The Grand Hyatt Seoul was our second Hyatt stay on our Seoul trip. We stayed at the beautiful Park Hyatt Seoul our first night and then we moved on to the Grand Hyatt Seoul for the next two nights. If you don’t know me by now, I’m definitely one of those people that like to hotel hop. Don’t get me wrong, it’s super inconvenient, especially with such a short timeline, but I really like trying out a bunch of different hotels. I mean, if I had the choice (and money), I would have definitely just stayed at one of these two hotels. 

• Related Article: Where to Stay: Park Hyatt Seoul Review

 

Grand Hyatt Seoul Review

Cost

The Grand Hyatt Seoul is a Category 4 hotel so depending if it is non-peak/standard/peak season, it’ll be 12,000/15,000/18,000 points. Or if you have the Hyatt credit card, you can use your Free Night Anniversary Certificate as well. If you are looking to pay for the room in cash, the price usually ranges around 300,000 won (~$240 USD) per night. 

For our trip, we stayed here for two nights. I used my Hyatt credit card’s anniversary certificate for one night and we paid in cash for the other night. Just a reminder, always check which night is the more expensive night to use your certificate. We stayed Friday-Sunday and I used my certificate for the Saturday night portion since it was more expensive. 

 

Location

The Grand Hyatt Seoul is located in the Itaewon district which is famous for its nightlife and being foreigner-friendly. Unfortunately, the hotel is situated on top of a hill which makes for great views, but if you are walking back from Itaewon, it will be a straight hike up. There also isn’t a close train station nearby so getting here by public transportation isn’t the best method. Trust me, I would know since we tried to get dropped off at the nearest station and it took us at least 20 minutes to walk back to the hotel. The best way to get here is by Uber or taxi. 

 

 

Room

We booked a 2 Twin Beds room for both nights. We did get a view upgrade which I’ll explain more below, but overall, the room was modern and very well-decorated. The room might be on the smaller side, but it was very efficient for what you need and felt very cozy. I feel like I rather have a smaller well-designed room versus a bigger lifeless box.

My only two complaints about the Grand Hyatt Seoul would be that the bathroom felt outdated and uninviting. It seems that they updated the bedroom portion, but possibly left the bathrooms the same. My second and BIGGEST complaint is that there is no AIR CONDITIONER during the winter months. You might be wondering why would I care about the a/c in the winter, but let me tell you why! This room gets direct sunlight ALL DAY. The room heats up like a toaster over and you have no choice but to leave during the day or you’ll just melt away.

I can’t believe that such a luxurious hotel would cut off their a/c in the winter months especially knowing that their hotel faces the sun in the mornings. If you want to be comfortable, I would highly suggest requesting a room that faces Seoul Tower. You won’t get city views, but at least you won’t be sweating during the day.

Photo Credit: https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/south-korea/grand-hyatt-seoul/selrs/rooms

 

Food and Drinks

Since we had two nights here, we got to try a couple of the venues at the hotel.

• Gallery (Lobby Bar): The view is absolutely amazing and I would definitely come back just to drink at this bar. We came after dinner one night and got a bottle of wine. Sadly, I think we came too late in the night because missed the piano player and we had to take the rest of our bottle back to the room. The bar is only open until midnight so keep that in mind. Also, it gets VERY crowded during sunset. If you want to make it here in time for that, make sure you get here an hour early.
• The Paris Bar (European Classic Bar): I really wanted to try this bar because I heard that Ruinart (my favorite champagne) is exclusively only served at Hyatts in South Korea. So, how can I possibly pass up the chance to experience my favorite champagne at one of the few locations that serve it? Also, they have a happy hour where ALL of their drinks are 50% off, including the champagne! They don’t advertise it on their website and I’m not sure if they still have it, but definitely worth visiting if they still do.
• Grand Hyatt Club Lounge: The club is only for Globalists or for people that pay for it in association with their room. We both had evening hors d’oeuvres/drinks and breakfast there. For the evening portion, they have chefs cooking hot food for you. They had dumplings, fish, chicken, a salad bar, a bread/pastry station, and of course, a full bar. There’s no one making cocktails for you though. They do have a pretty decent wine selection with three whites and three reds. 

 

Pool/Gym

I forgot to take a picture of the gym, but I would say that it’s definitely one of the nicer hotel gyms that I’ve been to. It had all brand-new equipment and was relatively packed when I went in the morning. I checked out the pool at night and it was crowded with families and kids. The pool is not going to be your typical adult relaxation pool, that’s for sure.

 

View

Talk about WOW factor! The moment you step into the lobby of the hotel, you are greeted by a panoramic view of all of Seoul. Also, the view from our room was breathtaking as well. Since the hotel is perched on top of a hill, you’re going to get one of the best views of Seoul.

 

Service

The customer service was great and everyone was extremely nice and accommodating. Accept I really wish they were allowed to turn on the a/c for you if you requested it (see rant above).

 

Grand Hyatt Seoul Globalist Benefits

Room Upgrade

We didn’t get a suite upgrade this time around, but we did get a view upgrade to a “2 Twin Bed River View” room. As mentioned before, the view was amazing and made for great pictures. Of course, during the day, the sun is beaming into your room so we had the blinds closed most of the time. But once the sun starts to set, you are in for a real treat.

 

Breakfast Benefit

I was really excited about the Grand Hyatt Seoul because it was going to be the first time since COVID with Globalist status that I get to try a club lounge! It seemed like every hotel I’ve gone to that had a club lounge was closed or they only offered a to-go breakfast option. At the club lounge here, the breakfast was your typical buffet-style setup along with your usual omelet station. I enjoyed this breakfast buffet because it had both American and Asian-style breakfast so you get to have options. Also, they will give you coffee to go upon request!

 

Waived Resort Fees

There are no resort fees for this property.

 

Bottled Water

Bottled water was provided in the room.

 

Priority Access to Room (aka Early Check-In)

I arrived exactly during check-in time so I didn’t get to utilize this benefit. 

 

Parking

We didn’t have a car so didn’t utilize this benefit. Just as a reminder, Globalists get free parking on award nights. So, if we did have a car, we would only get free parking for one of the nights since one night was free and the other was paid.

 

Late Check-Out

We were offered a 4:00 pm checkout and we definitely used it. It’s surprising how your suitcase can explode everywhere only after two days, but I felt like our last day here was spent mostly packing!

 

Things to Note if You’re Staying at the Grand Hyatt Seoul

1. Train: There is no close train station to this hotel. If you want to take public transportation, you can take the train but then you will have to transfer to a bus. Or walk up the hill at least for 20 minutes.
2. Uber: Uber works in Seoul so there’s always that option. We actually used this option the most since Ubers are relatively cheap in Seoul. I don’t think we spent more than $5 on any Uber ride that we took.

 

Grand Hyatt Seoul Pictures