suite. Club lounge access was important for me but when I checked in, I was notified that there would be two cocktail hour times and I had to choose one. I chose to reserve the second time. On my first day, I was in the lounge but at 5 pm, I was asked to leave due to the first cocktail hour. Ended up going to a restaurant on premises but had an odd feeling having paid for access to the lounge and not being able to use it. There were also a few other hiccups.
On the bright side, the room was great. Bed was comfortable. There is a post on this thread stating the sauna might be paid for suite guests but I do not think this is the case. I did not use the shower in my room and instead, showered at the sauna facility and was not charged extra.
On the bright side, the room was great. Bed was comfortable. There is a post on this thread stating the sauna might be paid for suite guests but I do not think this is the case. I did not use the shower in my room and instead, showered at the sauna facility and was not charged extra.
Sep 16, 2019, 5:50 pm
#245
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Parts Unknown
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Recently had a 3 night stay here in the palace view suite. Club lounge access was important for me but when I checked in, I was notified that there would be two cocktail hour times and I had to choose one. I chose to reserve the second time. On my first day, I was in the lounge but at 5 pm, I was asked to leave due to the first cocktail hour. Ended up going to a restaurant on premises but had an odd feeling having paid for access to the lounge and not being able to use it. There were also a few other hiccups.
On the bright side, the room was great. Bed was comfortable. There is a post on this thread stating the sauna might be paid for suite guests but I do not think this is the case. I did not use the shower in my room and instead, showered at the sauna facility and was not charged extra.
On the bright side, the room was great. Bed was comfortable. There is a post on this thread stating the sauna might be paid for suite guests but I do not think this is the case. I did not use the shower in my room and instead, showered at the sauna facility and was not charged extra.
What were the other hiccups?
Last edited by Aventine; Sep 16, 2019 at 10:02 pm
Jan 6, 2020, 7:52 pm
#246
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 9
Greetings
I'm sorry about your experience at Four Seasons Seoul. I'm shocked that the GM would directly tell a loyal patron to find another place to say. Even the most demanding customers
are not treated that way. Was it just a mere suggestion of "if" or did he explicitly told you in person to find another place to stay? This kind of direct insult rarely happens and I wonder whether it was just a misunderstanding.
are not treated that way. Was it just a mere suggestion of "if" or did he explicitly told you in person to find another place to stay? This kind of direct insult rarely happens and I wonder whether it was just a misunderstanding.
Done with this hotel
I guess the GM got fed up of taking feedback and didn't like hearing about his service failures from DavidO's team. He basically told me I should find another hotel in Seoul to stay for my comfort and relaxation. That's fine. After the poorly handled spider web incident in HK, I wasn't keen on giving money to this hotel brand and this last stay cemented their decline in my eyes. I have 20 nights to give away in Seoul (since Hyatt shot itself in the foot and lit it on fire with its globalist program) and they're not going to FS.
I guess the GM got fed up of taking feedback and didn't like hearing about his service failures from DavidO's team. He basically told me I should find another hotel in Seoul to stay for my comfort and relaxation. That's fine. After the poorly handled spider web incident in HK, I wasn't keen on giving money to this hotel brand and this last stay cemented their decline in my eyes. I have 20 nights to give away in Seoul (since Hyatt shot itself in the foot and lit it on fire with its globalist program) and they're not going to FS.
Jan 7, 2020, 6:19 am
#247
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Join Date: Mar 2013
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I'm sorry about your experience at Four Seasons Seoul. I'm shocked that the GM would directly tell a loyal patron to find another place to say. Even the most demanding customers
are not treated that way. Was it just a mere suggestion of "if" or did he explicitly told you in person to find another place to stay? This kind of direct insult rarely happens and I wonder whether it was just a misunderstanding.
are not treated that way. Was it just a mere suggestion of "if" or did he explicitly told you in person to find another place to stay? This kind of direct insult rarely happens and I wonder whether it was just a misunderstanding.
We stayed there under the new Spanish GM and the stay was great minus cost cutting for some outlets and the lounge.
