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Coffeeprincess
Joined: 19 Sep 2007
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 Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:05 am Post subject: Park Hyatt Gangnam or W Hotel Walker Hill? |
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If you were going to book yourself into a hotel to be pampered for the weekend - that is, you were just going to stay in the hotel, order room service, watch movies and use the fitness/sauna facilities, which hotel would you choose: the Park Hyatt (not the Grand Hyatt) or the W Walker Hill? Prices are similar, but they have totally different vibes. Park Hyatt seems more zen and minimalist...W is more funky and playful, almost tragically hip. While I know it's a matter of personal preference, I've never stepped inside either hotel and was wondering which hotel is supposed to be nicer? I'm a sucker for comfortable beds and luxurious bathrooms. 
Pictures:
http://www.seoul.park.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/rooms/room-description.jsp (click on "Photos")
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/property/photos/index.html?propertyID=1451 |
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aka Dave
Joined: 02 May 2008
Location: Down by the river
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:13 am Post subject: |
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When I get lucky and sell that screenplay, I'll let you know.
Also, please, someone stop the usage of the phrase "tragically hip". It was absolutely never tragic, and never hip. |
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Harpeau
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Location: Coquitlam, BC
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:32 am Post subject: |
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| IMHO, I'd give he W a pass. |
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Coffeeprincess
Joined: 19 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:43 am Post subject: |
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| Harpeau wrote: |
| IMHO, I'd give he W a pass. |
Have you been there? If so, how is the food? Also, I guess they have an indoor and outdoor pool? |
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ddeubel
Joined: 20 Jul 2005
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victorology
Joined: 10 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 10:01 am Post subject: |
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| Coffeeprincess wrote: |
| Harpeau wrote: |
| IMHO, I'd give he W a pass. |
Have you been there? If so, how is the food? Also, I guess they have an indoor and outdoor pool? |
If I were a visitor to Seoul, I would stay at the Park Hyatt. If it were a weekend getaway, I'd stay at the W. There's a lot more to do at Walker Hill. There's an indoor pool and an outdoor pool there. There's also a casino and the bar is a bit more hip. Since the W is also connected to the Sheraton, you can choose from more restaurants. The restaurants at the W are really expensive and personally, I don't think it's worth it but that's subjective. Last time I had dinner there, it came out to over 100,000 won per person.
If cost at the hotel restaurants is a big issue, I'd check out the Hyatt on Namsan. They have a pretty good pool, there's the club/bar JJ's, the lounge is nice for a couple of drinks. The restaurants there are also not outrageously expensive. A dinner for two at Paris Grill might be 80,000 won each. Depends on what you order and how much alcohol you drink. The buffet might be 60,000 won per dinner. I love the breakfast there, too. |
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victorology
Joined: 10 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 10:04 am Post subject: |
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| The W's have comfortable beds if soft mattresses are your thing. If you like it over your stay, you can buy the same mattress. |
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Tathen
Joined: 10 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 10:52 am Post subject: |
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I went to "W" a few weeks ago.
Quite nice, it has a very rich feel to it. The bed was extremely comfortable as well.
The restaurants were very good, and I didn't find them overly priced. Room service was quick and easy to use, and the food was fairly well priced considering the kind of hotel. Bring your own booze if you want to drink however 
The nightclub is really happening. Depending on your age, and if you like that sort of thing, it's a decent place to go. Being a foreigner you'll be able to walk in and make friends left and right.
I didn't try the casino. I was there with my wife, and she can't go.
The staff was really great I must say. I have no idea about the Hyatt.
~Tathen |
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Coffeeprincess
Joined: 19 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 5:42 pm Post subject: |
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| victorology wrote: |
| Coffeeprincess wrote: |
| Harpeau wrote: |
| IMHO, I'd give he W a pass. |
Have you been there? If so, how is the food? Also, I guess they have an indoor and outdoor pool? |
If I were a visitor to Seoul, I would stay at the Park Hyatt. If it were a weekend getaway, I'd stay at the W. There's a lot more to do at Walker Hill. There's an indoor pool and an outdoor pool there. There's also a casino and the bar is a bit more hip. Since the W is also connected to the Sheraton, you can choose from more restaurants. The restaurants at the W are really expensive and personally, I don't think it's worth it but that's subjective. Last time I had dinner there, it came out to over 100,000 won per person.
If cost at the hotel restaurants is a big issue, I'd check out the Hyatt on Namsan. They have a pretty good pool, there's the club/bar JJ's, the lounge is nice for a couple of drinks. The restaurants there are also not outrageously expensive. A dinner for two at Paris Grill might be 80,000 won each. Depends on what you order and how much alcohol you drink. The buffet might be 60,000 won per dinner. I love the breakfast there, too. |
Thanks for your reply. After some thought, I also think the W might be a better weekend escape...though the Park Hyatt looks very tempting.
I like the idea of two pools - is the outdoor pool simply a lap pool? And is it on top of the roof? I'd like to check out the casino, but my boyfriend is a Korean national, so I don't think he could join me.
They currently have a special promotion if you book directly through the Starwood Hotels website. 280,000 KRW per night + VAT for a standard room which includes breakfast and a free spa service for two. Not bad since their spa services start at around 120,000 KRW.
I love the W's beds...so comfy! |
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Coffeeprincess
Joined: 19 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 5:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Tathen wrote: |
I went to "W" a few weeks ago.
Quite nice, it has a very rich feel to it. The bed was extremely comfortable as well.
