앰배서더 서울 - 풀만 호텔 — Attraction in Seoul

Just a forewarning... I have a feeling that I'm about to leave an essay! The hotel itself was absolutely great! I loved the location, the room, the views (from both sides of the building in the executive lounge on the 18th floor), the fact that it offered free parking (I was surprised at the number of hotels that did not around this part of Seoul). But I hope they train their staff better because at the end of my stay, I left wondering whether they hire part-timers for weekends to cut down on costs...??? When I checked in, the person who assisted me asked whether I preferred the city view or the Namsan Mountain (N Seoul Tower) view. I replied that I'd like the latter and he said that the only room available was on the 18th floor and that it'd be slightly noisy since it's next to the executive lounge. I thought it'd be fine because we (my boyfriend and I) weren't planning on staying in our room most of the time. Well... after finishing our afternoon tea, my boyfriend and I went into our room, and he --  not knowing that I had asked for the Namsan Mountain view and that had been the reason we were assigned to the 18th floor -- plopped onto the bed... and then I realized that we actually had the city view. I just brushed it off thinking, 'Well, we are all human~ we all make mistakes... and plus, [my boyfriend] just sat on the bed, so there's no point complaining!' Then, past 11 p.m., I had to go to the front desk to ask something. There was just one person working there, but she was taking a call. I stood there for a good couple of? a few? minutes. And all I wanted from her was some kind of acknowledgment? Like, a gentle nod or her mouthing the words, "I'll be right with you (in Korean)"? I didn't want to waste any more of my time, so I left. The next morning... at around 6 a.m., I woke up to the sound of plates breaking... and then the staff cleaning them off the floor... and rolling their carts? (I should've just switched rooms... If you don't want to be woken up at 6 a.m., say NO to the 18th floor! I'm sure they don't break plates every morning, but it is a possibility and you might be next!) And then breakfast time came... I was simply asked to wait because the lounge was full. Then, when two other parties of guests came, the same staff member asked them for their room numbers and jotted them down. "Ummm? Excuse me? I was here first, but you didn't ask me for my room number?" ....... and then he singled me out and asked me whether I'd like to go to the "King's? Lounge" (which is on the first floor without any views... and for guests of rooms of a different class. If I hadn't done any research beforehand, I would've thought he was upgrading me!) as if he was doing me a favor. That honestly made me put my hands up in the air and tell myself, 'I may be lazy, but I am going to write a scathing review!' I don't know... I've worked in the service industry in my younger years, so I'm quite understanding or at least I try to be! But when you experience a series of such things... you kind of wonder, 'Is this really a 5-star hotel?' It's highly likely that most guests don't experience any of this and some may have just a couple of bad experiences that they can brush off, which I tried to do and did for the first couple of times. And some may even think what I experienced was nothing... Honestly, I want to recommend this hotel. It's good value for money. It was a little over 600,000 won (approx. 435 US dollars) per night on a Saturday, but it was pretty much an all-inclusive package!

So, note to the hotel: make sure your front desk staff know exactly which rooms have which views and that they acknowledge people who are waiting for their assistance; and make sure your staff treat everyone fairly and equally instead of feeling like they are...

Any hotel can claim to be a 5 star hotel. However, the bottom line always comes down to the staff. Here, the staff are incredibly friendly, understanding and kind from our first day to the end. The Ambassador Seoul, definitely meets this criteria in our view.

We come from Australia and had no Korean language background. We found the team to be easy to understand and also speak english to us. They were patient and took the time to fully understand us before providing responses.

Room: Fantastic, we were in the Namsan Tower View, the room size was very spacious, there were wireless chargers on each bedside table including inbuilt multi adapter wall outlets and USB A charging ports. Very clean and well kept. Housekeeping team were very friendly and were happy to assist us if we needed more toilet paper, towels or our bedroom made (there is an option to press 'make up room').

The bathroom has a bath, toilet and shower. The bath is open, and the shower/toilet are separate (within the same room) separated by frosted glass walls. The toilets are amercian standard brand and have heated seating and bidet function. There is a phone in the toilet. Though ours did not have a call guide apart from the function to phone the reception. We stayed with a mate in another room and didn't realise we needed to dial a number before the room number to get through. A extremely minor and specific inconvenience to our situation. These details are on the main landline phone.

There is a door bell outside of the room. This can also be deactivated by pressing the do not disturb button in the bedroom. There will be a light that will glow around the bell ring, should you select to makeup the bed or do not disturb.

