Great Hotel”

Shilla Stay Gwanghwamun is a lovely hotel. It's in a great location (right next to Gwanghwamun Square, Gyeongbok Palace, and more), the rooms are clean and quickly prepared, the staff are friendly and helpful (and speak English), and the morning breakfast has a great selection. Definitely recommended.

Exceptional”

The Shilla Stay Gwanghwamun is a great hotel in a fantastic location in central Seoul. From the warm welcome to the general friendliness of the staff, it made my brief stay very enjoyable.

Exceptional”

We enjoyed our 14 days stay in this hotel. The service, amenities, and most specially the location was perfect. The hotel is very near to Insadong, Myeongdong, Gwanghwamun Square. Also, Gangnam is only 10,000 won taxi ride, around 15-20 minutes only. Will definitely stay here again this December! However, the only bad thing about this hotel and for other hotels in Seoul is that the air-conditioning system is not opened during spring. And there are days when the temperature is warm. But luckily, the hotel provides an electric fan when requested.

The rooms are so great and the staff is always so helpful! We love staying at this hotel!!”

The location is ideal. We love to walk to Myeongdong, the many restaurants in D-tower, and the palace! The rooms are always so comfortable and clean. We love Shilla Stay Gwanghwamun!

A pleasant stay at the heart of Seoul”

It was a pleasant stay. Great food nearby and we were situated at the heart of Seoul where the Gyeongbok Palace, Gwanghwamun, Insadong, Myeong Dong, basically prime tourist spots were all a walking distance away. Clean rooms with great service. Would stay there the next time we travel again.

Good hotel - have a prob with earlier reviews”

good hotel w/clean facilities guys- you aren't at the flagship Shilla- so you need to handicap this hotel front desk was fine- not sure why people are complaining room temp - once again - why are there people complaining about this? bad thing is that there way too may chinese visitors- i know they spend a lot but just atmosphere becomes a flea market if ur unfortunate to be caught inbetween def would stay again for the same price

Perfect Location and Nice Stay! ”

Perfect location and surrounding by nice coffee house and several famous Korean restaurant! I put Shilla Stay for my last night in Seoul so I can just relax and enjoy the day and do the packing.. Overall is great, buy it during promo price

Good location”

We stayed at Shilla Stay Gwanghwamun one night prior to an early morning appointment at the US Embassy. The hotel is perfectly situated, we walked less than 10 minutes to the Embassy. The hotel has it's own parking, free for guests, and the check-out time wasn't until 12 noon so we had plenty of time to take care of our business and get breakfast. We booked a family room which was quite small for three people but not bad for just one night. The only real complaint was that the room was very dusty, not just on the floor but on the furnishings as well. It might just have been a fluke as the rest of the hotel areas seemed clean and tidy.

Convenient ”

This hotel is located within the ‘cbd’ area with high rise office buildings. We checked our luggages in at front desk 2 days prior to check in as we were going to the ski resorts. When we return to check into hotel I was told there’s no bellboy nor service to help bring luggages up. But I told them I am alone with a child and 3 luggages and sled and I needed help so one of the lady was kind enough to help me get a small trolley and push up for me. Thank u! The location is near to Jonggak and Gwanghwamun train station within 3-5 minutes walk which is very convenient! But when we return to hotel at night it is very quiet as it is after office hours. Lots of 24 hours mini marts around. Lots of choices of restaurants and also mos burger, Starbucks and Burger King nearby. Walking distance to Gwanghwamun Square, palace, Insa-dong. We don’t see any hotel staff day in and day out as concierge desk is on level 8 and unless we go to that level. Housekeeping is good and cleans up well. And well mannered as we greet each other along the doorway. Toiletries are replaced daily. Please note that *Towels are yellowish and smells of chemical. Last day I was disappointed as I had lots of baggage and luggage and no one offered help seeing I was alone and even asked me to return the trolley to level 8 after loading my 4 baggage, 2 luggage and kid luggage. And there were no hotel guests around the concierge and 3 front desk officers there.

Nice location & clean warm room”

Location: This hotel is locate in CBD with convenient transportation. It’s very easy to airport with subway. And it’s very short walk from subway entrance to hotel. Surrounding environment: Around the hotel, there are so many café shops to solve the breakfast. Starbucks is just in the 1th floor. If you walked to Lotte department stores, duty free shop and Myeongdong, you just needed less than 10 minutes. Although I do not like Lotte. If you wanted to Gyeongbokgung Palace, city hall and any other famous scenic spots, you can walked to. Room: The room is very clean and warm, especially Seoul was subzero temperature. Wash supplies are Aveda. Somedays the towels were a little old (been washed for many times), but still clean. Service: The lobby manager and other staffs are very enthusiastic with soft touch. Next time when I travel in Seoul, it must be my top choice.

