The May Hotel

My mum and I stayed five nights. We were a little concerned by the reviews and how the entrance looked, but the staff and rooms turned out to be very nice, and there was hot water. They were accommodating, and one of the men at reception even took us to a local fried chicken restaurant and helped us order. Really nice people, and good for the price. I'd recommend it. Don't listen to the bad reviews, those people are probably very fussy or fancy.

I stayed in room 1007 from June 10 to 14, then checked out at 11am on the 14th and left my luggage at the counter. JJ was working there. I returned at 3pm to pick up my bags, and the shuttle bus arrived around 4pm. After I got back to Taiwan, I realized I'd lost a black cosmetic bag from the locker under the hotel sink. I called, but the hotel said they didn't have it. I was very angry and shocked that something as cheap as cosmetics could go missing. I came away with a very bad impression of the hotel. I still remember the cleaning lady on the 10th floor was Thai.

I booked through Expedia for January 20-26. My circumstances changed, but I forgot to cancel and only realized on the morning of January 24 that I’d been charged. I contacted management straight away. I understood when they said they wouldn’t refund the nights that had already passed, but I asked for a refund for the remaining nights, which seemed fair to me. Korea wasn’t in a busy tourist season, so they hadn’t lost reservations, and I hadn’t used the amenities or breakfast or water. They also wouldn’t need to clean my room. Since they’d still keep the money for the earlier days without providing services, I expected some flexibility. That didn’t happen. I spent two days on calls with management. They didn’t seem to care about me as a customer, dropped calls, didn’t answer when I called back, and made no effort to help. They present themselves as a luxury hotel, with lots of expensive cars parked by the entrance, but their customer support felt very cheap. I recommend staying away. If you have a problem, they won’t be flexible, accommodating, or professional in how they speak with you or handle it.

The location was amazing. We were around the corner from Jogno 3 (sam)-ga station, Insadong street, and Ikseon Hanok Village, with lots of shops, restaurants, convenience stores, cafes, markets, and bars within walking distance. The hotel sits in an alley, but we always felt safe coming and going. It was quiet too, except when people were talking out in the hallway. There’s free basic breakfast in the basement. Our room looked just like the photos and was gorgeous and clean. The beds were very firm but comfortable. The bathroom is open to the room, with separate doors for the shower and toilet, and only a semi-opaque glass wall between the bathroom and bed. So if someone used the bathroom at night, light came through into the bedroom. There’s no safe or lotion, so bring your own. The mini fridge worked well and had two bottles of water. There’s a closet, but only two hangers. The TV worked most of the time, with lots of channels including a few in English. You can stream YouTube and Netflix, though it took a bit of figuring out because the remote is in Korean. That remote also controls the A/C. The temperature buttons by the beds don’t do anything, lol. The tub and shower were nice, but it takes a while for the water to heat up. We got one body towel and three hand towels. Bring your own face towels, and ask the front desk for more body towels. We requested complimentary daily cleaning, but they only took out the trash and removed the extra body towel we’d asked for. They never came back to our room, lol. The staff were friendly and approachable, and happy to answer questions or requests. They don’t offer early check-in unless you pay for an extra night, but they’ll keep your luggage in the lobby if you arrive before 3pm. We were given one key card at check-in. I’d stay here again and recommend it.