Last month I stayed 4 days at the Grand Hyatt Seoul. The hotel is in the Namsan area and is the perfect place to wind down from the hectic Seoul City Center. Please read my review below to find out if it’s worth it staying at the Grand Hyatt Seoul.
This stay was part of a 3 week trip through South Korea. I’ll also post reviews of the Andaz Gangnam, Grand Hyatt Incheon, Park Hyatt Busan, and Grand Hyatt Jeju. And I’ll also post 2 videos on my Youtube channel reviewing the High Speed train from Seoul to Busan in first class as well as the new A321 from Korea Air in Business Class from Jeju to Seoul. Links are below. But as stated, in this review I’ll focus on the Grand Hyatt Seoul.
Location
As stated in the introduction, the Grand Hyatt Seoul is in the Namsan area, high up on the mountain. This provides an excellent view of the city onto the Gangnam area. On the other site of the hotel you can see the N Seoul Tower.
The hotel can be easily reached via the Airport Limousine Bus (line 6702) leaving from Incheon Airport. In fact, the Grand Hyatt Seoul hotel is one of the few hotels where the Airport Limousine Bus stops in front of the hotel. Very convenient! The hotel also has a shuttle bus service to the Hangangjin and Myeongdong subway station.
You will need to use either the shuttle bus or a taxi to get around because it’s quite a hike to walk to and from the subway station. We didn’t think this was such a big deal though since taxis are very cheap in Seoul. So we either took the shuttle bus or we took an Uber if we wanted to explore Seoul.
The drive to the Grand Hyatt always was something special. Going up to the mountain, you have the feeling you are escaping the big, busy city center. Don’t expect a quiet hotel though. When we were at the hotel, the hotel was packed with guests. Nevertheless, being away from the traffic and noise of the city center was always a blessing!
Check-in Experience
The reception area of the hotel is very grand and impressive. There is an informal restaurant area next to the reception area which provides great views. Being a globalist, I was invited to use the lounge for check-in. To be honest, check-in at the regular desk was probably just as fast, but in the lounge we could at least sit down and have a cappuccino while the hotel staff sorted out our room. I used points for this hotel reservation as well as a suite upgrade voucher, so we got a suite upgrade for this stay.
Please read my blog about whether it’s worth it using points for your hotel stay. It could even be worthwhile buying points just for your hotel stay, especially when Hyatt is having a points promotion.
Lounge
When reserving a room at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, you could opt to have lounge access included. If you do so, you then could have breakfast in the lounge as well as snacks and drinks during the evening. One note; after 6PM, only guests with the age of 13 or older could access the lounge. And you guessed it; the snacks and drinks in the evening only start at 6PM!
As a globalist you automatically have access to the lounge. The breakfast selection in the lounge is sufficient but I wouldn’t rate it as exceptional. Fruit and pastry selection is average. Of course, there is an Asian selection including the inevitable kimchi.
The snacks and drinks selection in the evening is not bad and every day of the week, there is a different selection of food. I found the evening selection better than the breakfast selection. And I still don’t understand why they choose to have freshly cut oranges and watermelon only in the evening, but not in the morning! Despite that, having lounge access is a great benefit and this lounge certainly beats any Hyatt Lounge you’ll find in the US or Europe!
Suite
Our suite was perfect for our stay of 4 days. The separate living room, which could also be used to house a rollaway bed, could be closed off with sliding doors. The bedroom had a comfortable king bed. Maybe the only negative point was the bathroom which was on the small site for a suite.
Other notable mentions
There is a big outdoor swimming pool with a big garden and terrace where you can get some snacks. Besides the informal restaurant next to the reception area (Gallery), there are several other restaurants including a steakhouse, a Japanese restaurant and a Yakitori restaurant (Tenkai). It’s recommended to make reservations well in advance though. We wanted to visit the Yakitori restaurant one evening but it was already fully booked. Even the Gallery will get busy at certain times. That same evening there was a waiting time of more than one-and-a-half hour! Finally, there is also a bakery and wine shop where you can get some great desserts!
Conclusion
We truly enjoyed our stay at the Grand Hyatt Seoul. If you want to be in the middle of the center, just a short walk away from a subway station, then the Grand Hyatt Seoul is not for you. But if you don’t mind taking a short (cheap) taxi ride or a complimentary shuttle bus to Myeongdong (or any other location), then I can strongly recommend the Grand Hyatt Seoul. Views are great, there are plenty of food options, and being able to jump into the outdoor swimming pool during the warm, sticky Seoul summer is fantastic!
Also have a look at my review on my Youtube channel of the High-Speed train from Seoul to Busan. A very comfortable ride and in the video I will explain the best way to buy your ticket for the high-speed train in Seoul. Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel if you like the contents!
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