Gangnam is a thriving commercial, lifestyle and entertainment hub that attracts tourists like a magnet but what’s been holding us back from staying south of the river was largely due to the lack of good hotels, especially near Sinsa and Garosu-gil.
I did a fair amount of research before the trip trying to unearth a gem near Sinsa but finally gave up on the idea. Four Point By Sheraton Gangnam was probably the closest thing out there.
Four Point By Sheraton Gangnam is a relatively new business hotel which was just opened in 2015. As a lot of TripAdvisor reviewers have pointed out, it’s in the middle of three subway lines, each approximately 10 to 15 minutes away from the hotel depending on how fast you walk.
While others look at this as a weakness, I see it as a strength. Because the way I interpret it, it’s well connected to three different subway lines.
I have read a fair amount of negative comments about this hotel on TripAdvisor and now that I have experienced it myself, I think I’m in agreement with most of them. Here are some random thoughts about my stay.
The lobby is relatively small but lobby is generally overrated (I never wait for people at the lobby anyways).
The room is a little compact for a 23sq metre space. They didn’t have enough space for the basin so it had to be placed at the entrance of the room.
The shower room and toilet are separate. Both are like a closet (imagine showering inside a closet!).
As reported by many bloggers, they have some really lousy sound proof ceiling-to-floor glass windows installed. At night, you almost feel like you’re lying out there on the streets. Instead of blocking the noise generated by all the traffic, sometimes the sound proof system seemed to have amplified the noise making things even worse than it really was. And the noise seemed to carry on throughout the night because, it’s a main road in Gangnam. Luckily, I brought my earplugs.
The elevators were really slow. It’s tough to explain this one considering there are only 20 or so floors.
There’s no bell service for those in need of help with their luggage, and you need to help yourself with getting a cab too (in case you need one).
On a more positive note, I like the design of the room. Very modern and down to earth.
With the ceiling-to-floor windows, there's more than enough natural light in the room, which is always a BIG plus.
The city view was incredible (Just not enough time in the room to admire it).
If you have more than a handful of electrical appliances (mobile phone, camera, WIFI etc.) like we do, you will find their power panels on the wall very handy.
The staff speak very fluent English and they were more than helpful, particularly with my request for restaurant bookings. And that's so important in Seoul.
I never got to use the coffee shop on the mezzanine floor but judging from the noise coming out of there every night, it had to be pretty good (at least it was crowded).
It's tough to say whether the positives outweigh the negatives but I will say this - I have no problem staying here again. But why you ask after all the negative comments? Well, location location location. The BIGGEST advantage of staying at Four Points by Sheraton Gangnam is that, it's only a 10-minute walk from Garosu-gil with all the delicious food and heart warming coffee right at my doorsteps.
Rating: ❤❤❤
Price: ₩₩
Address: 203 Dosan-daero, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 02-2160-8900
Website: www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/selfg-four-points-seoul-gangnam
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