Marriott Bonvoy hotels in Seoul, Korea
#196
Join Date: Feb 2011
Programs: Hyatt, Delta, Bonvoy, Hilton, BA, United
Posts: 106
For the Seoul Palace, were you not upgraded as a Plat? I totally agree that the regular rooms are small, and the room I had had the bed at a diagonal, which was awkward.
I was hoping that next time I go I would get upgraded as a Plat and not have to deal with that.
I do not recall water pressure issues, but this was like a year and a half ago now...
#200
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,198
Terrible RC indeed. It has always been surprising to me the lack of a true luxury hotel in Seoul for Marriott. The W was gorgeous but in the middle of nowhere before it left the system. The Westin has a great location but was getting too old the last time I stayed there... and that was 6 years ago. I even felt that way 14 years ago.
I gravitate for luxury but stayed at Aloft last time and was pleasantly surprised. Location can't be beat and the price so low that my wife and I both enjoyed despite massive apprehension at staying. Only thing I didn't like was the so called gym.
I would like to try the RYSE, Autograph Collection as I love the Hongdae area.
The Hyatt is also nice but location not ideal. Stayed there several times and had nice service.
I gravitate for luxury but stayed at Aloft last time and was pleasantly surprised. Location can't be beat and the price so low that my wife and I both enjoyed despite massive apprehension at staying. Only thing I didn't like was the so called gym.
I would like to try the RYSE, Autograph Collection as I love the Hongdae area.
The Hyatt is also nice but location not ideal. Stayed there several times and had nice service.
#201
Terrible RC indeed. It has always been surprising to me the lack of a true luxury hotel in Seoul for Marriott. The W was gorgeous but in the middle of nowhere before it left the system. The Westin has a great location but was getting too old the last time I stayed there... and that was 6 years ago. I even felt that way 14 years ago.
I gravitate for luxury but stayed at Aloft last time and was pleasantly surprised. Location can't be beat and the price so low that my wife and I both enjoyed despite massive apprehension at staying. Only thing I didn't like was the so called gym.
I would like to try the RYSE, Autograph Collection as I love the Hongdae area.
The Hyatt is also nice but location not ideal. Stayed there several times and had nice service.
I gravitate for luxury but stayed at Aloft last time and was pleasantly surprised. Location can't be beat and the price so low that my wife and I both enjoyed despite massive apprehension at staying. Only thing I didn't like was the so called gym.
I would like to try the RYSE, Autograph Collection as I love the Hongdae area.
The Hyatt is also nice but location not ideal. Stayed there several times and had nice service.
Marriott really needs something to compete at the ultra high end luxury with the Four Seasons.
Last edited by Aventine; Feb 22, 2019 at 12:46 am
#202
Join Date: Feb 2011
Programs: Hyatt, Delta, Bonvoy, Hilton, BA, United
Posts: 106
Terrible RC indeed. It has always been surprising to me the lack of a true luxury hotel in Seoul for Marriott. The W was gorgeous but in the middle of nowhere before it left the system. The Westin has a great location but was getting too old the last time I stayed there... and that was 6 years ago. I even felt that way 14 years ago.
I gravitate for luxury but stayed at Aloft last time and was pleasantly surprised. Location can't be beat and the price so low that my wife and I both enjoyed despite massive apprehension at staying. Only thing I didn't like was the so called gym.
I would like to try the RYSE, Autograph Collection as I love the Hongdae area.
The Hyatt is also nice but location not ideal. Stayed there several times and had nice service.
I gravitate for luxury but stayed at Aloft last time and was pleasantly surprised. Location can't be beat and the price so low that my wife and I both enjoyed despite massive apprehension at staying. Only thing I didn't like was the so called gym.
I would like to try the RYSE, Autograph Collection as I love the Hongdae area.
The Hyatt is also nice but location not ideal. Stayed there several times and had nice service.
The RYSE intrigues me the most based on what I've read online and the location. I've walked by the RYSE a couple of times when I was hanging out in Hongdae, and it is pretty well situated.
#203
I don't expect the Aloft to have a lounge, but do they have a sauna? What's the breakfast offering like?
Does the RYSE have a lounge? And how is the gym?
The RYSE intrigues me the most based on what I've read online and the location. I've walked by the RYSE a couple of times when I was hanging out in Hongdae, and it is pretty well situated.
Does the RYSE have a lounge? And how is the gym?
The RYSE intrigues me the most based on what I've read online and the location. I've walked by the RYSE a couple of times when I was hanging out in Hongdae, and it is pretty well situated.
Last edited by Aventine; Feb 23, 2019 at 7:23 am
#205
Join Date: Oct 2016
Programs: Aeroplan
Posts: 98
Looking for a hotel for 3 nights. I had eyed the JW .. square as well as the Westin. Just realized both have lounges only for guest 18+ and im travelling with my 3yo.
What other options are there. Location is important, and I dont want to go beyond cat-5.
Thanks in advance
What other options are there. Location is important, and I dont want to go beyond cat-5.
Thanks in advance
#206
Looking for a hotel for 3 nights. I had eyed the JW .. square as well as the Westin. Just realized both have lounges only for guest 18+ and im travelling with my 3yo.
What other options are there. Location is important, and I dont want to go beyond cat-5.
Thanks in advance
What other options are there. Location is important, and I dont want to go beyond cat-5.
Thanks in advance
Not to sound like a snob, but I don't want to see kids when I am drinking in the lounge, so I am one of those people who actually loves this rule. (I noticed a lot of Korean places that are focused on drinking are starting to enforce the no kids rule, not just in lounges.)
