Good Day Airtel — Hotel in Incheon

Had a layover in Seoul, at the Incheon Intl airport with the family during our annual summer trip here. Actually found this hotel on a hotel booking site and wanted to add a review so others can find this little gem. ||||Checking in process is very similar to the many small hotels around the airport. You call a local number and they will instruct you where pick up will be. Our pick up was on the 3rd floor, which is actually the departure floor is. Not a big deal. Was met by the driver who had a good command of English. I think he was also the manager. ||||The hotel is about a 5-10min drive from the terminals. Upon getting to the "hotel", I noticed it looked more like an office building. The driver took us down to the parking garage, had us get out while he parked the shuttle. Thought it was odd, but continue reading and it makes sense. He then took us directly up to our room. There is no formal lobby, concierge, or lobby services you'd expect from a hotel. When we got to our room, he told us the pass key to be used to input on the electronic door lock. So no keys. He then left us a business card and said they are available anytime we need something as they are located on the second floor. I didn't have to deal with payments because the other booking site took care of all that. As he departed our room, he confirmed what time we needed a ride back to the airport the following day and that was it. ||||Clean room. Room had two doubles, a two burner stovetop, microwave, fridge and freezer, a washing machine. Beds were comfortable (I like them firm) and comforters were good. Bathroom is standard with a stand in shower stall. Some Koreans use a common use rubber slipper they leave in the bathroom. You can use it or just walk barefoot. The floors were clean. They also provided enough towels for a family of four and also had your standard toiletries available (tooth brushes, razor and cream, q-tips, etc). Room also has free wifi and it was pretty fast even with 5 devices on it. ||||There a lot of local eateries on the first floor and a convenient store on the same level. We went to the fried chicken place and they said they could deliver up to our room which was nice since it was a bit late. I didn't see any western food around. The next morning, we went to the convenient store and got some instant food to heat it up in the room.||||My sense is, this company and a few others probably owns the units within this building and rents them out. ||||I come out to Korea once a year with the family. Will we use this place again? Absolutely. For the price, location and convenience,...

Booked this through a reputable travel website thinking it was a hotel based on the photos. IT IS NOT. I would call it a serviced apartment.

Stayed here for 1 night with a friend recently as we arrived in Korea in the evening and wanted a break from travel before leaving Seoul. We only had phones with data, and no local calling plan which meant we were unable to contact the host to arrange pick-up from the terminal. We caught a short taxi from Terminal 1 to the address provided, and ended up at the back entrance of a building called "The Oville".

It was -6 degrees Celsius outside and we spent a good 10 minutes walking around the large building looking for a sign for Good Day Airtel. THERE ISN'T ONE. We were later told by the manager that the Airport Administration doesn't allow him to put a sign up for "security reasons", which we thought was the most bizarre explanation ever.

By reading other travellers’ reviews, we eventually figured out that to get your room code you have to go to Room 220 on level 2. The manager was pleasant enough and spoke reasonable English but did imply that the difficulty we had finding the place was our fault and that we should have just walked up to a stranger in the airport terminal and ask to use their cellphone to call him.

The building is fairly large and from our observation, is mainly inhabited by airport and airline staff. There are a few restaurants and a convenience store on the ground floor.

The room - 2 double beds which were surprisingly comfortable. Small combined shower / toilet. There is a clothes washing machine, but no washing powder provided, and no rack to dry clothes. All the symbols on the washing machine are in Korean, so you need some sort of translation app to work it. Our particular machine had a dodgy power button which made things even more confusing. For drying, we improvised a clothesline out of a skipping rope we found in a cupboard. There is a kitchenette and microwave, but you are not provided any plates, cutlery, pots or cooking utensils (apparently also for our safety).

All in all, we got what we paid for (~$60 USD/night). Fine for an overnight layover.

Recommendations for the manager:

1. Allow customers to contact you by Whatsapp / Viber / Facetime
2. More clear instructions about the lack of signs, the building name, and the need to come to level 2 to checkin
3. English translations for the...

Booked this gem of a "hotel" through expedia and Air New Zealand as we needed a place to sleep after a late flight. Arriving at the "hotel" for the first time, I wasn't sure which Korea I had landed in. The area was kind of retro, and not in a good way. There was no sinage anywhere nor were there instructions given in email correspondence. It turns out you have to go to level 2, room 220 to check in (see photo of the incognito doorway to check in). The person who gave us our room codes promptly told us that "Incheon airport does not allow sinage for safety reasons" which was hilarious. This is similar to what others have mentioned in various reviews. It might have been easier if they just write "go to level 2" in the booking email correspondence. The fact that no signage in this place adds to the unique dodgy atmosphere. The apartment it self is a studio apartment and it looks like it was built for airport workers (we noticed local workers leaving for work in the morning). The ”hotel" portion is likely a side hussle for someone subleasing their apartments. The rooms are actually reasonable and comfortable enough. There is a kitchen but the only thing usable is 4 cups with no cutlery or utensils (I wonder if they are banned by Incheon airport too for safety reasons). There is also a washing machine with instructions in Korean and the only way to turn it on is by banging the top right hand corner in a repetitive manner. Overall I gave this hotel 3/5 because you get what you pay for and we should probably all lower our expectations when booking an offical 2-star hotel.

My overall summary: unique Korean experience. Not bad for a cheap hotel. The poor communication is a let down. Your trip to Korea can only get...