Westin Josun Seoul Hotel

We recommend the Westin Josun to business travellers who chain meetings in Jung-gu and formal dinners, and to couples in their fifties on organised cultural tours. The hotel also suits families who want a central base with spacious rooms and well-oiled services. The clientele is mainly Korean and Japanese, the atmosphere formal, the dress code implicit in the restaurant.

The current building dates from the 1970s, rebuilt after the war on the foundations of the original 1914 hotel. Typical concrete architecture of the Korean economic boom, sober façade without ornament. Interiors renovated in the 2010s: light marble in the lobby, lacquered woodwork, discreet crystal chandeliers. The rooms range from 28 to 45 m², standard ceiling height, panoramic windows.

Three restaurants on site: Ariake for Japanese cuisine (sushi and teppanyaki), Nine Street for international buffets at breakfast, and a lounge bar on the ground floor. Afternoon tea service attracts a loyal Korean clientele, reserve at weekends. The cuisine is correct without being memorable, we come for the setting and the service. Room service operates 24/7 with a reduced menu after midnight.

The Westin Josun stands on Sogong-ro, a shopping artery that links Namdaemun Gate to Deoksugung Palace. Myeongdong, the shopping and cosmetics district, ten minutes on foot. City Hall metro station (lines 1 and 2) 400 metres away, Incheon airport 50 minutes by shuttle or express train. The Jung-gu district blends corporate headquarters, department stores and Buddhist temples, constant animation by day, calmer after 9pm.