Hotel Review: Westin Seoul Chosun
Continuing our Seoul Hotels series (other reviews include the Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt and W Walkerhill), we continue with this dispatch from TPG reader Daniel, who just stayed at the Westin Chosun Seoul. While nothing flashy, according to Daniel, this Westin features an Executive Club floor which can take your stay from "good" to "great."
He booked a standard king room through American Express Travel at a rate of 405,000 KRW a night (roughly $373 USD a night). The hotel is an SPG Category 5 property requiring 12,000 Starpoints for an award night, or 4,800 points + $90 for Cash & Points. He chose to pay the rate rather than redeem Starpoints.
The standard kings are your usual Westin fare - i.e. sensible rooms that cater to hard-working business travelers looking to relax after a long day. They include 32-inch LCD TVs, oversized work desks, anti-allergy carpets, wooden flooring and espresso machines, and the Westin Heavenly bed of course.
However, Daniel is also a Gold status member of the Starwood Preferred Guest program, so he received an upgrade to the SPG Executive Club floor along with complimentary access to the Executive Club and Spa. That also got him free breakfast in the club, along with afternoon snacks and a 5 - 8pm cocktail hour. The spa, which is connected to the gym and pool, features a sauna/steam room, a few hot tubs and, so he says, lots of nice toiletry products.
Considering a stay here? Daniel gives us some of his top highlights from the hotel:
- Convenient location in central Seoul (didn't stay at the W for that reason).
- Each room includes an iPhone for free local calls during your stay (I didn't use it since it's just one more device to potentially use and I wasn't making any local calls, but imagine it would be helpful for some).
- In-room Nespresso machine.
- The Club was great - I got breakfast there both days and came for an evening cocktail one of the evenings I was there.
- Loved the gym/spa/pool. Ended up going down there, watched the presidential debate in a bathrobe. They provide workout clothes and bathrobe/bathing suits.
- On day three, I was craving a pizza and a Sauvignon Blanc -- both of which can be hard to find in Seoul. Thankfully there was an Italian/American place (one of six restaurants and bars) in the lower level of the Westin which was excellent.
Sounds like a mix of straightforward Korean hospitality, standard Westin amenities and some Western touches that hit the spot. Got your own take of the Westin Seoul to share? Please let us know!
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- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
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- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
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- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month