Hotel Factory

The bed was nice, and the staff were really lovely. One employee helped us with our luggage, which I appreciated, though getting to reception means climbing a steep flight of stairs, and there may be another flight to your room. There are no elevators. The so-called free breakfast is in a corner room that’s open for two hours. You serve yourself corn flakes and toast, with OJ and coffee, then wash your own bowl and plate in the sink. The bathtub was mildewy, water leaked across the floor, and the bathroom smelled so strongly of sewer that we kept the door shut to keep it out of the room. The owners seemed to be going for a boutique urban industrial look, but it came across like a renovation done on a very tight budget. The run-down side street also smelled like a sewer, and there’s a park down the street where homeless people live. This place is cheap in every way, and you get what you pay for. Maybe it works for rugged backpackers with low standards, but not much else. Even on a shoestring budget in Seoul, I’d spend the extra 20 or so a night for somewhere nicer.