Dobong The Day Hotel

Parking is the one drawback, since space is limited and it can be a bit awkward. I’ve stayed in the VIP room several times and keep coming back to it because it’s spacious, quiet, and pleasant.

They call to confirm when a food delivery arrives every time, which I can’t decide is a plus or a minus. The room is really clean and comes with a bathtub as standard. It’s also huge, probably two or three times the size of a regular motel room. Everything here is great.

The room smelled strongly of cigarettes as soon as I walked in. I left the window open and went out for more than nine hours, but the smell was still there when I got back, and the room wasn’t very clean either. I’d called beforehand to check that it was a tourist hotel since I was visiting Korea, but I wouldn’t have booked if I’d known what the stay was like. The nightly rate was confusing too: it wasn’t really just a price per night, since staying longer meant an extra 10,000 won charge to use the room from 1 PM to 6 PM, like at a love motel. It says “hotel” on the sign, but it’s just a motel.

The staff were friendly, the price was affordable, and the facilities weren’t bad. Still, they looked a little different from the photos, and getting around the underground parking lot was difficult. At check-in they also take your credit card number in case they need to claim compensation later. I felt really uncomfortable handing over that personal information.