Seoul Hotels with Bars

This hotel is perfectly located! It's just south of Seoul City Hall Square and west of Myeongdong. The subway station is only a few dozen meters from the lobby entrance, and Sejong-daero is right to the west. It's also not far from the major palaces and Namsan, so the location couldn't be better. The staff are very friendly, attentive, and welcoming. While the facilities might feel a bit more compact compared to newly built five-star hotels in China, they are well-maintained and perfectly adequate. Overall, it offers great value for money.

The bigger the hope, the greater the disappointment. By domestic hotel standards, this place is essentially an upgraded budget hotel in terms of hardware. Regarding the service, every staff member I encountered greeted me warmly and proactively. When my ride-share dropped me off at ground level, two attendants helped me carry my luggage upstairs. Its location is absolutely unbeatable, right in Myeongdong. It's very close to Lotte Duty-Free, Shinsegae Duty-Free, and the Nanta show. My final conclusion is: Is it worth over 5,000 won for two nights? I can only say that the Wyndham I stayed at in Busan for just over 700 won felt more like a five-star hotel in terms of amenities, and it only cost a third of what I paid here.

The hotel employee was very thoughtful and provided us with free room upgrade and a slice of cake because of our wedding anniversary. That was very considerate and nice gesture. Also warm water in the pool was a big bonus. However, there are few things I would like to point out which are important for us as a family traveling with a kid: 1) children are not allowed to play screen golf. That was upsetting since we never had such issue at other hotels. Also you need to reserve time slot first, which doesn’t work for people who came to Seoul for tourism or leisure purposes. 2) children are only allowed to enter pool until 17:00. That’s extremely strange since many people check in after 15:00 and there would be no time to swim at all in that case. Also people mainly prefer to do shopping and sightseeing and relax at pool when they return in the evening. So this restriction is very strange for us. In that case hotel needs to either notify the guests during reservation or turn it into “adults only” hotel. 3) hotel has a very strict check in check out rules: 15:00 check in and 11:00 check out, not 30 min later/earlier; while standard international check in is 14:00 and check out 12:00. Usually hotels especially 5 stars hotels are very flexible and let guests check in 1-2h earlier if the guests already arrived and would allow them check out 30min-1h later without any issue. 4) Gym and pool close at 21:30. That’s very early compare to other hotels, where facilities usually work until 23:00 and sometimes even 24h. 5) Gym, sauna and pool are not exclusive to the hotel guests only. Anybody with paid membership can enter, which makes it crowded and inconvenient for hotel guests, especially on holidays and weekends. Also you need to take 2 different lifts and walk by the bridge to get there (basically it’s not the same building as hotel) I would say it’s not a 5 star hotel, but more like a premium residence, that is suitable for a long term stay without children.

Overall, I had a good stay, although I would recommend keeping expectations reasonable for a Novotel. The room was clean, comfortable, spacious, and bright with plenty of natural light. The bed had a good level of firmness, and both the pillows and duvet were very comfortable. However, I encountered two issues during my stay. First, there was a problem with the motion-sensor light near the entrance of the room. It was supposed to turn on when someone entered or walked by, but the sensor in my room seemed to malfunction. The light kept turning on by itself even when no one was moving nearby, and this happened dozens of times throughout the night. As someone sensitive to light while sleeping, this was quite disruptive. I contacted the front desk the next morning, and they quickly sent a technician who removed the sensor/light system. I really appreciated how efficiently the staff handled the issue, although unfortunately it had already affected my sleep for the entire night. Second, the bathroom floor and the area connecting the bathroom to the room were quite slippery when wet. Extra caution may be needed, especially for elderly guests or families with young children. Before check-in, I received an email informing me that the hotel swimming pool was under maintenance and that guests would need to use the pool at the neighboring Grand Mercure instead. However, during my actual stay, the swimming pool at the 4F Fitness Club was still available for use. The information was therefore somewhat inconsistent, although it did not negatively affect my stay. I also paid to use the sauna facilities. The area was clean and well maintained. The facilities consisted of one cold bath, one hot bath, and a dry sauna. There was no wet sauna or steam room, and I personally found the dry sauna temperature to be relatively mild. If the sauna is an important part of your stay, you may want to consider whether the facilities meet your expectations before paying the additional fee. Overall, the room itself was comfortable and spacious, and I was impressed by how quickly the staff responded when I reported the sensor issue. There were a few minor issues with the facilities and communication, but the stay was generally pleasant. A good hotel overall, just don't set your expectations too high.

