Aventine

Much higher standards at JW Seoul. There has to be bellmen there.

jaejaez

Yes there definitely is a bellman there, sometimes two - mostly found busy asking idle taxi drivers to drive away in order to keep the kerb unobstructed and to help load/unload bags for guests.
AND they often have another staff once you enter the doors whose sole job appears to be to welcome/greet guests as they enter. Both would help with your bags without you asking (unless you insist on self-servicing, of course).

JW Marriott in Gangnam is a proper 5 star property that checks all the boxes (though not perfect) - I cannot imagine the JW Marriott in Dongdaemun getting to keep its 5 star status and continue flying the JW flag (heck, even the regular "Marriott Flag") if it doesn't think things through quickly enough.

falcon9xr

Just want to add that depending on why you're in Seoul, FTers may find the Gangnam location to be what they prefer. It sits on top of/adjacent to the Express Bus Terminal, and has connections on three different subway lines.

Will also pile on and say that I much prefer the JW in Gangnam over the JW in Dongdaemun.

jaejaez

Just to add another data point:

I got Lurker's help to forward my feedback (read: "complaints") above to the hotel's management on Dec 3rd. It is now the 12th and still with radio silence. It appears that the hotel's cost-cutting measures have also impacted its managements' ability to respond to customer emails.

Aventine

Shows they simply don't care about Bonvoy guests.

jaejaez

The lurkers have followed up with the hotel to remind them to provide feedback. Will see what happens...
If this is how they manage guest relations with a Titanium guest staying for five nights on cash, I would hate to stay here if one day I were to lose status and/or use points.

Aventine

I never had a high opinion of their GM when he was at JW Seoul and seems he hasn't changed very much either. All flash and tone deaf to problems at his property.

jaejaez

Finally heard back from the hotel. The GM wrote back to me. In his response he is apologetic and sincere and has offered to give me 40,000 points (more than I thought TBH), but mentions nothing about any plans to reinstate the bell desk and/or to station more staff to help with luggage etc. This was the area of my biggest concern.
In fact, it appears that he has intentionally avoided addressing the point on bell captain/desk ... because he specifically addresses all the other points individually e.g. the feedback on restaurants, FD staff.. etc EXCEPT the belldesk situation.. which was the central part of my complaint.

For me, it is safe to assume that this hotel has no plans to reinstate the bell captain/desk in the near future - i.e. the guests coming in would have to self-service their luggage and suffer inconveniences from the kerb area becoming a chaotic mess during busy hours. If being welcomed by hotel staff as you pull up the hotel lobby (opening car doors and greeting you & getting luggage etc) is of any importance to you, then check your expectations when staying here.

MSPeconomist

Are there any other JWs that deliberately don't provide guests any help with luggage and have no bellstaff or doorpersons? I would have thought that this would be a brand standard for a brand that tries to position itself as upscale/luxury.

It's also odd that we have this in Korea which generally has high standards and expectations for service in higher category hotels.

falcon9xr

Who manages the JW Dongdaemun? Is there an easy way of finding that out? I wouldn't mind knowing who the managers of the various hotel properties in Seoul are, lol.

jaejaez

I engaged the GM of the hotel one last time and expressed my concerns around the lack of bell desk/bell captain. I told him that for me this will be a deal-breaker as I find it to be an important element of an upscale/luxury hotel.
To cut the long story short, he has committed to look at reinstating the bell desk and door staff for next year. Not sure when this will eventuate, but I consider this to be a positive closure.

Happy travels everyone & Merry Christmas in advance

Aventine

His name is Matthew Cooper and he won GM of the year from some bogus travel publication last year.

Edit: a Mr. Jay Kim is now the GM.

This hotel is luxurious seeming but not on the scale of Four Seasons or Shilla. I bet he figured most Chinese and Korean guests are used to lugging their own luggage and thought he could cut expenditures that way.

jaejaez

It is not (or no longer) Matthew Cooper but Mr. Jay Kim. Not sure how long he's been the GM here.

Aventine

Oh. My mistake then. It was Matthew Cooper earlier this year.

ElevatorEnthusiast

The day before arrival, I was quite weary of the JW Dongdaemun due to reviews on here and online. What I found was a hotel full of rules, but I really liked the hard product. The soft product also excelled at solving issues. This was one of the more aesthetically pleasing rooms I have seen in a while with a spa-like vibe. Here are my pros, cons, and photos:

Note: I missed lounge evening service, so I can't comment on that aspect.

Pros:

• Upgraded to a SkyView King on the 9th floor - these are the rooms with roof windows - I noticed the night before that only one suite showed as available, and I think the suites gave a wall of the nearby mall?
• The style was nice, calming, and spa-like - loved the dark stone bathroom and real wood floors
• The window bench was comfortable
• The bed was comfortable - typical firm yet just-right Korean mattress, plush pillows, and decently fluffy yet light covers
• Shower pressure from the rainfall head was fantastic
• TV did at least have a native YouTube app
• Towels were fluffy - check the closet as most are stored there
• Window coverings are obviously automated due to their shape
• Delivered some fruit and a note
• They tried turndown service but I was napping
• Breakfast (executive lounge only) was quite tasty
  • Made-to-order eggs chef present
  • Really tasty quiche
  • Nice croissants
• They didn't have an issue with 3 PM late checkout, as requested
• They called a taxi for me, which came very quickly, and the bellmen helped me with my luggage and speaking with the driver (taxis in Seoul do take credit cards, which is nice)

Neutral:

• My first room was so hot - sure, I had walked all the way from Myeongdong, but 26 degrees in a room that is set at 18 with the windows closed isn't good
• Joel from the concierge team came up, and despite Engineering saying the room was blowing out cold air, escorted me to another room on the same floor right away - stepping into it was a chilly blessing
• Joel brought up a cold glass of orange juice afterwards, and the team was apologetic multiple times at checkout - they offered me wine (a bottle, I presume, as they had already called my taxi?), and when I declined, gave me a bunch of Aromatherapy toiletries
• Again, annoying it happened, but they recovered well

Cons:

• Definitely a vibe of weird rules - "you'll get early check in for free since you're an Ambassador" at 1 PM, sheet says no bringing in food from outside, etc.

Overall, I would return here - I ended up enjoying it.

Photos: