Courtyard Seoul Pangyo
Mar 18, 2015, 9:26 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 4,519
Courtyard Seoul Pangyo
Courtyard Seoul Pangyo
I did a quick search and can't find any report for this hotel.
I currently holding the reservation for Courtyard Seoul Times Square, but knowing this one in Pangyo going down from cat 5 to cat 4, thinking of switching over to this one to save a few points.
I understand the location is different, but it seems it is very close to the subway according to Google Map. We are planning to use Subway anyway, so is might just mean 15-20 min subway ride here and there.
From Tripadvisor review, it seems to be a decent hotel. Any FlyerTalk member stay here can provide your comment on this hotel?
I did a quick search and can't find any report for this hotel.
I currently holding the reservation for Courtyard Seoul Times Square, but knowing this one in Pangyo going down from cat 5 to cat 4, thinking of switching over to this one to save a few points.
I understand the location is different, but it seems it is very close to the subway according to Google Map. We are planning to use Subway anyway, so is might just mean 15-20 min subway ride here and there.
From Tripadvisor review, it seems to be a decent hotel. Any FlyerTalk member stay here can provide your comment on this hotel?
Mar 19, 2015, 5:44 am
#2
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 4,279
I actually syated here due to my company changing policy from the Ritz to the CY (
). [I actually reviewed this place in TA]
Anyway, I am glad to report back that location-wise it is not too bad. The metro is like 5 mins walk from the hotel and takes you down to Seoul in 15 mins with the DX line.
It is of course no Ritz, but it is very close to the FS hotels, like Marriott.
Staff are all very friendly and the neighbourhood is nice as in not so busy like in Seoul.
The Exec. lounge is good - I actually like it better compared to the RC Seoul Club lounge as in the evening offerings varies and the staff are as good as the RC. Only downside of the lounge is that it can get crowded due to the number of eligible guests (mostly you will notice are there to support with the 2 main electronics company in Seoul). It can also be very noisy in case you are looking for a place to have some decent relaxation.
Breakfast is OK - but it gets mundane after some days.
Other than that, it is quite a strong property. More info is in the TA review I submitted.
Cheers!
). [I actually reviewed this place in TA]Anyway, I am glad to report back that location-wise it is not too bad. The metro is like 5 mins walk from the hotel and takes you down to Seoul in 15 mins with the DX line.
It is of course no Ritz, but it is very close to the FS hotels, like Marriott.
Staff are all very friendly and the neighbourhood is nice as in not so busy like in Seoul.
The Exec. lounge is good - I actually like it better compared to the RC Seoul Club lounge as in the evening offerings varies and the staff are as good as the RC. Only downside of the lounge is that it can get crowded due to the number of eligible guests (mostly you will notice are there to support with the 2 main electronics company in Seoul). It can also be very noisy in case you are looking for a place to have some decent relaxation.
Breakfast is OK - but it gets mundane after some days.
Other than that, it is quite a strong property. More info is in the TA review I submitted.
Cheers!
Mar 19, 2015, 7:12 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 4,519
nldogbert, thanks for your respond and did read your TA review before posting here. So now that I know what was stated on TA is true 
Just want to confirm that based on your review, it seems that at this CY, Gold and Platinum members get breakfast at the EL? I will be travelling with my family (wife & 7yr old), will they have problem letting our entire family in? Just want to make sure it is not one of those locations where only permit member enter for free and all other guests will be charge. Also, can you provide the time or operation for the EL?
In regarding getting to and from Airport, from the PDF provided on the Marriott web site, it seems the bus stop at the Pangyo Subway station, so I guess this will be the 5 min walk you are referring to. But what I want to know are roughly how long is the Bus ride will be, so we can plan my trip accordingly. Also is do you know if there is a charge for my 7yr old.
Thanks again for your help.
Just want to confirm that based on your review, it seems that at this CY, Gold and Platinum members get breakfast at the EL? I will be travelling with my family (wife & 7yr old), will they have problem letting our entire family in? Just want to make sure it is not one of those locations where only permit member enter for free and all other guests will be charge. Also, can you provide the time or operation for the EL?
