ibis Styles Ambassador Seoul Yongsan - Seoul Dragon City

Service was good, and the staff were very friendly. My large room was 37m and had a river view, with a nice hot shower and separate shower and toilet areas. There's a big shopping mall next door with plenty of shops and restaurants. The location is great too, right by Yongsan station and line 1.

This is really about the experience. The room was just slightly above average, with dust, a leaking toilet, and long hairs on the towels. It was December 31 and I'd just travelled for 30 hours. The hotel knew I was arriving early, and I understand a room might not be ready. Still, they'd confirmed that, if certain conditions were met, a room might be possible after I paid half a day's rate. At 14:50 I was told the room was cleaned and they'd come find me when it was ready. At 15:00 they said it wasn't ready yet and they'd let me know. At 15:30 they apologized again, said I could have tea or coffee, and promised to come back. By 16:00 nobody had returned. A different receptionist simply handed me a key, since the room had actually been ready for a while. Breakfast on New Year's morning was another mess. At 9:15 only about half the buffet was available. Staff brought out plates and then took them back unopened, and the food was already cold. At 9:55 they dumped what was left into buckets in the middle of the breakfast room and waited very insistently for me to leave. I joked that I hoped some pigs were waiting for the leftovers instead of the food just being thrown away. There's more from the next two days, but I'll spare you. I like Ibis Styles, and some of their hotels are favourites of mine. But never again in Seoul.

The hotel is very clean, close to the metro, and my room was cleaned every day. They also left two bottles of water daily. I've stayed here on all three of my trips to Seoul, and plan to come back on my next one. It has a special place in my heart. The price is the one drawback. At around 200 euros a night, I expected more of a wow factor, and that special touch was missing. I also wish they allowed bikinis in the bath area.

Carmen made such a good first impression at the front desk. I was worn out from traveling, and she got me checked in smoothly with a great sense of humor. She also took the time to make sure I had what I needed to get settled, instead of just passing over a key. You can tell she really cares about guests.