Gwangju Divine Hotel

The location is convenient, right beside the market, but there’s no desk in the room.

I booked through booking.com, but ended up not staying here. Check-in was listed as starting at 18.00, and I went to the hotel around 13.30 to leave my luggage. The booking listing said there was a 24-hour front desk and luggage storage. To get to the lobby, I had to walk through a very shady parking garage, and there was no staff there. A note covered the front desk, written entirely in Korean, while a loud drama was playing on the computer screen. I translated the note on the counter, which said they were cleaning rooms and that I could call the number. I called. A man answered, spoke only Korean, and hung up after I said in English that I was at the hotel and wanted to leave my luggage before check-in. I called again, clearly repeating that I was in the lobby and saying the hotel’s name, thinking he might come down if he was in the building. He hung up again. I had other commitments and had gone there first specifically to store my luggage. They were unhelpful, and the state of the hotel didn’t make me feel safe about returning that evening. I canceled my stay and asked them to waive the cancellation fee because the service they advertised wasn’t available. The owner later apologized by message on booking, but I’d already booked another hotel and didn’t want to return. I’ve repeatedly tried to get both the owner and booking to answer my question about the cancellation fees. So far, there’s been no response, and the owner has started ignoring all my messages completely.

Such a nice guy at the counter!

I planned on staying three nights, then ended up extending it to ten days. The room was spotless and the bed was comfortable, plus it had an air purifier even though I only chose the place from the photos. On the first floor there was a microwave, water purifier, water and coffee available for free, as well as luggage storage. Namgwangju Station was just a three-minute walk away. Within 50 meters, I also found a police station, a 24-hour convenience store and a 24-hour laundromat. There was a market to wander around, along with my favorite noodle spots and raw fish restaurants, so I enjoyed plenty of meals there, including breakfast and dinner. The location worked really well for me. Divine Hotel was clean and comfortable, and I’d definitely stay again when I’m back in Gwangju.