In regarding getting to and from Airport, from the PDF provided on the Marriott web site, it seems the bus stop at the Pangyo Subway station, so I guess this will be the 5 min walk you are referring to. But what I want to know are roughly how long is the Bus ride will be, so we can plan my trip accordingly. Also is do you know if there is a charge for my 7yr old.
Thanks again for your help.
Mar 19, 2015, 3:33 pm
#5
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 4,279
alc,
For breakfast I am not sure if that would be included or not as Gold/Plat (I believe not) as it was part of my company's rate. They don't have breakfast in the EL (it is quite dead until the evening's happy hour - starts from 1700 [if I remember correctly]. They are not very strict with the lounge access especially if it's just a 7 y/o. The staff in the EL are really nice (except one or two which I suspect are new/trainees - they tend to be a bit reserved).
The bus ride will take approximately 1 hour. In my few occasions taking the bus (outside of the peak of the rush hour) it always took approx 45-50 mins. It will indeed stop at the bus stop serving the subway station. Most probably your 7 y/o kid will need to pay the child fare.
If you are going to use the subway often, my advise is to get the T-money card to reduce the amount of time to buy the ticket and to redeposit it to get back your deposit.
If you want, I can share with you the contact email if you have any further question about the facilities, i.e: breakkie, etc..
Cheers!
For breakfast I am not sure if that would be included or not as Gold/Plat (I believe not) as it was part of my company's rate. They don't have breakfast in the EL (it is quite dead until the evening's happy hour - starts from 1700 [if I remember correctly]. They are not very strict with the lounge access especially if it's just a 7 y/o. The staff in the EL are really nice (except one or two which I suspect are new/trainees - they tend to be a bit reserved).
The bus ride will take approximately 1 hour. In my few occasions taking the bus (outside of the peak of the rush hour) it always took approx 45-50 mins. It will indeed stop at the bus stop serving the subway station. Most probably your 7 y/o kid will need to pay the child fare.
If you are going to use the subway often, my advise is to get the T-money card to reduce the amount of time to buy the ticket and to redeposit it to get back your deposit.
If you want, I can share with you the contact email if you have any further question about the facilities, i.e: breakkie, etc..
Cheers!
Mar 20, 2015, 3:29 pm
#8
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat; *A Gold; Marriott Gold
Posts: 351
HOWEVER; note that you won't get club-lounge access at the RC as a Marriott Rewards Gold; not sure about the higher categories. So while you save money on the room it depends how much value you put on club lounge access. For me this is a big reason to stay on the cheapest rate I can find at a FS Marriott or JW. YMMV
May 22, 2016, 6:57 am
#9
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 4,279
May2016
Hi,
Staying here again, and glad to report that it is more or less the same based on my last stay. Noticed some improvements:
- breakfast offerings have improved - they have now a section for noodles (prepared for you)
- due to the increase number of Indian clientale - there is now Indian selections
- finally the oatmeal is not salty - it's neutral
Lounge:
- i believe that there is now an additional wine choice
- you can have breakfast in the lounge now (options rather good)
the bad:
- no Baileys anymore - replaced by Kahlua coffee liquer
- still (and maybe even more) crowded than before
- no more 'instant' ginseng sachets anymore (i liked it with honey)
I did an internet test and speed is good (no differentiation for the different guests)
And for those curious about the GM - it seems they had a change of GM last December. I have seen him walking around nearly every week at different areas of the hotel. So it looks like he is checking out things. An Australian. I was told that the last GM moved to the CY at Namdaemun, Seoul (also an Australian) whom I actually never met in my last stay.
Cheers!
