Tight Quarters at the Park Hyatt Seoul
I was SUPER excited about staying at the Park Hyatt for my second night in Seoul. I love Park Hyatts and this one looked amazing from the pictures. And since it’s a category 4 I was also able to use the free night cert from my Hyatt Visa to skip the $400 price tag and get the room for free. And then there was the fact it was located in Gangnam, which appealed to my adolescent side. 😉 Getting there from the airport was really easy. KAL runs a deluxe limousine to that area for only ~$16. We entered at the ground level where they took possession of our bags and directed us to the elevator which went (almost) straight to the top floor to check in. 
Our room was ready — and we were offered points or a welcome drink as our amenity. I asked for red wine to be delivered later and we headed to a second set of elevators which exclusively served the guest room floors. 
The hallway was quite interesting. The building is very angular and the decor made it look more like an art gallery or museum than your typical hotel. I kinda dug the way the room doors blended into the walls. 
We’d been upgraded to a Deluxe room and when I first walked in, I was rather overwhelmed. And not in a good way. The blackout shades had been drawn to keep out the sun and my first impression was of a crowded, windowless, rather claustrophobic space. 
All the furniture was really cool, but because of the angle of the room there was very little room to move without bumping into it or my friend. A good room for a solo traveler or romantic pair, but a little stressful for even the best of traveling companions The hallway to the bathroom was right where the door opened, so if you had any luggage near the opening, you had to climb over it to get into the bathroom. The bathroom itself was spacious and impressive, the highlight being the shower and tub right in front of the window. The rough stone wall of the shower was beautiful! The only downside to the bathroom was the loose fitting door to the toilet area which again limited privacy.
After exploring the room I found the button to raise the drapes and things started to improve. The floor to ceiling glass windows did a lot to make the room feel more open. And once I was worn out from hiking the N Seoul Tower and walking all over the city, I was less restless and could stay in one chair and not bump into things. 
Right around this time they also called down to let us know they no longer offered wine as a welcome drink and would I prefer juice or points. I took the points. Before we headed out to see the sights, we popped up to the lobby restaurant to grab a quick lunch and had our second shock of the day. I’m used to staying in nice hotels, so I should have been prepared for the prices, but they caught me a little off guard. Lunch entrees started at $25 and up. It was the wine list that really got me. A glass of mediocre wine started at $35. OUCH. 
Even had the room been so amazing we wanted to do nothing but hang out in it, we could haven’t afforded to, and were all the more encouraged to shake our jet lag and get out and about! 
But despite the prices, the view from the lobby was amazing! If you can afford a drink, it is definitely worth spending some time up there, particularly in the evening enjoying the view. Interestingly enough, their infinity pool is adjacent to the restaurant and visible through glass walls, so depending on who is using it at the time, the view could either lessen or improve. 😛 Fortunately I was a diamond, so I didn’t have to worry about affording breakfast which was amazing. To get to it you do have to take an elevator from your room to the lobby and then down from the lobby to Cornerstone, the restaurant on the 2nd floor. 
The space is amazing and the options feel endless! In addition to the bread station, the smoothie station, the fruit and yogurt displays, the Korean options, and usual eggs, potatoes and bacon, you can order off a menu. Which I did 🙂 
I loved the views from the hotel, the great service from the staff, and the convenience of a subway stop right outside the hotel doors. But since we were there primarily to see the sights in a very short amount of time, its location wasn’t the most convenient and staying at the Grand Hyatt Seoul would have significantly reduced transit time and effort. I wanted to love the Park Hyatt Seoul — I was more excited about staying here than almost any other booking we had. But as amazing as it was, it just didn’t quite “fit” and left me a little cold. Maybe next time with different expectations it will be better… And now, for all those who made it to the end of this post, and perhaps, like me have “Gangnam Style” running in their head here’s a little bonus material.
More posts from the trip:
Checking In and Air France Lounge at IAD
Korean Airlines First Class IAD-ICN
Hyatt Regency Incheon: Great Service, Hard Beds
Accidentally Seeing Seoul Like a Native
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First mistake was going to Seoul…….
Can’t disagree. I spent a half day there on a long layover recently; that was more than enough. Someone (who is Korean American in fact) once told me Seoul is soul-less. Truer words were never spoken.
wow. pretty ignorant comment. just got back from there and had the most amazing time with some korean friends – koreans have lots of heart and once you take the time to get to know them, they are fun and generous. lots to do and see in seoul and it was an amazing trip. btw, stayed in a suite at the park hyatt and there was lots of room for me and a friend, including a nice living room area.
Westin chosun would have been a much better location as a tourist…
Oh my. Don’t post another video again
@E – I’ll have to wildly disagree – life is too serious – it’s good with a little fun once in a while 🙂
$35 for a cheap glass of wine is extortion. Ridiculous. Much nicer hotels in much nicer areas of the world are half that. Hope the rest of your trip was more reasonable.
It was much better. One of the many reasons I love south Asia!
@Patrick W- Maybe your friend is soul-less(being Korean-American)?- Seoul is great city, Just spend 9days in Korea with my son and we had GREAT TIME.