Cafe: The people who run this cafe have made my stay. Although dear at 17,000 won, you can't argue that this is one of the best plaves to grab a cuppa. We had travelled for 4 weeks across Europe to Asia and this was by far, phenominal. It was so good, that it rivaled Melbourne, Australia's coffee culture!! Kudos to the person who made my coffee (22/10/24 & 23/10/24 Mornings).

Pool/Gym: They have a lifeguard watching the pool, they have individualised lanes and it was very accessible. You do need a swimming costume which needs to be worn in the hotel. But they are pretty flexible and easy going. The gym was also spacious, they have machines for all body areas and 1 incline and 1 flat bench presses, including 2 smith machines.

Taxi Service / Pickup: We used uber for most of our trip with no issues. The best thing is that it there is an issue or a problem with a non-english speaking driver, the staff are more than willing to translate and direct the service. On our last day, there was an issue with our vehicle, the attendents organised us a taxi that was for card payments and also showed us the price prior to organising. Once the taxi arrived, they were not prepared and recieved a bit of TLC from our attendent who guided them with their organisation, helped us with our luggage and cleaned up the seats/legroom for our convenience.

Wake Up Call: We requested and recieved. It gets better, they will call a couple of times to ensure you are awake. Where you set it for another room member, they will ensure that you know that person before they will allow it to go ahead. Our mate didn't answer the wake up call and the team had gone up to their room to ring the bell in attempt to wake them up. When this was not successful, they phoned me and informed of the situation. This was very welcomed and appreciated as I was able to call them afterwards.

The Ambassador Seoul - A Pullman Hotel, was the cheapest in our Europe/Asia trip ($/night) by far, and yet was the most pleasant and friendly. Would absolutely recommend you to stay here!! We definitely will be...

I want to start by saying that I really wanted to like this hotel. My partner and I stayed for a week, and we had high hopes given the five-star positioning. There were definitely some positives during our stay, but unfortunately, I left feeling underwhelmed overall. I’d like to share a balanced view of what went well and what didn’t, in hopes it’s useful feedback.

The Positives: • The staff were kind and pleasant throughout our stay. When I raised concerns about our first room, the front desk responded helpfully and moved us to a new room the following day. I really appreciated the willingness to make things right. • The remodeled rooms have a reasonably stylish look, and the facilities overall seemed to be well maintained.

The Negatives / Opportunities for Improvement: • Cleanliness: The first room we were given did not meet five-star standards. The couch and lampshades had stains, there was a brown mark on the curtains, and even toilet paper stuffed into a ceiling light. This gave us a very poor first impression. Thankfully, the second room was cleaner, but I would expect all rooms to be thoroughly inspected and held to a higher standard before guests arrive. • Air Conditioning: This was the single most uncomfortable part of our stay. The room allowed us to set the temperature down to 18°C, but it never dropped below ~22°C, even at night. At best, it occasionally hit 21.5°C. Sleeping in a warm room for a full week was frustrating, and my partner especially had difficulty resting. Reliable climate control is essential for guest comfort, especially in a five-star hotel. • Service: While staff were friendly, the service experience often fell short. Requests were sometimes only partially completed with no update, deliveries to the room were slow, and the elevators consistently took a long time. On arrival, no one helped us with our luggage (even though I understand it was late). These may sound small on their own, but together they made the service feel inconsistent and not on par with what I’d expect from a true five-star property. • Ambiance / Design: Although the hotel has been remodeled, it still feels dated. The ceilings are low, the lighting is dim, and the overall atmosphere felt heavy and old-fashioned rather than fresh and contemporary. We tend to prefer bright, modern hotels with open spaces, and while that may come down to personal preference, the feel of the property didn’t match what I had imagined when booking a Pullman hotel. • Location: The listing describes the hotel as being in Myeong-dong, but it’s really on the outskirts in a quieter university area. While not unsafe, it felt dead at times and lacked the energy of central Myeong-dong or modern districts like Gangnam. Guests might benefit from clearer communication about what to expect from the location.

Overall Impression: While there were positive aspects — especially the kindness of the staff and the remodeled look of the rooms — the combination of cleanliness issues, AC problems, inconsistent service, and the dated feel left me disappointed. It wasn’t a terrible stay, but it didn’t feel like the seamless, polished experience I expect from a five-star property.

I share this feedback not to be overly critical, but because I truly wanted to enjoy this hotel and had high hopes going in. With some focus on improving room cleanliness, ensuring reliable AC, tightening service consistency, and being clearer about location, I believe the Ambassador’s Soul could better live up to the five-star standard...