Staying here again, and glad to report that it is more or less the same based on my last stay. Noticed some improvements:
- breakfast offerings have improved - they have now a section for noodles (prepared for you)
- due to the increase number of Indian clientale - there is now Indian selections
- finally the oatmeal is not salty - it's neutral
Lounge:
- i believe that there is now an additional wine choice
- you can have breakfast in the lounge now (options rather good)
the bad:
- no Baileys anymore - replaced by Kahlua coffee liquer
- still (and maybe even more) crowded than before
- no more 'instant' ginseng sachets anymore (i liked it with honey)
I did an internet test and speed is good (no differentiation for the different guests)
And for those curious about the GM - it seems they had a change of GM last December. I have seen him walking around nearly every week at different areas of the hotel. So it looks like he is checking out things. An Australian. I was told that the last GM moved to the CY at Namdaemun, Seoul (also an Australian) whom I actually never met in my last stay.
Cheers!
Aug 5, 2017, 9:03 pm
#11
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 4,279
Review: August 2017
Hi,
Back at this property about slightly more than a year of absence.
In general, still a solid property. Some significant notes
- hotel is very busy during this summer period, but I suspect outside of the period it is also rather busy with lots of companies using this hotel for their employees to stay due to it's proximity to the high tech industry parks
- executive lounge offerings have improved, they have now a beer tap and some additional food selections on offer during evening hours.
- the lounge is on a frequent basis very full and sometimes just overcrowded during the evening hours.
- some of the previous staff are still there, but there are also some new ones.
- breakfast area has some changes in seating arrangement to accommodate the number of guests, however it still gets very crowded especially in the weekend.
- rates have gone up rather significantly (maybe just during the summer months), but sometimes it can be as expensive or more expensive than the JW or any other luxury hotel.
Some changes which I still hope they will take into consideration
- find a solution to the overcrowded lounge - maybe start limiting access only to paid or Platinum members or no free 2nd guest for Gold members when crowded [I know not a popular step]
- extend the evening hour meal time to 8 pm
- add some additional tv channels, e.g. NHK, CNA, etc
One good thing is after so much usage, the furnishing still seems to be well kept, although you do see some stains, wear and tear here and there.
Staff are still very friendly and helpful and even after such a period of absence, quite a number still remembers me.
Cheers!
Back at this property about slightly more than a year of absence.
In general, still a solid property. Some significant notes
- hotel is very busy during this summer period, but I suspect outside of the period it is also rather busy with lots of companies using this hotel for their employees to stay due to it's proximity to the high tech industry parks
- executive lounge offerings have improved, they have now a beer tap and some additional food selections on offer during evening hours.
- the lounge is on a frequent basis very full and sometimes just overcrowded during the evening hours.
- some of the previous staff are still there, but there are also some new ones.
- breakfast area has some changes in seating arrangement to accommodate the number of guests, however it still gets very crowded especially in the weekend.
- rates have gone up rather significantly (maybe just during the summer months), but sometimes it can be as expensive or more expensive than the JW or any other luxury hotel.
Some changes which I still hope they will take into consideration
- find a solution to the overcrowded lounge - maybe start limiting access only to paid or Platinum members or no free 2nd guest for Gold members when crowded [I know not a popular step]
- extend the evening hour meal time to 8 pm
- add some additional tv channels, e.g. NHK, CNA, etc
One good thing is after so much usage, the furnishing still seems to be well kept, although you do see some stains, wear and tear here and there.
Staff are still very friendly and helpful and even after such a period of absence, quite a number still remembers me.
Cheers!
Aug 5, 2017, 9:20 pm
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 10,052
Hi,
Back at this property about slightly more than a year of absence.
In general, still a solid property. Some significant notes
- hotel is very busy during this summer period, but I suspect outside of the period it is also rather busy with lots of companies using this hotel for their employees to stay due to it's proximity to the high tech industry parks
Cheers!
Back at this property about slightly more than a year of absence.
In general, still a solid property. Some significant notes
- hotel is very busy during this summer period, but I suspect outside of the period it is also rather busy with lots of companies using this hotel for their employees to stay due to it's proximity to the high tech industry parks
Cheers!
It's also a local staycation spot for those Bundang residents who don't want to drive into Seoul.