/Among the many hotel brands in Korea, there are some brands whose guests are very satisfied with reasonable prices and high conditions (3~4 stars). This type of hotel is commonly referred to as a ‘business hotel’ in Korea. Knowing that each country has a slightly different type of hotel, to add briefly, Koreans comfortably refer to hotels that are clean and moderately comfortable based on 3-4 stars as business hotels. They might be budget-friendly, or not that kind by the situation. In this post, I would record my experience at the ‘Lotte City’ hotel. Both are the sub-brands under higher graded hotels ‘Shilla’ and ‘Lotte’ as you might guess from the name.
Lotte City is, convenient and reasonable-priced hotel branch in Korea
- Hotel brands with many branches
- Shilla Stay | 신라스테이
- Lotte City | 롯데시티
- Other hotels with a small number of branches
- Ramada, Four Points by Sheraton, Courtyard by Marriot, Aloft… and so on
1. Lotte City Mapo | 롯데시티 마포
Lotte City MAPO hotel overview
- Address: 109 Mapo-daero, Ahyeon-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul (서울특별시 마포구 마포대로 109)
- Official link: Lotte City hotel (Mapo)
- Call: +82(0)2-6009-1000
- Check-in time: 3:00 PM
- Check-out time: 12:00 PM
There are several Lotte City hotel branches in Korea and this is one of them. My first impression of this hotel was that it was best for business trips rather than sightseeing. However, since it is directly connected to the Gongdeok | 공덕 Line 5, 6, Railroad’ station, I would like to say that it is a valuable place for travel. Also, if you want to see the real-life of Korean office workers, you can indirectly feel the busy office street just by looking at it from your room.
In a business district optimized for public transportation, between Yeouido & Seoul Station (Airport Railroad available)
Official webpage description: The hotel is a room-specific premium business hotel for both business travelers and tourists staying in Seoul. It has the advantage of using convenient public transportations including an airport railroad and subway. In particular, the place is a 10-minute drive from the financial and business district Yeouido and Seoul Station. Also, it is close to Sinchon, the street of youth, surrounded by Seoul`s major universities such as Yonsei, Sogang, Ewha, and Hongik University. (omit.)
Clean and spacious guest room and bathroom
There are comfortable wide beds and lights with moderate intensity in warm shades in a guest room. By the way, the wine glasses and corkscrew in the photo are not standard options. We requested separately at the front desk or at the time of reservation. Because we always ask for a more comfortable and lovely stay experience whenever we stay in a hotel. The bathrooms are long and spacious and are separated by use to prevent spillage of water while showering. All amenity was fully equipped including a toothbrush that is sometimes not provided in a few hotels.
Dinner taken from a market on a base floor
Our dinner was a salmon sashimi and a gizzard[hickory] shad sashimi from a mart in the building. The salmon sashimi was rich and thick. So definitely highly recommended! FYI, the place in which our dinner took from is the market on the base floor. There is a quite big grocery market with drinks and ready-to-eats including sushi and fried chicken.
2. Lotte City Myeongdong | 롯데시티 명동
Lotte City MYEONG-DONG hotel overview
- Address: 362 Samil-daero, Janggyo-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul (362 Samil-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul)
- Official link: Lotte City Hotel
- Call: +82(0)2-6112-1000
- Check-in time: 3:00 PM
- Check-out time: 12:00 PM
Not crowded, comfortable but best access for sightseeing
The second accommodation is Lotte City Myeongdong which is located in Myeongdong, the most central in Seoul. Nearby subway station is Euljiro 3(sam)ga (을지로 3가) Line 3. Also 5 minutes away from Euljiro 1(il) ga (을지로 입구) on foot. It is the best accommodation for either shopping or business.
If you do a lot of shopping and have a lot of luggage or plan to be busy in Myeong-Dong, a hotel attached to the Myeong-dong shopping street would be more convenient. However, personally, I prefer to rather stay in a quiet and tidy place close to the hotel. Just like this place! Besides, it would be better to stroll along Cheonggye-Cheon (청계천) and get to Gwangwha-moon, etc than hotels in the very Myeongdong district.
Compact, but the relaxed lobby and friendly check-in
The hotel lobby was very clean and neat as you expect. There was another wide and bright space including a restaurant opposite the lobby which the below photos show. Also, the interior was nicely decorated. For me, I got caught by the lovely mint-colored art piece seeming that express flower buds by tiny buttons while my husband was checking in.
Tourist attractions can be reached on foot and an outstanding Seoul city view
The highlight of this Lotte City Myeongdong is the panoramic city view. Our room was on a high floor looking down Euljiro street. Since the alleys of Euljiro (을지로) and Jongno (종로) is mixed and matched with old and new. Between high-rise buildings, you can find rundown and maybe a bit neglected small houses and stores. Some are modern, and some are traditional. Very interesting even for me, born and raised in Korea.
Mexican dish take away- Cuchara
And the last, for dinner, we had a Mexican dish from “Cuchara” 5-10mins away from the hotel that we love a lot. The eatery sits at SFC (Seoul Finance Center) at Gwanghwa-moon (광화문) where we frequently visit. We also got 2 bottles of wine from a wine store ‘Wine & More’ in SFC just like the other weekend. It is a default for us.
FYI, the brand Cuchara is a relatively newly launched brand in Korea and we already had 3 times for dinner. I am not sure how many abroad had launched. Anyway, the important thing is not only is it delicious, but it is also lighter and healthier than other take-out dishes. So I would like to have more Mexican dishes in Korea..!
