Canista

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Kagehitokiri

Canista, IIRC park hyatt and shilla (club) are best regarded in luxury hotels forum.

opushomes

While not at the Seoul property, this type of thing also occurred at the Westin Chosun Busan at the end of May. Perhaps the culture of Korea has evolved since I spent 6 months there 40 years ago, but I got the exact same type of thing at 2:09 a.m. when I finally called the duty manager about the screaming, shouting and door slamming that had been going on for a number of hours on the floor assigned. He wanted to come to my room to verify the issue, "Not!". My reaction was exactly the same as Canista's.

Thankfully Starwood customer service resolved the issue promptly through the normal problem resolution channels.

I was prompted to find this thread due to the other thread concerning problem resolution and the use of real names. Believe me the hotel knows my name and SPG number, but not my FT handle.

Starwood Lurker II

Hi opushomes,

Thank you for your message.

It definitely helps as I have not been to Korea before. (Chances are pretty low too.)

Actually, regardless of where the property is located, from a Customer service point of view, it is polite to follow up with a review, especially since it is a negative one.

The guest, however, has the right not to provide his details to the property for any possible reasons and I have to respect that.

I shall return the discussion back to its original topic on Westin Chosun.

Have a great weekend.

[email protected]

DownUnderFlyer

Just completed another stay there at the Westin Chosun incl. Mrs. DUF and Micro DUF and it was a great experience.

Got upgraded to a suite, club floor access, fresh fruit delivered after checkin. A very nice room and the 100% Platinum treatment which made the stay a great experience. Location of the hotel is of course great which helped because the weather was shocking.

The only small downside was that quite a few people in customer service spoke very little English and my Korean is not the best even so I used to live there.

brarob1

Just stayed in the Westin Chosun Korea as well and didn't see any of the complaints mentioned here. It actually looked like it had been remodeled to the Westin look. Great room, great club lounge, service was perfect, and you can't beat the location - very central.

777Brian

I wanted to thank everyone that has contributed to this thread! I recently went to Seoul for a long weekend. Unfortunately, I am no longer Platinum so was not eligible for all of the best benefits but I found the hotel nice, and Cash and Points made it a great deal. Here are a few of my thoughts which I hope can help some else.

The KAL Limousine Bus was great, very reasonably prices and a pretty quick ride. On the way there everyone was going to the Westin so we avoided any other stops. It probably took about 90 minutes from the Airport to the hotel. Protests over US beef had the streets clogged near the hotel which caused some delay. You can buy the tickets right near the exit and they appear to leave twice an hour after 8 pm.

I had a room on the 15th floor that overlooked the temple next to the hotel. I found the room clean and very functional. While the hotel features the Heavenly Bed, I though the actual mattress was harder then normal and the pillows a little softer. They are doing work on pipes and I was without water for most of Saturday (no problem for the morning but after sightseeing I needed a shower before dinner and had to plan around it). I really liked the built in universal power outlets above the desk. The bath was nice but I hate the glass door that only extends half way across the shower, with all the water on the floor after the shower I wonder how I manage to do that (have the same problem at the FRA Sheraton). The staff was warm and eager to address any service needs. The location was great; it was about two blocks to the nearest underground station. I had dinner in the Ninth Gate restaurant which was nice, be careful when selecting Champaign from the cart I had two glasses that came close to $60 dollars. I think the concierge was nice but didn’t necessary go over the top – getting details beyond the basics was a challenge.

During my visit I had a chance to visit a friend at the Park Hyatt. Just for comparison sake, I also liked this Hotel. Room and Bath seemed comparable to the Westin, but was slightly more modern and smaller. Where I think the Hyatt beats the Westin is in the amenities, many more restaurants and bars that were packed on a Saturday night. The drawback to this hotel is the location on the hill (nice views from high floors). For most of the sights I visited from the Hyatt I would need to take a cab versus walking or taking the under ground from the Westin (although cabs were pretty cheap).

Sweet Willie

hmmm, no word of any construction on *W website regarding this property, do you recall if this was going to be a long term project ?

Also, FYI for anyone who is going to be in Seoul during mid September this year, there are a number of FT'ers who will be in town, some staying at the Chosun, click my signature for more info.

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Starwood Lurker II

Hi Sweet Willie,

I believe it might be part of a servicing project for that day only. But I have dropped a note to the property to confirm again.

[email protected]

Helena Handbaskets

I have a 09:50 flight out of ICN. Does the shuttle from the Westin Chosun leave early enough (06:30?) to make this flight?

DH

The KAL Limousine bus starts running at 5:35 am with 15 - 20 min intervals; check out the KAL Limousine bus schedule at

http://www.kallimousine.com/eng/schedule_en.asp

ws8n

There seem to be mixed reviews on Westin Chosun.

Is the lounge lacking in food?

I'll be spending a few days at the W Walkerhill. Wondering if I should try a nite at the Westin.

FWIW, i'll be heading to Conrad Tokyo after Seoul.

mahasamatman

We did them in the other order last November. Even though the Chosun was nice, it certainly didn't come close to the Conrad Tokyo.

ws8n

Sheraton Walkerhill and W Seoul Walkerhill has this special condition -
VAT Fees

Through December 31, 2009, Korean residents will incur a 10 % VAT charge. The 10% vat fee will be waived for foreign tourists` accommodation bills. Please contact the hotel for further information.

However, it wasn't listed at Westin Chosun. Does that mean VAT is not waived at Westin Chosun?

clublounger

THe Westin Chosun is STILL my favorite hotel in world. Location, service, lounge (definitely not lacking in choices). I was there again in December for 10 nights. They have always treated this Plat VERY right.

Aloha