The restaurants were very good, and I didn't find them overly priced. Room service was quick and easy to use, and the food was fairly well priced considering the kind of hotel. Bring your own booze if you want to drink however
The nightclub is really happening. Depending on your age, and if you like that sort of thing, it's a decent place to go. Being a foreigner you'll be able to walk in and make friends left and right.
I didn't try the casino. I was there with my wife, and she can't go.
The staff was really great I must say. I have no idea about the Hyatt.
~Tathen |
Thanks! Not a bad idea to bring our own booze! |
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prideofidaho
Joined: 19 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:58 pm Post subject: |
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I stayed at the W last year, and it was fantastic...the best birthday present ever.
I still dream about the beds.
If you're going to book, try and get a room with a view of the river...it's really nice to wake up to. Also, you can get a room with a massive tub/jacuzzi.
The restaurants are expensive, but well worth it if you're in the mood to treat yourselves, so I'd say go for it.
You can also get late check-out, but they weren't able to follow through with that on ours because there was a big event the following day.
Enjoy! |
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victorology
Joined: 10 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Coffeeprincess wrote: |
| victorology wrote: |
| Coffeeprincess wrote: |
| Harpeau wrote: |
| IMHO, I'd give he W a pass. |
Have you been there? If so, how is the food? Also, I guess they have an indoor and outdoor pool? |
If I were a visitor to Seoul, I would stay at the Park Hyatt. If it were a weekend getaway, I'd stay at the W. There's a lot more to do at Walker Hill. There's an indoor pool and an outdoor pool there. There's also a casino and the bar is a bit more hip. Since the W is also connected to the Sheraton, you can choose from more restaurants. The restaurants at the W are really expensive and personally, I don't think it's worth it but that's subjective. Last time I had dinner there, it came out to over 100,000 won per person.
If cost at the hotel restaurants is a big issue, I'd check out the Hyatt on Namsan. They have a pretty good pool, there's the club/bar JJ's, the lounge is nice for a couple of drinks. The restaurants there are also not outrageously expensive. A dinner for two at Paris Grill might be 80,000 won each. Depends on what you order and how much alcohol you drink. The buffet might be 60,000 won per dinner. I love the breakfast there, too. |
Thanks for your reply. After some thought, I also think the W might be a better weekend escape...though the Park Hyatt looks very tempting.
I like the idea of two pools - is the outdoor pool simply a lap pool? And is it on top of the roof? I'd like to check out the casino, but my boyfriend is a Korean national, so I don't think he could join me.
They currently have a special promotion if you book directly through the Starwood Hotels website. 280,000 KRW per night + VAT for a standard room which includes breakfast and a free spa service for two. Not bad since their spa services start at around 120,000 KRW.
I love the W's beds...so comfy! |
The pool for the W is an indoor pool. It's not on the roof but there's a great view from the pool with floor to ceiling windows. The outdoor pool is shared with the Sheraton Walker Hill. I'm not sure how they're doing it this year but last Summer, pool access included a buffet and I think hotel guests get a discount. I'm not sure because I have a friend at the casino who gives me comps and discounts so I'm not sure if the buffet discount is normal. You may want to call the hotel to see what the deal with the outdoor pool is. The outdoor pool is definitely larger than a lap pool. |
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Coffeeprincess
Joined: 19 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Coffeeprincess wrote: |
| They currently have a special promotion if you book directly through the Starwood Hotels website. 280,000 KRW per night + VAT for a standard room which includes breakfast and a free spa service for two. Not bad since their spa services start at around 120,000 KRW. |
Correction: You don't get to choose from any spa service, but rather they give you a 100,000 KRW credit (per room, per stay) to apply towards any spa service. |
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suadente
Joined: 27 Sep 2004
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:41 pm Post subject: |
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I don't know about the Hyatt, but I didn't like the W hotel at Walker Hill. The funkiness made it feel more like a cheap night club than a 5 star hotel.
The restaurant was bad--we only had one meal there, but none of the seven of us were happy with it. And it was overpriced, even for hotel restaurants.
The receptionists were rude. Their english was good, though. But, I guess that means that it wasn't a language issue, they were just rude. One of the members of my group is a Starwood member. She tried to use her Starwood card, (I'm not exactly sure what happened, I wasn't paying attention) and for some reason they had to call in. But, the desk absolutely refused to call, saying that Starwood is closed, even though it's apparently open 24 hours. She had to call using her cell phone, roaming from the US, and give her phone to the receptionist. Do you really want to deal with stuff like that?
Another poster wrote that he or she had a great birthday party there. I could see that. It'd be a good place for a birthday party. It'd also be a good place for a 50 year old executive to take his mistress.
However, if you're looking to relax and pamper yourself, I don't think the W is what you're looking for.
That being said, I was there a little over 2 years ago. It could be completely different now.
Sorry if I should know this, but I clicked the link you gave for the Hyatt, and one of the features is 'Aesop amenities.' I googled it, and seoul.park.hyatt.com came up as the first link. What are they? |
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prideofidaho
Joined: 19 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
Another poster wrote that he or she had a great birthday party there. I could see that. It'd be a good place for a birthday party. It'd also be a good place for a 50 year old executive to take his mistress.
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It was a romantic birthday night with my boyfriend...not really a party. We really enjoyed ourselves. It was really hard to go back to our one-room officetel, I'll tell you that much.
Suadente, that's really a shame that you felt the staff were rude and the restaurant was inadequate. If I had a similar experience, I would definitely think twice of booking again, as the W is not cheap. Fortunately, when I was there last December everything was great. It was a really memorable and lovely time, and I'm tempted by this thread to return the favour and book a belated birthday stay for him.
Whatever the OP chooses will be a nice relaxing time if that's what he/she is looking for. |
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