Staz Myeongdong II (Seoul, SOUTH KOREA)

I have never been much of an expert in Seoul's lodging scene so before this recent trip, I decided to take a step forward and learn about what's available. As I would later find out, this ever-changing city is full of wonderful options from low-cost, budget stay to luxury five-star accommodations.

In the past, I used to stay at the Westin Chosun almost exclusively. Location always matters when it comes to traveling in Seoul and there was no better place to be than Myeongdong (明洞), right? But this time around, I decided to shake things up a little. I am still shooting for the Myeongdong area but not going for a five-star hotel, not even a four-star hotel. I was on a mission. In order to make a point that I don't need to splurge on expensive hotels, I have come to terms with myself that I will take on a three-star hotel. Options are enormous even when I limited my choices to Myeongdong. Metro Hotel, The Grand Hotel etc. are just a few samples of newer ones available in this shopping-centric area that are both affordable and modern. However, at the end of the day, I went with Staz Myeongdong II, a small hotel in the quiet side of Myeongdong, which has just opened its doors to customers in early 2015.



 
Information are limited about this hotel, coz it's a relatively new addition to the city so I guess I just had to trust their official website. In order to give us a little bit more space, I went online and booked their triple-bed room which is already the biggest they could offer (average of KRW 150,000 per night).

First, let's start with the room. It was exactly what was advertised, a 12-15 square feet yotel-style room with a very plain design. The space was adequate considering the small amount of money that we paid but we could only wish that they put a little more thoughts into its design.




Take the bathroom for example. The size is proportional with the room so no complaints there but some design deficiencies were bothering me big time.  For instance, why on earth would they make the bathroom door swing in instead of out? With this, the only way to close the door when you are inside the little bathroom is to probably sit on the toilet seat. Secondly, both the bath tub and toilet seat were way too big for the size of the bathroom. A much smarter way to design the bathroom would have seen the bath tub replaced by a small shower stall. That would easily free up some much needed space.



Another major failure came from the lack of desk and storage space. Of course, having a basin on the desk did not help the cause at all.

Enough about the design (or lack of) of the room. Let's talk about some positives here starting with the service. It's very good. The front desk staff speak very fluent English and that's always a plus in Korea. On top of that, the hotel is located on a side street so it's relatively quiet and noise free.

However, the biggest bonus I thought is the fact that it's situated right in the middle of 3 subway stations, Myeongdong, Chungmuro and Eulijiro 3-ga. That means Line 2, 3 and 4 are all easily accessible (5 minute walk?) with Dongdaemun, City Hall and Sinsa just a couple of stations away without the hassle of changing lines.

In case you're wondering, breakfast was not included but we bought it anyways for a mere HK$20 per day. Not surprising it's awful. Apart from milk and stir fried egg, there's nothing decent. So my recommendation is don't even bother.





To sum this up, I thought Staz Myeongdong II is only good if you're spending a ton of time in the area. But even if it's the case, there are still better options out there.

Rating: ❤❤
Price: ₩₩
Address: 16 Supyo-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Closest Metro Station: Myeongdong / Chungmuro
Tel: +82 2-2020-4000
Website: http://stazhotel.com/red/2nd/AppMain.php