The Westin Josun Seoul — Hotel in Seoul

This review is for my 5-night stay during the first week of April 2024, which I booked using points only.

TL;DR Amenities and wellness centers are world class. Made the most of it everyday. Breakfast buffet was great and includes an omelette, udon and coffee station — all made to order -One of the worst rooms I’ve stayed at — loud neighbors and paper thin walls.

Breakfast Buffet As a platinum member, I was given free breakfast buffet for my partner and I. The spread was very diverse and delicious, ranging from western and asian cuisine. I mainly enjoyed the omlette and coffee station which were always made to order. They have fresh pastries made every morning — try the strawberry danish! Overall, the buffet was great and my partner and I looked forward to it every morning.

Wellness Spa - The spa was heavenly! It can serve as a standalone spa and compete with existing spas. It’s very spacious and has around 100+ lockers, 16+ individual showers, 3 large water baths (hot and cold). Overall, I went here every night after a full day out and it was a great way to relax and end the night. Gym - I typically go to the gym 5x a week and can confidently say the gym at the Westin is the best hotel gym I've ever ever been to. They have dumbells reaching 70lbs and machines for lat pull downs, bench press, cable crossovers, and numerous leg exercises, including a squat rack. The gym also includes treadmills and other cardio machines on the other side of the floor, all facing the window and bringing in natural sunlight. This is a world-class gym and the biggest highlight for me.

Customer Service Almost every employee speaks fluent English, which helped me feel comfortable communicating with them. In addition, they were always welcoming - each employee smiles, greets, and thanks you every time you pass by them. These actions all add up and really made my experience here memorable. Everything is always fully stocked - For example, after taking a towel or water bottle at the gym, an employee would always perform an inventory check every 15 minutes to restock and keep them fully stocked. Truly a nice touch!

Westin Club As a platinum member, I also had access to the Westin Club at the top floor. The service was impeccable and the view of Myeongdong at sunset was pleasant. I consistently showed up an hour after opening and there was always a table available by the window. The food served was mostly appetizers, but can also be treated as a meal. In fact, my partner and I would sometimes use it as dinner when we wanted to stay in. Drinks were standard with what you’d expect at other clubs. I would say it’s one of the better clubs I’ve visited (compared to the U.S.)

Rooms Although I had platinum status, my room was not upgraded. It seemed the hotel was fully booked during my stay. The most memorable part of my stay was the room… because it was the WORST I’ve experienced. I'm a very light sleeper and noise was a huge issue. The walls are paper thin and I could heard my neighbors talk. I may have had bad luck, but I could hear my neighbors above come back to their room around 12am and get up around 6am. I heard every footstep and door close. Even the shower noise was loud. What’s worse is that they left the water barely dripping overnight and I'd be able to hear it. I sleep with ear plugs and the noise was still piercing, it drove me crazy. Unfortunately, every night was quite restless and impacted my energy and daily activities. The bed sheets weren’t soft and felt very parched. It kept me hot throughout the night. Would love to see softer sheets in the future. The room is very dated and could use a refresh, like others have mentioned.

Overall, I loved the hotel amenities and customer service. However, my room was a huge let down and the loud noise impacted my sleep & energy every day. I’d come back here if they were able to address the sound problem (i.e. updating old infrastructure). Until then, it’s a deal breaker and I will check out other...

From the moment I arrived at this hotel, I was treated like royalty.

The staff opened the door to the cab, took my suitcase out of the trunk, and I was accompanied to the concierge, Judy, who checked me in. I want to highlight her because she was so sweet, thorough, and I loved her energy.

Since I arrived early, I was told that I could wait in the lounge until my room was ready. The representatives always welcomed me so warmly and remembered me by my name. There's ample seating including open and two secluded rooms (that each have a few tables). NOTE: Cocktail hour is included for ALL of the Executive rooms and Suites. Just do it.

