The Gray Hotel

The staff were pretty rude, and wouldn’t let me take my touring bike into the room or put it in locked storage. They did have a bike spot in the parking lot, but it felt very insecure, with nowhere to lock the frame. I’m giving one star instead of zero because my bike wasn’t stolen. The room reeked of cigarettes, and there were burn holes in the sheets. Luckily, as a bicycle tourer, I had my belongings in airtight bags, so the smell didn’t get into everything. I can’t recommend this place, not even as a last resort.

The room stank of cigarettes and had no windows, which made it feel like an eerie box. I also found the place overpriced after everything that happened. Check-in wasn’t until 9PM. I showed up at 3 and was told my room wouldn’t be ready before then, with no earlier option, which is really inconvenient after a long flight. I’d booked a twin room and showed the front desk lady the booking, but she said it was only a double bed, even though I was staying with a friend. My friend had called ahead to confirm the twin beds and requested an English speaker, so we wouldn’t be caught off guard. As soon as the receptionist heard that, she said, “No english here” and hung up. When I arrived, she made no effort to accommodate me, even though I’d paid for a twin bed. Incredibly disrespectful and unprofessional. The location wasn’t what Agoda advertised as super close to Hongdae. The subway station nearby also isn’t served by most trains, so getting around was extremely inconvenient. The elevator stopped working quite often during my stay, which got annoying. The neighborhood was sweet, and the older crowd around was lovely. Still, Korea has a bit of a staring issue with foreigners, particularly among older people, which felt uncomfortable when it happened constantly, especially in an older neighborhood. If that would bother you like it did me, save yourself the trouble and don’t stay here or in the area. I hope this helps someone avoid the hassle.

Plastic litter was scattered all over the place.

I felt threatened and scammed whenever I had to deal with the staff. They were really unfriendly, and the service was terrible. They messaged me saying payment was cash only, then changed what they were saying when I challenged them.