Novotel Ambassador Seoul Yongsan — Hotel in Seoul

I just completed my second stay at the hotel after a 3-day interim for a domestic trip. This is a follow-up to my review titled “Most Convenient and Comfortable Hotel in Seoul,” written on Nov 11, 2023. I still highly recommend the hotel to all types of travelers with a budget. I was actually given the exact same room as my first stay, which made me feel like coming home.||After having more time to experience the hotel, I wanted to add to my first review, which is lengthy and detailed.||Visitors may notice some barren areas around the hotel as the Yongsan area is being developed into a major business/transportation hub. It in no way detracts from the hotel's proximity to shopping, eating, entertainment and businesses. A positive is that it reduces traffic around the hotel.||Compared to hotels located in downtown Seoul or Kangnam, transportation to Incheon or Gimpo Airports is about 20-30 minutes faster as the hotel is located right next to a major artery leading to the airports. A risk for travelers staying at downtown hotels is the frequent demonstrations and protests held near City Hall. This results in road closures and congestion around the hotels and delays transportation. ||The convenience store at the hotel gets crowded during busy times. One tip is to cross the large street at the entrance of the hotel, where there are many restaurants and convenience stores. There is also an E-Mart (Korea's Walmart) at the IPark Mall (5-10 min walk), where you can find almost anything a traveler would need. ||On the flip-side, I also noticed some areas where things could be better.||Fitness Center - I used the gym daily and found the Fitness Center reception staff to be less welcoming vs others. They didn’t pro-actively offer access to the sauna facilities and their greetings are erratic. They seem to cater more to the health club members rather than hotel guests. Note that there is a policy of not allowing in people that are heavily tattooed. ||Room - The in-room laundry machine is a luxury but I recommend allocating at least 3-4 hours to completely wash and dry clothes. There is also no large clock in the room, which I found inconvenient. ||Rooftop - I went to open-air Sky Park lounge on the roof of the hotel to take pictures. The views are fantastic but taking pictures was a challenge due to all the glass windowed walls being dirty. ||In conclusion, I highly recommend the hotel to all types of travelers except those on a tighter budget. I think the hotel is a great value but if you want to save money on hotels, then this is not the best option. ||The overall service quality was consistent with my first stay….impeccable. Some staff I'd like to thank are: Receptionists Jennifer Song, Clare An, and Jalynne Lee and Mr. Jun Hwang (Sales Manager). I have already booked 2 more stays for Dec 2023 and Mar 2024 and look forward to...

The first few times that I have stayed here, I thought it was my expectations being too high. The last time I stayed here, it was clear that my expectations were not too high. It was clear that they really are just going through the motions. Every single time I’ve been here, there is an issue with housekeeping. Front desk staff are luke warm, and love to pretend they are listening to you. Don’t make the mistake of calling the hotel operator. Whatever you ask for, they turn around and do the opposite. The management, while they try to seem nice and apologetic. They have no clue how to fix a problem. Instead of stepping out of the box and doing something that would look like genuine sincerity. They just look at you like your the problem. ||This one particular incident had me laughing so hard that I honestly couldn’t believe it was happening. I left my room around 10:30 am and requested a room clean. I also expressed to the front desk that the shower was out of body wash as well as the lotion was empty. I came back at 5 pm only to find the room had not been cleaned nor the items requested filled. I calmly went to the front desk and asked about service again. I waited in the lobby so that it could be done without me being in the way. an hour later I went back to the room and the room still was not touched, but however there was a new bottle of lotion. The old bottle which was empty, was still on the counter. I grabbed empty bottle of body wash and went back to the front desk. I asked to speak to the manager I asked what was so hard about filing a body wash bottle that was requested as well as cleaning the room. I was told to wait Int the lobby yet for another hour. I actually fell asleep in the lobby and the manager woke me up to tell me my room was finally cleaned and I could go up. A luke warm apology was all I got. ||Two hours of my time I wasted, you would think they would offer you something. I wouldn’t have taken it. But at least act like you care. Offer a dinner or even a small snack after sitting there for two hours. |The next manager I got another apology from the morning manager. I appreciated it for it seemed like there was come kind of communication from the day before. Out of the four times I’ve stayed here, the housekeeping issue just completely gets...

The first few times that I have stayed here, I thought it was my expectations being too high. The last time I stayed here, it was clear that my expectations were not too high. It was clear that they really are just going through the motions. Every single time I’ve been here, there is an issue with housekeeping. Front desk staff are luke warm, and love to pretend they are listening to you. Don’t make the mistake of calling the hotel operator. Whatever you ask for, they turn around and do the opposite. The management, while they try to seem nice and apologetic. They have no clue how to fix a problem. Instead of stepping out of the box and doing something that would look like genuine sincerity. They just look at you like your the problem. ||This one particular incident had me laughing so hard that I honestly couldn’t believe it was happening. I left my room around 10:30 am and requested a room clean. I also expressed to the front desk that the shower was out of body wash as well as the lotion was empty. I came back at 5 pm only to find the room had not been cleaned nor the items requested filled. I calmly went to the front desk and asked about service again. I waited in the lobby so that it could be done without me being in the way. an hour later I went back to the room and the room still was not touched, but however there was a new bottle of lotion. The old bottle which was empty, was still on the counter. I grabbed empty bottle of body wash and went back to the front desk. I asked to speak to the manager I asked what was so hard about filing a body wash bottle that was requested as well as cleaning the room. I was told to wait Int the lobby yet for another hour. I actually fell asleep in the lobby and the manager woke me up to tell me my room was finally cleaned and I could go up. A luke warm apology was all I got. ||Two hours of my time I wasted, you would think they would offer you something. I wouldn’t have taken it. But at least act like you care. Offer a dinner or even a small snack after sitting there for two hours. |The next manager I got another apology from the morning manager. I appreciated it for it seemed like there was come kind of communication from the day before. Out of the four times I’ve stayed here, the housekeeping issue just completely gets...