Somerset Palace Seoul

“Palace stay”

I did a short stopover in Seoul on the way home from long trip in Southeast Asia. Decided to stay close to the palaces and wanted something more than just a hotel room. The Somerset Palace is more like studio apartments. Great location for families and others that are sightseeing. Close, walkin… more

I did a short stopover in Seoul on the way home from long trip in Southeast Asia. Decided to stay close to the palaces and wanted something more than just a hotel room. The Somerset Palace is more like studio apartments. Great location for families and others that are sightseeing. Close, walking distance to a lot of locations. Restaurants all around. The rooms are nice, not elaborate but more than a just a room. Even includes a washer. Great after hotels for a time. The staff was more than helpful and friendly. Would book again. Convenient store on the first floor. Breakfast available, but not a highlight.

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“Convenient location & spacious room ”

This hotel is located in Old Town Seoul (a.k.a. Gangbuk, meaning north of Han River) with easy access to subway Metro (5 min walk) and many palaces, museums, restaurants in walking distance. It takes about an hour to drive from Incheon international Airport (taxi costs approx $50 USD, Airport shut… more

This hotel is located in Old Town Seoul (a.k.a. Gangbuk, meaning north of Han River) with easy access to subway Metro (5 min walk) and many palaces, museums, restaurants in walking distance. It takes about an hour to drive from Incheon international Airport (taxi costs approx $50 USD, Airport shuttle bus $10-12). The room is very spacious with a small kitchenette and a washer/dryer: ideal for a long-term stay.

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“A good hotel brand in need of a major make-over”

I recently stayed at Somerset Palace Seoul for 3 nights and i must admit that i was very worried of how out-dated the hotel is, from most of the reviews i came across. With the level of expectation, i kinda expected how our 1 bed room executive would be like when i entered the room. Even before rea… more

I recently stayed at Somerset Palace Seoul for 3 nights and i must admit that i was very worried of how out-dated the hotel is, from most of the reviews i came across. With the level of expectation, i kinda expected how our 1 bed room executive would be like when i entered the room. Even before reaching the room, the moment the lift door opened at level 11, the sight of old carpet and wall papers confirmed my worries. The 1BR Executive was spacious. We entered a room that was stuffy in the afternoon. So we opened the windows, which did not bring much respite because the direction of wind was not towards the windows . So i called up the reception to ask where is the air con remote control and her reply was that the hotel kept the remote controls from Nov onwards. I requested if they can pass one to us because the room was really stuffy and i'm so glad she acceded to my request. With the two windows opened at night, the room did get cooler and less stuffy. I find the bathroom the most disappointing. Given such worn out condition, why hasnt any renovation done? It was not unsuable, it was just very old, a lot of stains, molds, damaged door to name a few. On the last day, i returned to my room around 3pm and housekeeping had not tidied the room. So we called to request just change of fresh towels and clear the thrash. Some 20min, the housekeeper arrived. The reason that i chose this hotel was because of its location and washing machine facility in the room. My partner actually liked the hotel because of its location even though he commented that the hotel is in need of a make over. He was surprised that i chose this hotel for its very out-dated set up. But not all is bad, the staff like Daniel, Emily and a short hair center part lady, were helpful and knowledgeable in sharing tourists info. Breakfast was included in our stay. Breakfast was a letdown for Somerset standard, out of my 3 breakfasts, i went only on the first day. Aplenty restaurants and cafes near the hotel. Anguk train station is about 5-8min by foot, very convinent. Took taxi to incheon airport that was about 1 hour journey. If the hotel undergoes a major make over, i will definitely return to stay when i visit seoul next time.

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“Overpriced for what it offers”

Very conveniently located within walking distance to many attractions. The staff is polite and friendly. I had a One-bedroom-Deluxe but I would put "Deluxe" in brackets. The decor and furniture, although clean, was dated and deserved a refresh; it felt like back in the nineties. Stains on the carpe… more

Very conveniently located within walking distance to many attractions. The staff is polite and friendly. I had a One-bedroom-Deluxe but I would put "Deluxe" in brackets. The decor and furniture, although clean, was dated and deserved a refresh; it felt like back in the nineties. Stains on the carpet in the corridor completed that impression. The glass panel was dirty and could not be opened except for a small side window which was hidden behind the curtains. I did not have a nice view and the room was quite dark. Maybe they would have given me another room if I had asked; to be honest, I simply was too lazy. I recommend visiting your room before you pay for it. The roof terrace was closed, the pool empty, despite the beautiful October weather. Considering all this, I found this hotel hopelessly overpriced.

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