aceboy44

I plan to rate the property 2/5 stars. Is my rating fair for tripadvisor before I publish it? I stayed in the FS Seoul

"This was my first time staying in a four seasons hotel, and I stayed for 7 nights which the first three nights were booked as city-view suite. Upon check-in I got upgraded to the ambassador suite which seemed like a great deal, only to be disappointed by the horrible service which I experienced.

First of all, I asked the staff who took me to my room to give me a tour around the hotel (spa, gym, swimming pool, restaurants, etc.) only to have left my room and never showed up again! During my Ritz-Carlton stays, I was always given a tour of the hotel upon check-in without asking for it. Next, sometimes when I make phone calls to the operator/front desk/room service/etc. the phone just keeps ringing! Furthermore, when I do make requests such as dental kits, bottled water, and green tea bags via the phone call or the Ipad sometimes the request is rapidly delivered while other times it may take up to 40 minutes to arrive (which is completely unacceptable for the price I paid.) To add insult to injury not only did I encounter some staff whom seemed uninterested in doing their jobs (those were minority though,) but the service in the restaurant on the ground floor was very bad and slow.

On one occasion, the housekeeping staff knocked my door bell to clean my room and I told her to come after 2 hours. To make sure my requests is understood I made the SAME request via the Ipad in the room. I left the room at 12 PM (the time I requested my room to be cleaned) and when I returned at 3:30 PM my room was untouched! That is shameful for a 5* property. Finally, the quality of their dental kits is so bad that I encountered many defected toothpastes that would not squeeze out of the tube (talk about quality assurance issue here.)

The only compensation I was given for the inconvenience caused was a complimentary check-out till 6PM. If this happened in the Ritz-Carlton proprty I would have been offered a complimentary one-room night stay (with lounge access,) or a complimentary breakfast for the duration of my stay, complimentary chauffeur drive to the airport, and late check-out till 3PM.

To be fair in my review the upgrade to the ambassador suite was a nice touch, and the quality of their foam pillow is of top notch, and for my birthday I was given a complimentary burger as compliments from the hotel. However, since the service recovery was horrible, and I did not get what I paid for, I would definitely not be coming back, or experience any other four seasons property around the globe. I will happily stick with the Ritz-Carlton property since they know how to satisfy me."

RichardInSF

Which FS hotel was this? We can't tell you if your experience was typical without knowing that. They vary a lot.

Also, what level room did you book and how much of an upgrade was the Ambassador suite?

Failure to clean your room as requested could well be a service lapse but I personally don't think it rises to the level of a complimentary night as recompense.

uggboy

The OP states that he/she stayed at the Four Seasons in Seoul.

Cheers & Safe Travels. ^

offerendum

Doesn't sound like a great stay but could also happen at some RC-properties. Agree with RichardInSF, nothing that requires a free night. Some chocolates would be adequate in my eyes. Check-out until 6pm seems absolute OK.

Valveking

A free night for cleaning your room an hour late? I think that would be overkill. I don't know much about the dental kits. I bring my own toothbrush and toothpaste. I think a few chocolates or a couple of cocktails in the lounge would suffice as restitution. I would certainly have been very pleased with that upgrade!

scented

Anyone who ever set (digital) foot in the Emirates forum here should take this post with a grain of salt.

While I do believe FS Seoul has some work to do, the treatment including upgrade seems generous (to me).

I expect FS Seoul to be a glorious property in the near future. Certainly has all the ingredients.

bhrubin

^^^

Among a few other forums where I've run into "issues" with the OP too. Now ignored...

Always consider the source...

RichardInSF

Thanks, dunno how I missed that!

SojournsOf

Out of interest, how long did you sit in your room waiting for someone to come back to take you for a walk to show you a pool?

aceboy44

I was upgraded by 2 room category rather than the next room category, but would have been satisfied staying in my original suite with good service as opposed to very bad/slow service.

See what happens when your room is not cleaned in any RC property. I'm confident that you will be impressed with the compensations they will offer you (at least that was my experience with them)

I was not shown around the property despite checking-in as a suite guest, and sometimes requesting items took up to 40 minutes to be delivered to my room. Furthermore, on many occasions the phone just keeps ringing and you think some cheap $15 - $20 would be satisfactory for the price I paid (or let's just say as an ambassador suite guest?) Well, the RC thinks otherwise since they compensated me with much more than just a late-check out till 6PM ^

Around an hour. During my stay at all the RC properties I have stayed I was always taken for a tour around the property upon checking-in, so despite telling the staff I wanted a tour I don't know why he left the room without ever coming back!

Anyways I have posted my review online:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...oul-Seoul.html

They deserve 1* but to be fair in my review and for the good quality of foam pillow and the upgrade I received I have given them 2*

MikeFromTokyo

I despise hotel guests (or airline passengers) who frivolusly seek compensation. Even more so if they come onto this forum and attempt to unfairly bad-mouth an hotel.

Out of the gate, the OP says this will be his last experience at a FS hotel. I think that's a brilliant idea. I am sure management, and property social media correspondents would be most grateful to not have to deal with such nonsense again from this particular guest.

the_etk

I agree completely. We were flying back from honeymoon a couple of weeks ago on Virgin Atlantic. At one point I was sitting at the bar chatting to one of the other passengers about airline miles and upgrades, he told me "when you get back, make sure you email them with some made up complaint - they always send me miles when I do that!". I went back to my seat and left him to it.

An overinflated sense of entitlement is one of my least favourite attributes in someone.

op487062

I'm staying at the FS Seoul in a city-view suite this week and would have loved a two-category upgrade. They didn't give me a tour of the property but did clean my room within a couple of hours of request.

Should I go downstairs and demand something from them?

Doc Savage

OP, what was the lotion situation at the hotel? Up to snuff?

aceboy44

I despise hotels that has no service recovery and does not provide what they charge for.

Anyways I'm definitely sticking with the RC brand if I want a good time on my next vacation

How can they give you an upgrade if you did not arrive to the hotel yet?