Gaucho100K

I will stay at this property in late October. Any experiences? Im a Platinum, how are they with upgrades, etc. ?? Thanks,


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Gaucho100K

Chiangi

Hi, Gaucho100K,

I last stayed this property probably back in Feb. this year. I was using a ClickItWeekend discount and they did upgrade me, so they said, into a room with a fax machine. Nothing spectacular. No suite. It was one of those old rooms. I've been shunning this place since.

I hope they've renovated all the rooms by the time you get there. I like their renovated rooms with modern decor.

If they give you a regular metal key, as opposed to a smart card key, then it's most likely that you've got an old one.

If you don't mind the location, the Hyatt is nice on the whole and they'll upgrade you to a Regency Club room if you are a Diamond.

But as far as rooms are concerned, I really like the Westin's renovated rooms.

SFO_FT

Stayed at the Chosun in June and can report that all rooms have been renovated (remember reading that in an in-room newsletter). Wasn't Platinum then, but did stay on the executive level. Lounge is OK-nothing spectacular.

Greatly prefer the Grand Hyatt -- lots more breathing room there and like being up on the hill and away from the hustle and bustle.

SeoulMan

As SFO_FT said, the hotel is totally renovated now and looking good. Where you stay in Seoul depends on how much time you want to spend in traffic.

You might want to check out an earlier thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum57/HTML/000523.html

Gaucho100K

Very nice hotel. Stayed there quite a few times last year. Cool decor and good perks like free high-speed internet access is the smart rooms.

Hawaiian Son

Stayed several times at the Westin Chosun in Seoul and always enjoyed it. The club rooms I have stayed are somewhat smaller than other hotel clubrooms but very well appointed. They renovated their rooms about 2 years ago and they are very nice. The Club serves a very nice breakfast and has hot snacks and fruit platters in the afternoon and evening. All kind of drinks are available. The one reason I like it is that the staff is outstanding especially with their command of English (except for the maids who are mostly elderly Koreans who have only basic English skills). The staff are very friendly and try very hard to meet your needs. One time, my wife and I went to the lounge for breakfast only to find it full, the lounge desk attendant immediately noticed us waiting and apologized and offered us certificates to the full buffet breakfast in their main restaurant, which we accepted and enjoyed very much. Location is great if you have business downtown and is close to the Namdemun open market and department stores for shopping.

LAOCA

Excellent hotel, great location, best health club downtown.

monahos

I concur with the above.

Currently the in place for well-to-do Seoulites to meet, always a good sign.

The 'executive guest office' type rooms, sometimes available at the same price as normal rooms, have an in-room PC with fax/printer and DSL (free use).

Executive/Club floor rooms are definitely recommended, the breakfast and afternoon snacks are very good.

Prices for this hotel vary wildly depending on availability, booking early is recommended. Clicking on 'The Westin Chosun' then 'Check availability' on this site gives a good idea of what to expect, although the results are sometimes a little different from the Westin site's.

I usually end up booking about half of my stays at this hotel through the Westin site.


[This message has been edited by monahos (edited 06-08-2002).]

MilesDependent

I was there May last year (don't think I was gold at that stage) and received no upgrade. As I arrived into my room early (at 10am) I got into a huge fight with the front desk who wanted to charge me 50% of one night for the priviledge!?! I threatended to walk out and go to the Hilton (never setting foot in another Starwood property seem to be the words I used), and they agreed to not charge me. In all my travels around the world, a property has NEVER asked me to pay more when checking in at 10am.

I might add I also found the hotel to be extremely expensive (in terms of food), and somewhat pretentious. Rooms were very nice, and the high-speed i/net access is good.

I think I was probably left with a bad impression of this hotel from my checkin experience. Who needs that after a 16 hour flight.

tfong007

Chosun is supposed to be one of the best hotels in Seoul. I always stay there. The only downside is the location. Its really far from the new trendy areas and business areas. I am a plat and they do give me welcome gifts. I have never gotten an upgrade to a suite but always get brand new rooms.

monahos

Eating at any of the 5* hotel in Seoul is expensive. Unlike most countries, the clientele of these restaurants consists mainly not of hotel guests, but of locals who are showing regard for their guests by meeting them in 'impressive' surroundings.

Yes, Korea is a materialistic society. If you do not want to play that game, the Lotte food court in the same block, or the many independent eateries in the neighborhood provide better value.

If you are inviting a Korean business relation for a meal downtown, one of the restaurants at either the Westin, Plaza, Shilla, or Hilton is a safe choice.

worldbanker

Westin Chosun is an excellent property. I believe it was voted one of the 100 best hotels in the world according to Insitutional Investor magazine.

Property looks tired on outside but very luxurious inside. I find the gym and spa area fabulous as well as the well decorated rooms. I in particular enjoyed the location in regards to shopping and being downtown than the other hotels which seem more suburban.

Will return again soon!

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"Fly me to the moon and let me earn alot of miles."

monahos

The Westin Chosun, along with the Radisson Plaza and the Lotte, are the most centrally located hotels in Seoul, right across from City Hall.

I prefer the rooms at the Hilton (a bit less conveniently located but still central), but the executive lounge at the Westin has a better spread.

Small bothersome details at the Westin Chosun:
- their better rooms are not usually not offered for shorter stays (less than 5-7 days)
- no blackout curtains
- expensive, one is paying for the location (the Ritz and Shilla, for instance, offer more for less $, but are a long way from the city center). At least this seems to keep away some of the less polished guests who invade the Hilton on weekends.

A good hotel all in all. A convenient location is certainly important in Seoul.

AZ Travels the World

Depending upon what you want to do while you're there, centrally-located would be different. Most people want to do shopping in Itaewon -- the cheap shopping mecca. The closest and best hotel for that purpose is the Grand Hyatt Seoul, which I chose to stay in many times after one stay at the Westin Chosun (though this goes back a few years). The Westin was a good location for business, but I don't know what of tourist interest is walking distance from there.

Once I was on my way to the Grand Hyatt (literally in the air) and there was a major explosion that destroyed the lobby. You may remember this, as then-President Clinton was due to arrive the next day so there was a lot of TV coverage about whether it was terrorism, which it wasn't. When I arrived at the airport, my driver told me we were going to the Inter-Continental, which is where the Hyatt was diverting me. I liked that hotel even more, so I went back there time and again in subsequent visits. Both of those hotels were better than the Westin at that time.

Traffic is horrible in Seoul most of the time, so if there is someting in particular you want to center your activities around, take that into consideration or you'll spend a lot of time looking at crowded streets through your car window. If I was to go back on vacation, which I cannot imagine that I would chose to do, but just the same, I would definitely stay close to what I wanted to see.

LAOCA

There's nothing wrong with the Chosen. I've always gotten Executive or Club (can't remember what's it's called but there is a club) rooms. The health club is one of the best in Seoul. Good business services as well as service all around.

The Hyatt has more leisure activities though.