DoubleTree by Hilton Seoul Pangyo — Hotel in Seongnam-si

The hotel is newly built, so the facilities are clean, and the service is not bad, but compared to other Korean hotels like Shilla Stay, it lacks in some aspects of service. For instance, although you can rent a mobile phone charger, you need to request it during check-in. If you ask for it later, they might run out of chargers, as it happened to me when I requested one around 9 PM. While you can get battery charging service at the concierge in the lobby, there was no information about this option unless you visit the concierge in person. This contrasts with other Korean hotel brands that make an effort to provide alternative services if mobile phone charger rental is unavailable.

Around 10 PM, I visited the convenience store inside the hotel but found that there was no milk available, and they only had Evian water. Even sterilized or powdered milk was not there, and they explained it was sold out due to more people visiting than expected. It was quite surprising and disappointing, considering it's a hotel located in the center of Pangyo, not a remote area like Gangwon Province or an isolated island.

The swimming pool can only be used for 1 hour and 10 minutes per day (1 hour on weekdays), which makes it relatively clean and pleasant since there are few children using it. However, out of the 3 lanes in the pool, one lane is exclusively for members, so hotel guests practically have access to only 2 lanes. Moreover, when staying for one night and two days, you get one hour of pool usage on the check-in day and one hour on the check-out day. After I got out of the swimming pool, it was around 8:30 PM and I tried to reserve the pool for the next day, there were no available time slots. This lack of information or guidance during check-in about the potential booking limitations is also disheartening.

The basic locker room at the swimming pool has only two shower booths and has no space for any other activities such as changing clothes. (There are no amenities like dressing tables, chairs, or hair dryers typically found in regular locker rooms.) There is an additional sauna service that requires a fee of $30, but I didn't use it, so I can't provide any feedback on that.

The fitness center is open 24/7 and has a spacious and pleasant environment, with various equipment available. However, they charge $30 per person for programs like yoga or GX, which are available exclusively for hotel guests.

The food, especially the diverse and delicious Korean dishes offered at breakfast and the cafe bakery, is tasty. The elevators are problematic; during busy check-in times, the waiting time is notably long. Some floors feel cramped, requiring walking instead of using elevators. Moreover, the wooden key cards used for elevators are not convenient, as when there are many people, each person needs to use their key card individually to activate the elevator button for their floor.

In summary, the hotel's facilities are good, but the service is not very friendly, and the costs are relatively high. (I stayed on a Saturday and it cost me $300 for a twin room.)They provide free parking for one vehicle per room for hotel guests, but for other visitor vehicles, they impose expensive parking fees of $2 per 10 minutes. If you use the bakery or other facilities, they offer free parking for 1 hour and 30 minutes. It is a hotel with a swimming pool in the city center, which makes it attractive for business purposes, but it is not very accommodating for families with children. The location, however,...

I recently stayed several nights at the DoubleTree By Hilton Seoul Pangyo. It was a great stay.

I’ll start with the only negative – it is about an hour from the tourist sites downtown. I used Uber (rides were between 27,000 to 34,000 ₩, depending on traffic and where I went) or the hotel shuttle to one of the local subway stations (subways are very cheap, clean, offer WiFi, and are nicely airconditioned). Still, it’s an hour regardless of your mode of transportation. For me, that hour was quality time…catching up on texts and emails. And definitely worth all the benefits of staying at this hotel.

I have diamond status with Hilton, which turned to be a fantastic benefit to have!!

First, after receiving a pre-arrival welcome email, I asked the executive lounge staff to arrange for me a taxi pick-up at the airport, which worked very well. (there’s also a limo service option if you need more space).

I received a very nice complimentary upgrade to a suite, and access to the spacious Executive lounge (which offers an evening reception – basically a full meal with alcohol).

Since I stayed during the week, I received free breakfast at the hotel restaurant (I understand that on weekends, there is breakfast offered at the lounge). The hotel restaurant has an extensive breakfast buffet – it takes a few breakfasts to cover it all.

There is also a nice discount for diamond members at the restaurant for lunch and dinner, but I didn’t use it.

The gym is another great free benefit. It was never crowded when I was there, has good equipment, and the attendant was very nice.

The free WiFi worked well.

I did not use the pool and saunas, the ground floor café, or the top floor bar/restaurant.

One new feature at this property – they just opened a kids club. I am sure it will be a great experience for families traveling with little ones.

The hotel shuttle is good, not just to catch the subway. I recommend taking it to explore the commercial centers around the stations, have a meal, and watch the everyday life in this suburb, away from the tourists.

The staff at the executive lounge deserves special note. They make this lounge stand out among all the Hilton brands executive lounges, and I had seen many of them. Special thanks to the new manager Wendy, Jia, and Chloe for all their assistance, insights, and travel tips. You made my stay memorable!

Lastly, if I was asked for any suggestion, I would advise the chef to rotate more the dishes at the executive lounge. By the 4th or 5th day, you have cycled through all the recipes.

Bottomline – forget what you know about the DoubleTree brand in North America. Or in other words – this is a very nice Hilton Hotel, disguised as...

I’ll start with the negative – it is about an hour from the tourist sites downtown. I took Uber (rides were 27,000 to 34,000 ₩, depending on traffic and location) or the hotel shuttle to one of the local stations (subways are cheap & clean, with WiFi and good A/C). Still, it’s an hour regardless of your mode of transportation. ||I have diamond status with Hilton, which turned to be a fantastic benefit to have!!||First, after receiving a pre-arrival welcome email, I asked the executive lounge staff to arrange for me a taxi pick-up at the airport, which worked very well. (there’s also a limo service option if you need more space).||I received a very nice complimentary upgrade to a suite, and access to the spacious Executive lounge (which offers an evening reception – basically a full meal with alcohol).||Since I stayed during the week, I received free breakfast at the hotel restaurant (I understand that on weekends, there is breakfast offered at the lounge). The hotel restaurant has an extensive breakfast buffet – it takes a few breakfasts to cover it all.||There is also a nice discount for diamond members at the restaurant for lunch and dinner, but I didn’t use it.||The gym is another great free benefit. It was never crowded when I was there, has good equipment, and the attendant was very nice.||The free WiFi worked well.||I did not use the pool and saunas, the ground floor café, or the top floor bar/restaurant.||One new feature at this property – they just opened a kids club. I am sure it will be a great experience for families traveling with little ones.|| |The staff at the executive lounge deserves special note. They make this lounge stand out among all the Hilton brands executive lounges, and I had seen many of them. Special thanks to the new manager Wendy, Jia, and Chloe for all their assistance, insights, and travel tips.|You made my stay very memorable.| |Lastly, if I was asked for any suggestion, I would advise the chef to rotate more the dishes at the executive lounge. By the 4th or 5th day, you have cycled through all the recipes.|| ||Bottomline – forget what you know about the DoubleTree brand in North America. Or in other words – this is a very nice Hilton Hotel, disguised as...