Time Hotel

Watch out for the surcharge. It’s buried in the booking terms, and many people don’t realize it until check-in, when they have little choice but to pay. On weekends it’s about USD 50 per night.

The location was the only good part. The photos are misleading, and the hotel was run down with very poor hygiene. The bed was hard and uncomfortable, like a wooden plank, with just one thin sheet and a cover and no extra blankets. There were cracks, exposed wires and cables, and broken fixtures that didn’t seem to have been repaired. The bathroom looked old and as if it hadn’t been cleaned in years. The jacuzzi didn’t work, and the broken sink sent water onto your feet. We found an open, used toothpaste and used soap there, and for a couple’s room there was only one large towel. When we arrived, there were cups and tea in the fridge but no spoon. It was a shock.

A lot of Seoul hotels look more comfortable than they really are. Guess you just have to try your luck.

I had gastroenteritis after eating raw octopus and raw beef and wanted to rest at the hotel. The rules said they could clean only after I left the room. When I came back an hour after eating, the room next door still hadn’t been cleaned. I was about to say I’d have them clean later when the cleaner started next door. The Chinese man first asked me in Korean where I was from, then eventually spoke Chinese. He asked twice if I was Taiwanese. I said I should call a cleaning lady and that he would change the sheets. He started swearing at me, insulting my mother, and kept nagging me, then asked again if I was Taiwanese. His attitude was awful. Also, on my first day, the housekeeper threw away my pajamas while cleaning the room.