Holiday Inn Express Seoul Hongdae by IHG — Hotel in Seoul

Long story short - this is a 4.75 star review and the hotel is one of IHG’s best Holiday Inn Express’s with a few small room quirks that ding it for a quarter star. Definitely great value if you’re looking to stay in Seoul’s Hongdae area and are looking for a more budget friendly lodging option.

GENERAL INFO AND LOCATION: The hotel is very new at the time of this review, having been built in 2018 on top of Aekyung Tower Mall in Hongdae. Its location is amazing, situated directly on top of Hongik University Station, giving direct access to Incheon and Gimpo International Airports (via the All-Stop Train) as well as the #2 and #4 Subway lines which connects you to the city center and any big tourist sites around Seoul. Hongdae’s central shopping street and the surrounding area have many opportunities for shopping – from smaller boutiques and gift shops all the way up to more luxury brands. There is no shortage of places to eat here (Korean BBQ, hotpot, fried chicken, Korean comfort foods, street foods, etc.). Because the area is near the university, the prices are reasonable, and the vibe is very young and lively. You will often see street performers in the evenings on the corners.

ROOM: We stayed 6 nights in a queen room and it was comfortable for 2 people; any more will definitely feel crowded. It is reasonably large for an East Asian hotel room but small by Western standards. Unsure if due to my IHG status, but we were put in a nice corner room which had an extra window vs the other rooms for more light. It was very clean and there are two buttons at the entryway for “Do Not Disturb” and “Make Up Room” (i.e. clean room request”). If you do not click the button for room services, the staff will not clean your room or bring towels. A few small quirks about the room – only one nightstand had an outlet so if your partner on the other side of the bed needs to charge something, you need to run a long cable across. Additionally, the bathroom did not have an outlet for charging my electric shaver (but did have a hairdryer). The bathroom door doubles as the shower stall door which is great for space saving but a little awkward if someone is showering and other person is using the toilet.

BREAKFAST: Amazing. Easily one of the best Holiday Inn Express breakfasts I’ve ever experienced in the world, possibly top 3 of all cheaper hotel chains ever. There is not a US domestic HIEx that can match this. Breakfast is included in your room fare and you are given paper vouchers for up to two people for each day. Breakfast is available 6:30-9:30AM every day in the lobby and space is very nice and comfortable. There are both hot and cold Western and Korean options to include a rice noodle station, Western continental fare (eggs, sausage/bacon, yogurts, cereals), Korean breakfast fare (rice, kimchi, soups), at least 3-4 bread/toast/pastries options, 3 different coffee roasts at the espresso/coffee machines, 2-3 different fruit juices. Most of the options are fixed with a few of them rotating each day.

AMENITIES: There is a gym on-site with a few treadmills, a stairclimber and a few free weights. Nothing really to write home about. The laundry facility is very nice and did a good job with the midweek load of clothes we ran through. Detergent and fabric softener sheets are available in the vending machine in the room and there is a coin machine should you need to break large bills – both the washers and dryer require 4000 KRW each to run a load. We did not use any conference rooms or business facilities during this trip.

All-in-all, I would not hesitate to stay here again should my travels take me to Seoul’s Hongdae area. My Platinum status was recognized and the staff were all exceedingly courteous. Highly...

The service was terrible. I originally booked the hotel for 7 nights in total, with a gap of 2 nights in between. (I.E. 7-12 Feb and 14-16 Feb). However, when I checked in on the first night, I told the front desk that I have changed my plan and would like to stay only for the first 5 nights. The front desk said OK and no need to worry for the other two nights. As that was at around 9pm with two young kids, I trusted the staff and didn’t request for anything in writing. I only checked in for 7-12 Feb. Then something really unexpected happened. Given I was confirmed that it will be fine, and I was travelling with kids, I didn’t check the booking until on the day when cancellation was due. And when I checked, the booking was still valid and has been moved to non-refundable status. I immediately reached out to the hotel and asked why. I expressed my disappointment and they then only confirmed that the booking was valid and cannot be cancelled.My disappointments summarised as below:- No apologies or anything from the hotel. It is their fault (committed but did not honour) but expect the traveler to bear the full cost. - Demanding ask. They requested me to provide the name of the front desk staff. Come on, I checked in at 9pm with two young kids, how could I remember? Their reply was, I need to provide that so that they can ask the staff. I told them honestly that I forgot. But does that mean it never happened? Verbal confirmation is also legally binding. - Unreasonable comment.I was late for 30 mins to cancel AGAIN through official channel. Technically it was still 30 mins before the deadline based on my place of origin, and was 30 mins past Korea local time. They said it was TOO LATE to cancel. If following the bible, yes, possibly they are correct. But to begin with, their front desk said OK to me. Hence I can’t understand why I was considered too late when it was their fault. - Extremely inconsiderate. I informed them that I will not stay anyway and if someone wants to book it, then pls make it convenient to others too and release to them. They simply refused. I wasn’t even saying about refund. What I don’t want is to hold up a room which I won’t stay. Totally not customer oriented.- No attempt to help or assist. When I kept contacting Trip.com to help and negotiate, first time they only offered me to rebook and reply within 50 mins on the date. Anyone think that’s sensible to expect a traveller to rebook within 50 mins? Second time again, I was given an hour as a deadline to reply. I felt like I was talking to CEO or my department head (even those senior ppl won’t set such a deadline to reply especially knowing someone is travelling)! It sounds more like kidnapping isn’t it?- I was trying to file an official complaint and request them to send me the customer service email (as I am still travelling). They refused to provide. I don’t know why. If you ask me whether I want to stay here again, I will ask you in...

The location, cleanliness, and complimentary breakfast for the price beat any other hotels in its class in the area. All of the staffs were welcoming, friendly and helpful. The room was of decent size for the category and provided a great view of the city (for the rooms on high floor) and was well appointed. Every guests were provided with complimentary breakfast (a bento box was provided everyday due to covid19 prevention protocol), coffee and bottle of water - definitely a nice touch. The quality of the breakfast was great in comparison to many Holiday Inn in the States and other western countries. The room was cleaned spotless everyday by the cleaning staffs with all amenities refilled as needed. There is a laundry room on the 16th floor that comes in handy for those staying over a week. The only gripe I found with this property was the main entrance. First, the main entrance is not easy to be located for those first-timers in the area. There is no temporary parking space for taxis for those arriving and departing with big luggage which can make you feel rushed to load and unload luggage. Second, there is no cart readily available by the main entrance so this makes it a bit of a challenge if you have more than one luggage since the hallway leading from the main entrance to the elevator that takes you to the lobby floor is elevated with a bit of a distance with no one to help you. Overall, I would highly recommend this hotel as it provides the best value in the area. The location is prime (subway entrance number 5 is right next to the building and many bus-stops a block or two away), the building is new and modern (and surprisingly better sound proofed than what I expected), the room is well appointed for the category and there are tons of food and entertainment options in the...