Jan 7, 2020, 7:26 am
#248
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 9
You are a real loyal patron
You are a true loyal Four Seasons patron to come back and stay after the GM got replaced. He should not have said such a thing to you and should be reported. I rarely eat at the lounge except getting some drinks and their restaurants indeed lowered their price. Their room rate seems to be lower than other cities with similar cost of living, so not sure whether they are losing money. The hotel doesn't seem to be competitive enough and needs a lot of sacrifice from its staff.
That particular GM is known for having a short fuse. I guess he got fed up with us and decided to say what he said. The hardware is still the nicest in Seoul and I still recommend it for Luxury Forum members.
We stayed there under the new Spanish GM and the stay was great minus cost cutting for some outlets and the lounge.
We stayed there under the new Spanish GM and the stay was great minus cost cutting for some outlets and the lounge.
Jan 9, 2020, 7:19 pm
#249
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You are a true loyal Four Seasons patron to come back and stay after the GM got replaced. He should not have said such a thing to you and should be reported. I rarely eat at the lounge except getting some drinks and their restaurants indeed lowered their price. Their room rate seems to be lower than other cities with similar cost of living, so not sure whether they are losing money. The hotel doesn't seem to be competitive enough and needs a lot of sacrifice from its staff.
Jan 9, 2020, 9:14 pm
#250
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 5
Back to the hotel for a 7 night stay this time. Akira Back is grand opening tonight.
2 days in, the service is a lot more polished than the last stay. Front desk was good, and luggage was delivered very quickly to the room. Staff interaction has been great across the board.
Still not a fan of the toiletry brand; a made in China product that smells like Dove doesn't really convey luxury.
2 days in, the service is a lot more polished than the last stay. Front desk was good, and luggage was delivered very quickly to the room. Staff interaction has been great across the board.
Still not a fan of the toiletry brand; a made in China product that smells like Dove doesn't really convey luxury.
Jan 10, 2020, 12:34 am
#251
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: YYZ
Programs: Ex-Bonvoyed, Hyatt, Hilton, BR, AC, AA
Posts: 1,296
I think the toiletries have changed since a few years ago. I remember when I first visited FS in Seoul, the toiletries smelled like extremely expensive Italian soap. Then, there was a reformulation to something that smelled way too close to lysol cleaner. Now, they've virtually removed the scent hoping for the most understated clean smell. I prefer the Molton Brown toiletries at the Shilla.
Jan 10, 2020, 6:35 am
#252
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 5
It could have been either that the cost was unsustainable and when FS requested a reformulation to reduce financial burden, they assumed the change in scent would be unnoticed by most thanks to the luxury appearance of the packaging. I definitely noticed but I'm not sure if most guests would care if they hadn't had the original stuff.
Another possibility is that the supplier may have lost access to some perfumery components, especially if they came from more natural places. If so, they would have had to substitute with artificial molecules and that would explain a lot in what went wrong.
At this level of service, I personally believe the toiletries play a huge part in the olfactory memory that guests take with the. FS Seoul has one of the most distinct lobby scents and they have never altered that signature. They should have invested the same care into what guests enjoy when bathing in their rooms.
Another possibility is that the supplier may have lost access to some perfumery components, especially if they came from more natural places. If so, they would have had to substitute with artificial molecules and that would explain a lot in what went wrong.
At this level of service, I personally believe the toiletries play a huge part in the olfactory memory that guests take with the. FS Seoul has one of the most distinct lobby scents and they have never altered that signature. They should have invested the same care into what guests enjoy when bathing in their rooms.
Jan 11, 2020, 5:06 am
#253
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 9
I concur
I like Morton Brown body wash so I took home a bottle of it from my last stay at Shilla. The bottle was bigger than what I usually get from my hotel stays in the states. The Shilla was generous in terms of amenities, I think.
I think the toiletries have changed since a few years ago. I remember when I first visited FS in Seoul, the toiletries smelled like extremely expensive Italian soap. Then, there was a reformulation to something that smelled way too close to lysol cleaner. Now, they've virtually removed the scent hoping for the most understated clean smell. I prefer the Molton Brown toiletries at the Shilla.
Feb 15, 2020, 7:52 am
#255
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Still the best place to celebrate special dates and occasions in Seoul. They made a wonderful cake and decorated our suite with balloons and well wishes. Lightyears ahead of a certain Namsan hotel mired in cost cutting and a shadow of its former self.