The Westin Josun Busan, South Korea [Master Thread]
 

Greetings all

Further to my recent post in relation to the Westin and Sheraton Hotels in Seoul, I have now found out that I will also be travelling to Pusan (Sth Korea).

There is only one Starwood hotel in Pusan, being the Westin Chosun Beach, however, this property is located on Hauendae Beach. I understand this is about 15kms from downtown Pusan, which is where I have several appointments.

Could anyone familiar with either Pusan or this hotel advise how long it will actually take to travel from the Westin to downtown Pusan at peak times? The information I have from travelocity states that the property is 20mins from the city, however, that might be at 2 in the morning for all I know.

Also, what can I expect at this hotel? I've noticed the Marriott is considerably more expensive, should I consider staying there instead? I must say the photos I have seen of the Westin are not too inspiring.

I do not believe the Westin Pusan has previously been discussed in this forum (at least no results were provided from searching "pusan").

Your assistance would be most appreciated.

Regards.

Obviously no one has ever stayed at this particular Westin :-)

I've decided to book it dispite my concerns. I'll be sure to post my thoughts upon my return.

Regards.

Just saw your post. I've been to the Westin Chosun Beach several times. Pvt e-mail me for more info.

You've got mail :-)

what a shock
 

i wonder if the lurkers visit this property for quality control? this place is a mess - sure it does live up to the minimum expectations of a westin with its heavenly bed, the aveda products, and descent lounge etc... but the hotel is managed very poorly.

take the sun bathing deck for example - it's made available to guests but there's nothing there but dust and trash. off to the corner of the deck was an open window of a shabby office.

i know busan is a bit far off from the center of the universe, but if it is to carry a Westin brand name, it needs to be managed centrally and follow the starwood protocols. what a world of difference from westin chosun seoul (or from any other 5 star properties in south korea in general)

I beg to differ with the minimum expection of a westin for this place. My minimum expectation is that of a heavenly bed irrespective of what room one is in. I had that with my first stay where I had booked the club level room, but not so on my next stay in a normal standard room.

The cheeky clerk even lied to me that the bed in my room was indeed a heavenly bed even after I had pulled all the sheets out and am staring directly at the very old mattress. I was only going to overnight there and hence did not make too much of a fuss, but it did gave me a sore back in the morning and to make matter worst, I have to slum it out in economy to narita. Luckily for me, it is only a short flight!

My last stay there was a couple of years ago and I sincerely hope that they had changed the bed by now.

Sadly, I have no ability to travel to all of the properties in AP for quality control issues.

But with the help of the internet, I can assist you further with your feedback.

I have dropped you a PM accordingly.

[email protected]

Thyetus Lee | Online Forum Coordinator(AP)
Starwood Customer Contact Centre (AP) Pte Ltd

I don't agree with you at all. I've also been there very frequently. Whenever I visit there, I could feel very comfortable and satisfactory. As a plat, I was usually upgraded to family suite having large separate living room. Also, executive lounge has a variety of foods and liquor selections. And, what I like the most is sauna facility. With comparing other properties around Haeundae, Westin is still the best property after renovation..

I guess you visit Westin Busan in July-Aug, when there are extremely crowded season. Except that season, I perfectly like this property.

On the other hand, I agree the rate is little bit overated as considering category 3. FYI, you know Westin Seoul doesn't offer Aveda product any more, (only suite level offers Bvlgari's)

I don't agree at all. I think this is really nice hotel. As a gold I was upgraded to Executive Club level, and my room and the service throughout the hotel was great. I'd really recommend this hotel as a great place to stay if you are in Busan.

while i appreciate differences in experiences and/or opinions, i maintain my stance in this being the worst starwood property i've been to date (that's right, the worst).

i don't even want to pick out the individual bits and pieces that went wrong. as said in my last post, this hotel gives you the overall impression that it is NOT managed by Westin... but still bears its name.

ever been to a Westin where the wallpaper has been pasted poorly along the staircase that bits of paper are sticking out? (i could have pasted better myself). ever been to a Westin where the you enter a swimming pool and you are hushed away because they have to clean it for the WHOLE DAY? i could go on and on....

i'm not very hard to please, really. my expectations are not that high... but this hotel really really needs to improve or be banned from using the Westin brand.

I loved it!
 

I stayed here back in april 2008 when i was a gold. My brother in law was a plat and he was upgraded to a huge suite. They allowed my wife and i to enter the lounge with my sister and brother in law.

The hotel is pretty fancy. Located right on the beach so it has great views. Nice walking/jogging trails also.

The lounge was nice with hot & cold foods with alcohol.

Haeundae is quite a distance from the train station. I remember it being about a 30 minute cab ride.

Definitely worth it! George bush stayed here when he was in pusan. They have pictures in the lobby of all the celebrities that stay here.

Hope this helps

Just stayed there this weekend. The staff were all very polite, although I did have to prompt an upgrade to an oceanview room as an SPG Gold, having not seen any changes to the reservation online in advance.

I stayed on the 6th floor, with a great view of Haeundae Beach and the ocean. I think the hotel is actually more than 30 years old (obviously renovated since then) and I found the room - and particularly the bathroom - to be quite small.

My room had a queen and a single bed, a small screened window that opened (so I could hear the surf all night) and a flatscreen television. No Heavenly Bath, but an alright showerhead in a small bathtub with a low ceiling (again, probably due to the original design of the hotel).

The bed's linens were Heavenly, but I don't think there is anyway the mattress was... it was extremely hard, so I ended up turning over several times during the night. My room was clean, but in the bathroom I noticed a few places where small holes had been patched but not entirely re-wallpapered, so looked a bit bad.

Live music at the lobby lounge in the evenings, reasonably priced drinks and food when compared to Seoul's hotels (but still a bit on the pricey side). All-in, an alright stay, but don't expect the Westin Chosun Seoul. Same name, different hotels.

i think part of the reason for WCB's mediocre operations is due to the lack of worthy competitors in the area. Busan sure is an up & coming city but still isn't big enough to attract more 5 star names. This still is the best hotel in Busan and there is less urgency for them to improve at this point...

... just thinking out loud cos i like Busan lots. :p

Recently stayed in Westin Chosun Busan in Family Suite and please take a look of my flickr pictures :D

Sounds like they still had yet to get around with getting the heavenly bed for the basic rooms then. This is my biggest problem with them. Honestly, the current mattress they have in there could be classify as a WMD!! :D

Other than that, and to be fair to them, they do provide reasonably good service and that they have a good executive lounge and probably one of the best around pusan. In order to enjoy this hotel, I feel that one have to stay at the executive level at the minimum.