The Fairmont Ambassador Seoul is perfect for solo travelers, offering flawless English service, exceptionally spacious rooms, and ultimate safety. Direct indoor access to The Hyundai Seoul's food halls eliminates dining awkwardness. While the top-tier gym is fantastic, the pool requires restrictive pre-booking. It is a seamless, premium, and stress-free urban escape.

1. The location is perfect, right in the heart of the bustling commercial district. Everything you need for dining, entertainment, and shopping is just a step away. It's close to everything, making getting around super efficient. 2. The cleanliness is meticulously maintained. The entire room was spotless and fresh. There were plenty of dry towels, and the bathroom had no water stains or odors – very friendly for germaphobes. ⚠️Cons: The room space is really cramped. There's no way to open two suitcases, and you can only walk sideways in the aisle. It would be very uncomfortable if you have a lot of luggage. Summary: This place is suitable for solo travelers who pack light and want to go shopping. If you have a lot of luggage or are traveling with multiple people, consider other options carefully.

The hotel surroundings are nice, and the front desk staff speak basic English. On the first day, I found a midge on the curtains, but otherwise, the cleanliness was acceptable, and there was no drain smell from the bathroom. Disposable slippers were provided, but no toothbrush or toothpaste. Everything in the minibar, except for water, was chargeable. I booked a hotel in Gangnam because I was attending a concert at KSPO Dome. Pros: After the concert, it was usually easy to find a seat on the Express Line 9, and I could quickly reach Bongeunsa Station. There aren't many restaurants on the way back to the hotel, but there are several convenience stores. Cons: The walk from Bongeunsa Station to the hotel is really, really far, and you have to climb a gentle slope before descending! Cheongdam Station is about half the distance, but coming from Olympic Park, you'd need to transfer from Line 5 to Line 7, and Line 5 is usually much more crowded after events. Additionally, I had extended my stay through Trip.com before check-in, but the front desk initially thought I had only booked one night. After some communication, they found the extension order and processed it. However, on the second night, my room card stopped working and needed to be re-authorized. I hope the platform and the hotel can improve this issue.

The room is small and a little boring but you’re paying for the location, and it’s comfortable and clean. There’s a good beer bar, Seoulista, on the ground floor. There’s is an aerial walkway connected, which goes to Seoul Station. You can also use the metro Exit 7 (I think) but it will charge you just for walking through if you are coming from the AirPort Express. The breakfast arrangements are quite eccentric, but I had a good breakfast.

Basically, there's nothing special about this place. The bathroom is tiny and seems to be an add-on. When I checked out, the front desk didn't refund my cash deposit. I only realized two days later that I hadn't gotten it back. After I called to confirm, they told me to come pick it up, so I had to take a taxi back. There were three staff members, and not one of them even apologized. It felt like if I hadn't brought it up, they wouldn't have refunded it. It should show up in their computer system, yet they didn't proactively contact me to return it. Their service training clearly isn't up to par.

The room size at this hotel was decent, and the decor was simple and clean. The bedding was also very comfortable. We booked a room with a large bathtub, but it took quite a while to fill it up. The only downside was the noise from outside the hotel. There seemed to be some nightlife activities going on upstairs, facing the street, with many people hailing taxis and talking loudly. Also, we asked the hotel to book a taxi for us for 4 AM the next day, and they agreed, but then failed to do so. This was quite surprising to me, as when we walked out at 4 AM, there were plenty of empty taxis and even buses already running. Luckily, we had a backup plan and didn't miss our high-speed train.