Rainbow Hotel Myeongdong — Hotel in Seoul

To be honest, it’s not as bad as the other reviews say. We only booked this initially for our visa but forgot to cancel the booking afterwards. Hence we didn’t have a choice but to stay here. I was at first sad because the reviews at this place were really bad but when I got there, it’s more than what I expected. ||True that the owner was super strict and a bit weird. He has all the rules - you can’t eat, no slippers, you can’t turn the heater on for more than 2 hours (or you’ll burn down the hotel yikes! Or maybe I didn’t understood what he said well), no stains on the bedsheet, you have to put the dirty towel outside everyday, etc. Also, you have to be on time with the checkin or else you won’t get to see him. I said “weird” because there was an unforgettable encounter, wherein he persistently knocked on our bedroom at 11pm just to inform us that he already put the clean towels at our door (of course I didn’t open it and just wait for him to call cuz me and my sister got scared haha). But overall he seems nice. ||When it comes to the room itself, if you are not that picky, it’s tolerable. The room we stayed at (for 2 persons) was a bit small. We went here during winter so thank god they had this heater placed under the bed so it kept us warm - if u don’t open it, the place is like a freezer. They also have warm and cold water so it was good enough. As far as I can remember, they don’t have curfew so it worked good for us. They don’t have elevators but they have this crate where you can put your baggages and it will go to your floor automatically. The owner is strict with the time, so at exactly checkout time, his maid comes in the room and will kick you out.||The location is VERY great. It’s near the train stations, shopping district, convenience stores, restaurants etc. ||Overall the place is okay. If I were to go back to Korea with no picky companions, I would stay again in this place as it has a very...

Mr. Kim Scam Warning – Avoid This Hotel. If you encounter similar issues, immediately call your EMBASSY. ||||We booked this hotel for a week in 2024 and informed them twice that we would arrive late at dawn. When we arrived, we waited over 20 minutes before anyone came. They claimed our booking was “forfeited” and lied about not receiving our messages, even though we texted and called multiple times.||They then pressured us to “rebook” and offered a “discounted” cash rate without issuing an official receipt until checkout. Our room for 3 was too small, and they told one of us to sleep on the floor.||Later, they tried to open our door (likely to plant fake damages), and we caught them. We also met another guest with the same “late arrival” story. When the police arrived, the staff changed the story while talking to them in their own language, leaving us helpless because we couldn’t understand or respond. Mr. Kim even scared the newly arrived guests by telling them they could be jailed — we still don’t know exactly what he said to the police. He also threatened to have me jailed if I didn’t delete my video, forcing me to delete it on the spot while shouting at me multiple times.||When we showed the fake receipt to the police, Mr. Kim got angry, tried to snatch it from my hands, and in front of the laughing officer, ripped it into pieces so there would be no evidence. The male police officer laughed at us repeatedly, clearly siding with the hotel.||Instead of relaxing and enjoying our first time in Korea, this was the stressful welcome we got. Upon checkout, they gave us another fake, folded “receipt” and threw our heavy luggage down the stairs, almost hitting us.||||Attached picture of the male officer and his colleague female officer. Mr. Kim (in...

Horrible place, avoid if possible. We booked for 5 nights and stayed for 1. Bed is the hardest I've ever slept on, without exaggeration it was only slightly better than a wooden board. Shower is a drain between the toilet and sink in the bathroom, with hand-held shower head hooked up to the sink. Window does not close shut, which is a problem when the pub downstairs is open til 12.30am and trucks etc start driving past early in the morning - very noisy to try and sleep. Blinds do not keep light out. Bathroom smelled of mildew. Air-conditioning basically pointless in summer since only allowed to have it set between 24-28 degrees.

Other discomforts and inconveniences I can tolerate - owner very strict about shoes, "breakfast included" means some stale white bread kept in the fridge which you can toast and put Nutella on (no other spreads) and some orange juice, no elevator, no communal space normally present in a hostel to meet other travellers.

When we checked out early and asked for 3 nights to be refunded, owner tried to tell us that our 5 night booking cost less than a 2 night booking (in total, not per night which would be understandable) and that in fact we owed him money!

I have travelled quite a bit, including to places with no flushing toilets, so I'm not too precious about my lodgings. I don't normally leave reviews but this place was a nightmare. The only way it could have been worse is if we picked up bed bugs. Avoid, pay a bit extra for somewhere else or stay a bit further out - transport around Seoul is pretty...