Young Jung
Google
Five-Star Price but Two-Star Service
During our vacation in Korea, we stayed at a five-star hotel in Gangnam, Seoul, for a week and then spent two days at this hotel in early July 2024. Unfortunately, we had a terrible experience that is hardly expected from a luxury hotel.
We booked two rooms through Chase Travel and paid total of $1118 with extra fees for free breakfast ($100 for a room with two adults and $134 for a room with two adults and one child), which we assumed would include all guests, including our child. However, upon arrival, the front desk informed us that the free breakfast was only for adults and that we needed to pay extra for our child. They didn't acknowledge our explanation that we had paid more for the room to include a child. Consequently, we ended up paying approximately $36 extra for two breakfasts during our stay. This is not the level of service we anticipate from a five-star hotel.
Additionally, there is no discount on the breakfast buffet for hotel guests. The fitness room was closed for monthly maintenance during our stay, so we couldn't use it. There was also an extra charge for using the swimming pool and sauna, even for hotel guests.
Unlike other five-star hotels, many of the staff members appeared inexperienced and unprofessional, resembling local young part-timers rather than professional hoteliers.