Four Seasons Hotel Seoul

I‘ve enjoyed my 3 night stay at the Four Seasons Seoul. The hotel has an excellent location surrounded by the major tourist attractions and close to various coffee and dining options. The room was spacious, clean and provided the usual amenities. The check-in process was smooth and friendly. Staff was well trained and always smiled. I would love to give a 5 star review but unfortunately my dining experience at their lobby restaurant called Maru was horrible. Despite the high prices, the food was tasteless and undercooked. During my first visit I ordered the Salmon and as a dessert the chocolate cake. Both were completely tasteless. It got even worse the second time when I ordered the chicken Caesar salad. The chicken was clearly undercooked and tasted strange. I had a 10 hour flight in-front of me and was glad to put the chicken by side. When the staff took away my plate they did not even ask if something was wrong with my dish! When I read up the reviews on Google I noticed similar examples provided by other guests!

It's hard for me to write a review on a Four Seasons hotel as my stay is always filled with a high level of customer service, a lovely room, and a comfortable bed with posh surroundings. This hotel was no different! Maybe the lobby isn't as lovely as other hotels, and the entrance way is quite crowded, but we loved our stay. Each night when we returned to our room there was a special touch left by housekeeping. One time there was bookmark left on my book. Another time they had taken my charging cord and wrapped it in a coil and securely tied it. I appreciate the little things that make the Four Seasons a notch above the rest.

I am fond of Four Seasons hotels and pick the brand out of preference. However, my affection is waning after various uninspiring stays - unfortunately Seoul was another. Start with the positives. 3 things that I love about the brand are fully present: - excellent staff - very comfortable bed - the best gyms/pools for training (25m pool and massive well equipped gym) The location is also excellent for a general visit to Seoul - a spread out city. However, some things are off: - there is no wow factor. The entrance portico is very small and dominated by the ramp of their car park. You fell like you're being dropped off in a multi story carpark, not at a luxury hotel - the lobby doesn't have a sense of space or particularly attractive design. It's all 'chopped up'. - the rooms are extremely bland with no interesting colours/textures/features/sense of place. My room was also badly wired for lighting. The switches operated reading lights on the wrong sides of the bed. Really annoying when you're alone and need to get out of bed, stumble in the dark, to turn off the light. How can that not have been fixed in a 10 year old hotel? - perhaps the worst issue is the F&B outlets. They belong in a Marriott - not a 4S. The hotel actually has 'International Show Stopper Buffet - Prime Rib' stenciled in foot high letters on the street level windows. Ugh! The first floor bar was overlit with weird theming - and zero customers at 7.30pm on a work night. - breakfast is pretty grim. The restaurant is in the basement without windows, and has (I don't say this unfairly) an office cafeteria ambience. It is 100% buffet. The maximum 'a la carte' is an omelette station. Hyatt/Sheraton standard. Absolutely not appropriate for a large Asian Four Seasons. Just the international staples of shakshuka, eggs benedict, avocado toast, fresh juices etc etc are completely absent. Finally, I have an errant $150 entry on my credit card which wasn't on my. bill. So I now have to sort that out. I also had $100 credit on my room rate which miraculously lost 10% in the hotel's translation to Won. So there's some sharpish practice here too. I wouldn't choose to return.

What a lovely 3 night stay we had. The room was beautifully appointed. Great view. All sorts of bells and whistles. Turn down service. Clean, impeccable rooms. Service is extremely professional and attentive. Lobby area, onsite restaurants and various ding venues are superb.

Modern and cosy rooms with good city views. Easy walking distance to Gyeongbukgong and subway. The executive lounge was never crowded and the evening canapés were fantastic. Friendly and helpful lounge staff (especially Ria). Breakfast buffet at Market Kitchen was good (fantastic barista) . Do not miss the in-house Michelin starred Akira Back.