For location, I suggest the Westin because you can just walk outside the hotel and within 10 minutes you will find plenty of food to eat and you won't have to worry about your child not getting entrance.
#207
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Southern California
Programs: United 1K
Posts: 121
Headed to Seoul for 5 days in April. Also trying to choose a hotel. I am consider the PLAZA Hotel in Myeongdong. The alternative would be the JW Marriott in Dongdaemun, or use Chase points to book one of the Lotte Hotels.
Is the JW Marriott much better than Plaza? I am Platinum Elite, so which one would be more likely to upgrade me?
Is the JW Marriott much better than Plaza? I am Platinum Elite, so which one would be more likely to upgrade me?
#208
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: Altitude 100K Super Elite; AC Million Miles; Emirates Gold; Bonvoy lifetime Platinum Elite;
Posts: 350
Headed to Seoul for 5 days in April. Also trying to choose a hotel. I am consider the PLAZA Hotel in Myeongdong. The alternative would be the JW Marriott in Dongdaemun, or use Chase points to book one of the Lotte Hotels.
Is the JW Marriott much better than Plaza? I am Platinum Elite, so which one would be more likely to upgrade me?
Is the JW Marriott much better than Plaza? I am Platinum Elite, so which one would be more likely to upgrade me?
The Plaza is in a good location but the rooms are painfully small - even if you do get a suite - and I wouldn't want to stay there for more than one or two nights.
The JWM is a nicer property but you need to make sure you get a high floor as otherwise you feel you're in a bit of a goldfish bowl on the street below. JWM also has much nicer lounge with a walk-out terrace. The kicker is the staff were unfriendly and unhelpful. After one night in a goldfish-bowl room, I had to push hard for an upgrade and was eventually given a sky suite - larger room with part of the windows extending across the ceiling.
#209
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 44
Headed to Seoul for 5 days in April. Also trying to choose a hotel. I am consider the PLAZA Hotel in Myeongdong. The alternative would be the JW Marriott in Dongdaemun, or use Chase points to book one of the Lotte Hotels.
Is the JW Marriott much better than Plaza? I am Platinum Elite, so which one would be more likely to upgrade me?
Is the JW Marriott much better than Plaza? I am Platinum Elite, so which one would be more likely to upgrade me?
Everyone has their preferences. Last time I was visiting with a friend and we stayed in the Lotte in Daejeon. While I thought the Lotte had a much superior breakfast spread than the Plaza, he insisted the Plaza was better as the food quality was much better. If you're just going by upgrade potential, I'm batting 1.000.
#210
Join Date: Feb 2011
Programs: Hyatt, Delta, Bonvoy, Hilton, BA, United
Posts: 106
Headed to Seoul for 5 days in April. Also trying to choose a hotel. I am consider the PLAZA Hotel in Myeongdong. The alternative would be the JW Marriott in Dongdaemun, or use Chase points to book one of the Lotte Hotels.
Is the JW Marriott much better than Plaza? I am Platinum Elite, so which one would be more likely to upgrade me?
Is the JW Marriott much better than Plaza? I am Platinum Elite, so which one would be more likely to upgrade me?
The JW Marriott Dongdaemun has a nice location on paper, but in actuality is pretty far from the "touristy" stuff in Seoul. There are three (well maybe four...) main tourist attractions located in the vicinity of the JWMD, all of which I feel are overhyped. Dongdaemun gate is literally just the building, you cannot walk through it, taking pictures with it is awkward because of the way it is situated in traffic. Dongdaemun Design Plaza felt too commercialized, and did not feel like an authentic place for artists to get inspired and showcase their work. And Cheonggyecheon stream was just a stream (I was expecting a park-ish thing like the lake near Lotte Tower). The possible fourth tourist attraction is the late night clothes shopping, which I was not interested in. The other downside is that if you are trying to get downtown, it is a bit tougher to get a cab (they aren't waiting out front generally), though there it is close to subway lines 1 and 4.
Granted, my thoughts on the tourist attractions are all subjective, and those who lean towards the more artistic or creative side may find the area really enjoyable.
As far as the property itself, the JWMD is a really nice property, with an excellent lounge. If you are able to get a suite upgrade, you'll find the rooms are spacious, and you'll have a nice view of the Dongdaemun gate. The fitness facilities are great, but you will be charged for sauna use (per use, not per day or per stay).
The Plaza is located across from City Hall, and you will find that it is diagonally adjacent to Deoksugung, and a walkable-ish distance away from Gyeongbokgung. In front of Gyeongbokgung, you'll find a bunch of museums, like the Admiral Yi museum, the King Sejong museum, National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, and I think the Presseum is there too. There are a bunch more also.
There are almost always cabs in front of the hotel, if you're looking to go somewhere else, and it is directly connected via an underground tunnel to subway lines 1 and 2.
The downsides are that, as mentioned, the rooms are smaller, though I felt that the suite I was upgraded to as a Titanium (then Platinum Premier) was more than sufficient for my wife and me. The lounge also isn't as good as the JWMD. The fitness center is really nice, but it definitely isn't as "posh" as the JWMD and it is located in a separate building (which you can access via the underground tunnel, so you don't have to go "outside"). If it matters to you, the sauna at the fitness center is included (though I'm not sure if that is because of status or not).
I definitely intend on staying at the Plaza again sometime in the future, but probably not the JWMD. My stays in Korea tend to be point stays though, so I'm trying to get the best point redemption, and the JWMD isn't what I would consider a great redemption value. YMMV if you are looking at paid stays.
Hope that helps!