Hotel Crown, Seoul

The Hotel Crown will always stay in my memory for good or bad. It was the first time for my husband and I to visit mainland asia and being used to Japanese service and hotels (which is where we live/came from) it was a rude awakening. But I guess we are spoiled because even the most basic hotels in Japan, have shampoo/conditioner/body soap as well as toothbrushes and toothpaste and combs and lotion in the rooms. As well as a sleeping robe and slippers, so we were really surprised to get to the Crown and realize the amenities are not there. Thank goodness I threw a shampoo sample into my suitcase before we left, for "just in case" but it turned out we really needed to bring it! The hallways have a particular smell about them, but I got used to it after 3 days. The most surprising thing about the rooms is the overdone baroque style of the headboards, chest of drawers and mirror. It just didn`t seem to match the rest of the Hotel`s interior. I only wish that the room was just a foot wider than it was. The TV worked and they had a fridge as well which was nice. One thing that was odd but I guess they do this in hotels across the world is that they have a sign on the nightstand that talks about saving the environment by not having to wash the sheets for the bed too much , so if you were staying more than 1 night in the same room they asked you to put the sign on the bed and they made the bed up with the same sheets. Bizarre! I`m not really that picky, so I didn`t care but it was just strange to me. It makes sense, though. It is in a great location just a 15 minute walk up the hill to the entrance of Itaewon Shopping/International street. The staff were nice but they don`t really speak english too much. As for the golf course I didn`t see one, I think it is just a driving range area. The spa/sauna was overpriced we thought we didn`t have a massage unforutnately. Don`t get me wrong! After our few days there I really liked the hotel and they gave us an umbrella to use which was nice of them. I would reccommend this hotel if you are on a budget and don`t expect too much.

Pretty basic. The Crown attempts to be a Western-style hotel, and comes close. If you're not willing to spend the big bucks for the Marriot or Hilton, and you don't want to sleep on the floor in a traditional Korean hotel, the Crown is a good comprimise. It's in a more touristy part of Seoul (The special tourism zone of Itaewon), so you pay the tourist price. Bed was one of the least comfortable I have ever slept in (and I have traveled a lot).