Marriott Bonvoy hotels in Seoul, Korea
 

have a hard time choosing which hotel for a two day layover on the way to sydney, can anyone share some highlights on anyone of these properties?

thanks in advance!!!

Both are south of the river Han and all the sights are north of the river (I assume that you want to do some sight seeing on your layover...).
Problem is that the bridges are always cramped, even at midnight.
Therefore you might reconsider your choice (e.g. the Westin is nicely located in downtown.)
If you want to stick with Marriott take the Renaissance, it is a bit older, but very convenientely located to a subway station. This eliminates the traffic jam problem and the subway in Seoul is easy to use (all signs also in english, very helpful staff).
Enjoy!

This may be heresy, but in Seoul my favorite hotel is the Grand Hyatt.

I have stayed at both and the choice is not even close - the JW Marriott is a magnificant hotel and far nicer than the Rennaissance. The room was beautiful and the service outstanding. The gym is as nice and well equipped as any private facility you'd find with an incredible amount of equipment, televisions, pumped in fresh oxygen etc.

The subway should not be the deciding factor. The J.W. Marriott is directly above one of the main subway stations (3 subway lines) in Seoul, so the Renaissance really does not have an advantage on that front.

I have not stayed at the Renaissance. However, the J.W. was one of the best experiences I have had at a Marriott. The staff was extremely helpful and the room was outstanding. I highly recommend it.

thanks for the reply folks, i now can make my chioce in seoul and the winner is MARRIOTT.

Seoul: JW vs. Renaissance
 

Any advice on which hotel to stay in while in Seoul, the JW Marriott or the Renaissance?

I'm traveling on leisure and would like to use my points. The Renaissance is a cat. 3 whereas the JW Marriott is a cat. 4. Is the JW Marriott really better?

Recommends JW Marriott. It is part of Central City complex. Central City has a number of good restaurants, dept store (Shinsegae), shopping arcade, express bus terminal, subway station (Line 3 and 7), city air-terminal, a bookstore, and a movie theatre. If you are traveling with Korean or Asiana, you can check in at the city air-terminal, and take "non-stop" limousine bus to the Incheon Airport.
Renaissance is not conveniently located and not really easy to get around.

JW vs Ritz Seoul?
 

I've stayed many times at the Ritz and was thinking of giving the JW a try in Seoul. Can anyone compare the two? How will I be treated as a platinum? Is there complimentary access to the Spa (not just fitness center)? How is the Spa and Fitness Center compared to the Ritz (and do they give you workout clothes to use)?

JW Marriott Seoul
 

It depends on what do you prefer. Traffic wise, JW is very convenient. It is a part of Central City complex which houses dept. store, mall (smallish), theater, express bus terminals, and Central City Air Terminal. There is a direct (non-stop) limousine bus from the Incheon airport which is very convenient.
I believe service is very good (probably equal to that of Ritz).
Marquis spa is one of the biggest in Seoul with rock climbing, scuba diving facilities as well as other regulars. I think it is a lot better than that of Ritz in terms of facilities.
The hotel will probably upgrade you to executive floor as far as I know.
In general, all hotel sports and fitness cetner provide clothes (shirts, shorts and socks).

I haven't stayed at the Ritz but the JW here is one of the best I've stayed at. The spa is great, got one of the 3.5 hr packages and I was a limp noodle afterwards.

Eric

Seoul, S Korea Ren or Marriott
 

Can anyone offer advice between these two hotels? I'll be there for one night so location will be important so that I can see as many of the sights as possible.

Depends on where you'd like to go but both hotels are not that far from each other. Ren is old and I would not recommend it. Rather JW will give you a nice experience. It's at the central plaza and subway, taxis are all connected so it'd be easy for you to get around. Hence, my vote's for JW if you don't consider price. If you are after Ren for their price, it's one of the most frequent hotels that priceline offers on their bidding in Korea. Just FYR.

Enjoy ur stay.

Location is key in Seoul!!
 

use the "search this forum" function in the upper right hand page to find reviews of properties you are interested in.

Using search keyword "Seoul", search comes up with a number of threads about the two Marriott properties, one of which is this one about the Ren: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=136671

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I stayed at the JW Marriott in Seoul last July and it was an excellent experience. It was my first time in Korea and I was able to easily navigate the subway system, which has a station at the hotel. Also, there is a huge mall attached to the hotel.