My room card was brought to the lounge. The rooms are very secure by requiring the key card in order to access the room floors. I stayed in the Junior Suite. There was so much space, thoughtful touches including welcome wine & chocolates, and a wonderful view. My luggage was waiting for me and there was ample room for me to put all of my items away. Housekeeping was so friendly and made sure I stayed hydrated. The air was fresh, the bed was heavenly, and the bathroom had everything I needed-even WASHCLOTHS! In my experience, those are hard to find in many countries. Also, l was able to adjust the temperature which I needed for winter.

I loved the gym because there's plenty of equipment and the staff there are nice as well. Make sure you approach the desk first in order to access the gym/pool/etc. They'll give you a wristband that is assigned to a locker. The heated pools were perfect and there were plenty of lounge chairs. I did not visit the sauna, but I will next time.

I dined at one of the onsite restaurants, Hong Yuan, which is located on the LL. The service was great, the aesthetic was lovely, however, the flavor was lacking in my opinion.

As for getting around, you're very close to shops, restaurants, and tourist sites. See Myeong Dong Night Market. I recommend downloading Kakao Taxi for getting back to the hotel.

This was my best stay and I will return!

My critiques/suggestions are as follows:

-An overhead light above the top floating shelves on either side of the bed -Devices to preserve and reheat food and drinks. (The only fridge was the minibar that didn't have much space.) -Ketogenic (without grains and sugar) options for the lounge such as breads, sweets, fruit, yogurt, and juice. (I commend the sweetener packets for coffee and tea) -Alternative welcome fruit in the room such as berries, melons, or other low-carb fruit -Include in a place more easily visible about the ice machine. That information is on a small sign inside the refreshment cabinet that's hard for those visually impaired to notice. -A cautionary sign to watch one's step entering/exiting the en-suite because of the unevenness from the ramp -Soundproof walls -Educating the staff of the difference between sir and ma'am/miss (I was called "sir" once by one of the outdoor staff who helped me with a taxi; and I am a very feminine woman) -Upgrading the furniture in the lounge as some of the chairs's material is peeling -Better handles to open the extra closet/storage where the iron and...

I have been a long time guest to Westin Chosun. As many have mentioned, you will notice little to none Platinum recognition, unkind and unapologetic associates/managers downplaying their mistakes and emphasizing the smallest favor from the moment you check in. I have listed 5 things I noticed that changed most; long story short, if you don't plan to spend much time at the hotel, this is a great location with access to many restaurants, shopping malls, and cultural attractions. If friendly staff matter to you, do not stay here.

Staff Attitude: I noticed that there have been a massive change of staff with new faces and attitude. Expect minimum service (ex. Getting your keys to the room), they are civil / borderline rude. What's annoying is that they are very nosy; they want to hear every detail of your request and reasons for your request (ex. reasons to why I am asking for an extra chair) and yet come up with little / no solution (ex. not providing one). What's more annoying is that they lecture you on why your request cannot be made. Rather than trying to understand / help guests within their given capabilities (ex. I called to report that AC is not working properly), they will make sure to exhaust their guest with lectures saying that they know what's best for the guest (ex. AC is working fine). So if possible, do not waste your time / energy to get better service; it will go in circle - best to just deal with it and thank for the fact that you only need to stay there for a period of time.

Breakfast buffet: You only see 50% of what they used to offer five years ago and at a lower quality (and yet they charge you the same amount). The range / quality of dishes, bread, soup, fruits have all gone down significantly and by the way hey also charge 2-year olds. The food offered at other SPG hotels in Seoul (including the ones with less stars) was much better.

Overcrowded Guest Lounge: Unless you go there at 6pm sharp,often there are no seats available and since there are so many people with limited food, you almost have to compete for the snacks among other guests.

No more Seating Area and Restrictive Elevators: The hotel got rid of all the couches. If someone comes to visit you, he / she has to wait in the lobby while STANDING. With the new elevator, you can only go to the floor where your room is -- while this could be due to security reasons, it has given more power to the (unfriendly) staff you would rather not deal with in case you change your room or to visit a room where another guest is staying.

So-so rooms: The hotel boasts for the fact that everything is newly renovated, but what they do not tell you is the fact that the rooms are exactly the same; no changes were made to the rooms (only gotten worse with no more in-room computers, cell phones with less furniture). Even with the upgrade, the rooms are...