Review: Park Hyatt Seoul – Live and Let’s Fly

The Park Hyatt Seoul is about to celebrate its 20th anniversary and is aging gracefully. I really enjoyed my one-night stay here… my first visit in 13 years. So much has changed in that time, but this hotel hasn’t changed that much at all.

Park Hyatt Seoul Review

At around $400 per night or 25,000 points per night (it’s a Category 6 hotel in the World of Hyatt program), I opted to pay for the stay with cash rather than miles.

From the Grand Hyatt Seoul, I took a taxi across town to Gangnam, arriving around 3pm. When I checked in, I was thanked for my World of Hyatt Globalist status and was also told that all suites were booked (I checked that none were for sale on the website) and therefore I would not be getting an upgrade. This was fine for one night, and since I had a friend with me, they gave me the two beds.

Guest rooms

I really like the modern and minimalist layout and design of the guest rooms in this property. They have not been changed since my visit in 2011 and are quite timeless.

My room, 2108, featured a round table, two beds, an armchair, a stone bathroom with a large bathtub, and a great view of the bustling city below and the COEX Convention in the distance.

I liked that the hotel had power outlets within reach, USB-C ports (this was part of the small modernization in 2021) and even spare charging cables.

There was also a welcome gift waiting for me: red wine and chocolate, something you don’t see very often in upscale Hyatt hotels anymore, at least in the US.

When I entered the room, the blinds were drawn as follows:

I should have known there was a reason for this… I opened them (as you can see in the pictures above) and later went for a walk. When I came back, the room was glowing like an oven… the floor to ceiling glass windows and the afternoon sun created a greenhouse effect in the room, heating it up like a sauna. The curtains were quickly drawn and the air conditioning turned up…

Great view, but:

The minibar was well stocked and a Nespresso coffee machine was available.

pool

On the top floor there is an indoor pool, also with a glass wall, which also warms up a little when exposed to sunlight (but the water remains cool).

Wellness + Spa

When you enter the 23rd floor, you first walk down a hallway where there is free coffee (not that you’ll need it, since you get the same coffee in your guest room).

You can then check in for the spa or tell the staff you want to swim or work out (you’ll have to sign a waiver). Behind the check-in desk is a small sports bar area, which I’ll describe in more detail below, and then another floor up is the pool, fitness center, or locker rooms with plunge pool and sauna.

My favorite part of the fitting room, however, was the dressing area where they had free Aesop skincare products, which reminded me that I need to spend more time taking care of my skin!

Spa treatments are available daily from 10am to 10pm. View the full menu here.

Fitness center

The fitness center was very crowded when I wanted to use it before breakfast… so I did a little cardio, but that was it. When I came back at lunchtime, it was almost empty. It is equipped with TechnoGym equipment. One downside: the gym is only open from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., so no overnight workout if you are suffering from jet lag. I liked the gym (Life Fitness) at the Grand Hyatt Seoul much better.

Eat

The hotel has two restaurants, a lounge and a sports bar.

Foundation stone

Last time I gave a review of this hotel, I called the breakfast the best hotel breakfast I’ve ever had. Although the hotel breakfast is still excellent, one thing has changed: I’m a coffee drinker now. And considering the hotel uses Nespresso coffee for breakfast… thumbs down. I had one cup and that was one cup too many…

Sorry to be so picky, but the coffee just isn’t that great and I would have expected better in a hotel of this category, especially considering there are plenty of cafes in Seoul that serve far better coffee.

Aside from that, everything else about breakfast was wonderful. The fresh juice and smoothie bar, excellent omelets, fresh fruits and vegetables, great homemade yogurt and decadent baked goods make it a very enjoyable restaurant.

I really enjoyed everything I ate:

Cornerstone is the hotel’s Italian restaurant, offering Italian cuisine for lunch and dinner, as well as a seafood buffet on weekends (including lobster, crab, abalone and black tiger shrimp, as well as meat, poultry and more).

The Lounge

Lobby level dining room with Korean food, coffee and tea.

The wooden house

Bar with vinyl music and a focus on Japanese food as well as sushi omakase, sake, wine, cocktails and cigars.

Citrus bars

Healthy, light meals and non-alcoholic beverages are available on the 23rd floor in the basement of the spa. I was very pleased with the (free) citrus-infused water, which was very refreshing after a tough workout and 20 minutes in the sauna!

Room service

Room service is available round the clock.

Business Center

A business center with PCs, printers and scanners is available on the 23rd floor.

service

The staff shined here, although my interactions were somewhat limited due to my short stay. I think South Korea is a harder country to navigate when it comes to language barriers, but there were no issues here. Service at breakfast at Cornerstone was very attentive. When checking out, I was asked if there were any issues with my stay.

I explained that I was walking across the street to catch a bus to Seoul Incheon and the hotel insisted on sending me a taxi (they arranged it and didn’t charge anything for it)… I appreciated that. They said it would be confusing to walk there (and it was), but given the traffic in the area, I don’t think it saved me any time.

DIPLOMA

I enjoyed a short stay at Park Hyatt Seoul and enjoyed a nice and comfortable room with great service. I highly recommend it.

Confession: I liked the Grand Hyatt better. While I would definitely go back to the Park Hyatt and recommend it, especially if you have to be in the Gangham area, the coffee + spa + fitness center would all bring me back to the Grand Hyatt… plus the Grand Hyatt was cheaper.