LOOP Seoul Hotel Retreat by Anook Seoul Gangnam 1

The capsule itself was tidy, but the staff were pretty rude. I also don’t think the bathroom and shower were cleaned daily. I saw the same poop there two days in a row, and on day two the shower drain was so clogged that water flooded the shower while I was using it.

The room smelled so strongly of chemical cleaner that I got a headache as soon as I went in, and the shower drain still had hair in it. It was obvious the cleaning had been rushed. We arrived right at the 3:00 PM check-in time, but the room wasn’t ready, so we waited 20 minutes. The check-in was disorganized too: staff first asked for one ID, then when the room was supposedly ready, they suddenly wanted my companion’s ID as well and made rude comments about their appearance, saying they looked “too young.” If all guests’ IDs are required, they should check them consistently from the start. The personal remarks felt intrusive and disrespectful. After the delay and those interactions, there was no sense of basic hospitality or accountability. The service was unprofessional and inconsistent, and the room hygiene was poor. We expected a clean, welcoming place and efficient service, and got neither. I’d look elsewhere to avoid the same stress.

I’ve stayed at five premium capsule hotels in Seoul, and this was the worst. It looked new and attractive, but the experience was stressful from day one and the hospitality was terrible. I’d considered trying a private room too, but I’m not sure it’s worth it unless you need a daily onsen where you’re staying. I booked six days, yet as the only long-term guest, I couldn’t get moved to a more comfortable spot away from the bathroom door. Nobody else stayed longer than two nights. The location is on the hilly side of Gangdam, with steep slopes in every direction and a maze of residential homes, making luggage hard to pull. It’s not an interesting area to stay in. The capsule was like a mini coffin. At 165 cm and slim, I had to crawl on hands and knees to get in or out, like in The Ring. There was no room to sit without bending my neck fully forward. It hurt, I hit my head nearly every day, and could hear snores. A blue button glowed beside my face and another blue light flashed quickly by my feet on the access card holder. The single bed had no side space, but the manager told me to charge my phone and laptop there, which required our only access card. Was I supposed to wait outside on the capsule floor? The thin memory foam pillow had a hollowed skull area and didn’t help me sleep. I had neck pain. Guests couldn’t sit on the large lobby sofa, even though it was advertised as part of the lounge. None of the tables had charging sockets, so I had to charge my device on the kitchen counter. There was coffee but no tea. In the bathroom there was only a hair dryer, no towel rail or hook in the shower, just a chair, and anything left on the floor got wet despite the glass panel. The manager argued back whenever I gave feedback and made no effort to keep guests comfortable. He moved my belongings from the second-floor lounge to the ground-floor reception without asking or telling me. I’d put my washed clothes in a nice bag in a discreet corner while the rest were still in the washer-dryer. There was no ironing board or iron. He said it was a “Public area,” though it was a dedicated HOTEL GUEST area. On the second day, while I was microwaving food, the manager threw away a plastic food cover I’d left neatly to one side. When I asked him not to do that again, he wouldn’t admit the mistake and said, “you should label it!” I found the cover crushed in the trash, and he was the only staff member there. He expected me to label a plastic wrapper 😂. I couldn’t put my leftovers back in the fridge without making it stink, so I had to throw them away. I asked him not to touch our things again, and he said if I wasn’t happy I could leave, with no refund. Capsule guests can’t stay in their beds or use the bathroom from 11am to 3pm, Japanese style. Private room guests get free access to the basement artificial onsen, while capsule guests pay 10k KRW, a 50% discount. The artificial hot spring itself was quite nice, with hot and cold plunge pools and a charcoal sauna, but there’s no clock inside and the sauna clock was broken, so watch the time. I’d rather stay somewhere better and visit Spa Lei onsen. Some things were good: the new washer-dryer was free to use, though you need your own detergent. There was a limited free light breakfast of cornflakes, milk, and cup ramen, and the entrance had scented air and Japanese spa music. But overall, hospitality toward capsule guests was extremely poor. They suddenly took away the capsule AC controller, and it got so hot, around 25 degrees. There was no ventilation fan in the wooden capsule. They also took away the kitchen cleaning cloth even though the tables were always dirty, and pasted talismans all over the kitchen cabinet to ward off evil spirits (guest).

It seemed too small when I first saw it, but once I settled in, it was really convenient and spotlessly clean. Easy to come and go. I’ll definitely be back.