Great location but be aware of dodgy taxi drivers!!”

Nice staff and convenient location. Walking distance to Insa-dong and Iksundong where we spent most of our time. We had a very unpleasant taxi experience though with the jumbo taxi that hotel staff called for us. We were going to Seoul station which was about 3km away from the hotel. We arrived and I gave him 10000won expecting to get some change. He said it was 17000won and my mum (local Korean) said that’s ricidulous as it should be around 5000won max why is he charging so much. He said there’s an extra cost as it’s a jumbo taxi and then he said he will only take 10000won. What??He refused to give a receipt and after 5min of argument he gave us 400won back and a receipt saying the ride was 9600won. He said “Are you so happy now for taking all the money back” so rudely. I googled and there’s no extra charge for jumbo taxi, the base price is slightly higher and that’s all. I think hotel staff member should be aware of that their customers can be getting ripped off by taxi drivers.

Excellent Hotel”

Excellent and very clean hotel. Staff are very courteous, helpful, and professional. Hotel location is very convenient too. Great for everybody. Highly recommend Shilla Stay!

Cozy and Comfortable”

The room is cozy, OK small but perfectly adequate. The shower room was as good as I've ever had in a five star hotel. Many of the tourist attractions of Seoul are within walking distance and there are two subway stations close by too. The hotel appears themed for Koreans in that there is no milk for the tea or coffee! But there are a couple of English language channels on the TV. As the internet connections are excellent I was able to stream English language news programs on my phone and screen share them to the room's large smart TV. Very satisfied with my stay.

Best location ”

I have stayed different hotels in Seoul and this one was the best in terms of its location, very near to all the tourist attractions and good restaurants in the old town Seoul. It is also very clean. The room and the equipments are simple but efficient, so you have everything you need. I think I would stay again when I am back in Seoul.

Great Bargain If You Can Stand the Stench”

This is a really great hotel that would get 4 stars if it were not for the horrible sewage stench unique to some places (even cafes) in Seoul. The price was very reasonable for the clean and well-kept room. The location is very convenient - walking distance from major sights in the city such as Gwanghwamun Plaza, the old palace, the President's House itself, Insadong, etc. The hotel is also fairly quiet. Sounds from upstairs can sometimes be loud though. Hallway noise is reasonably audible. There are many great places to eat around the area as well and a ton of cafes nearby. There is no reason to even get a breakfast buffet option at the hotel as you have many options right outside. The major downgrader for this hotel is the stench from the bathroom. The sewage stench was so unbearable that I could not spend much time in the bathroom and I had to keep the bathroom door shut. I once left my room without closing the bathroom door and my whole room smelled like a sewer.

Not 4-star quality”

Pros: convenient location, Shilla brand, quiet, nice neighborhood, early check-in, helpful staff, city view, bathtub, pretty good lunch buffet, comfy beds Cons: semi-dirty walls, dusty curtains, worn-out and disappointing towels, small and very basic room, no minibar, could've been on higher floor Overall, we were expecting more from this place given the brand. We got a deal but have stayed at better places in Seoul for similar prices. It's OK overall but unfortunately, we aren't sure we'll book here again.

Exceptional”

Room is clean. Staff are generally friendly. Great location and walking distance to many places of interest such as Insadong, palaces and gwanghwamun square. Many eateries around the area.

Comfortable ”

We stayed at a Airbnb initially, the standards was very low. We requested a refund. We wanted to stay at the same location where it was 10 min walking distance to mydeongong, and found the Shilla stay hotel was close by. The images on the website matches the standards exactly. It was 5 mins walking distance to the gyeongbok palace. Being a 4 star hotel it was luxuries and clean! If I were to come back to Korea I would stay here again.

Good Location”

As I arrived at late night in Seoul, I decided to stay at this hotel which is very convenient location and reasonable price with good quality room & facility. Though the room is not big enough but very good to spend overnight in the center of the city!

Worked just fine for us.”

Stayed total 10+ days for a vacation trip for two stays during 14 day trip to Korea. Superb location. Within walking distance, lots of tourist attractions, great restaurants, shopping, public transportation, just to name a few. Facility itself is nothing special but functional with no problems. Very basic room that is very compact in size but bed was comfortable and bedding was good quality. Housekeeping, most of days great but not so much for a couple of days. If you are worried about hot room temperature, just ask for a room with an openable window. Staff was very attentive and responded quickly and professionally to a couple of maintenance issues. It is not a luxury hotel but I think it will work fine if you are looking for comfortable night stays in downtown Seoul for a decent rate!