Modern 5 Star Experience
By A Yahoo! Contributor, 11/29/07
My wife and I stayed at the W Hotel Seoul Walker Hill for 3 nights Friday Nov. 16 – Monday Nov. 19, 2007. $280/night.
The hotel lives up to its billing as astonishingly well designed. The lobby was modern, trendy, and spacious. The staff was numerous and all well trained and courteous. They all speak English. We chose the “Fabulous” room, which featured a king sized bed, stereo, dvd player, auto-open/close curtains, frig, ironing board, safe, too many lighting feathers to name, and a two person Jacuzzi with river view. We went for non-smoking so were delegated to a low floor (6th floor), but the view was still fine. The room and service definitely lived up to the “Fabulous” name. One problem, however. The trendy styled room featured a nearly open bathroom with lightly frosted glass doors, so your partner’s toilet visits are visible and worst yet, fully audible. So you may not want to choice this room if you are going with someone that you are long familiar with. (My wife and I are of course married, and thus familiar with each other, but I don’t think that it will ever be fully comfortable for me to sit on the squatter in front of someone else.)
Adjacent to the W is the Sheraton which has a casino and duty-free shop in the basement. You can access the casino through a connecting underground passage. There is absolutely nothing else around the W because it is on the side of a mountain in Northeast Seoul. Get snacks, drinks for the room, etc. before you come if you don`t want to rely on room service. Did not eat at the hotel restaurant because we opted to go to outside Korean places, but drink in the 1st floor Woo Bar which boasts the longest bar counter in Korea. Good drinks (about $20 each), simple snack foods ($40 chicken wings), good service. Bar blasts loud techno-music so you have to scream at the person next to you in order for them to hear you.
All in all, the W Hotel Seoul Walker Hill deserves its 5 star billing. I would stay again, but maybe choose a room with more toilet privacy.