Sollago Myeongdong Hotel & Residence

On this trip, I first stayed in Busan at 'the van stay' for around 300 [currency unit, likely KRW or CNY], and everything was pretty good, including the hotel service. I thought Seoul would be even better, but when I got there, I checked into Solago. It was 900 per night, and I stayed for three nights, totaling nearly 2700. My personal experience was very disappointing. First, it's not very close to the subway station. It's tucked away in an alley, not as convenient as Hotel G3. Second, the front desk is entirely self-service machines, with only one staff member on duty. The self-service machine just gives you a ticket, with no one to guide you. You have to go to your room and enter the password yourself. The hallway felt like a prison – no carpet at all. The place in Busan at least had carpets and a hallway scent system. Third, the room size is small. The walkway by the bed only allows one suitcase to pass through. Although there's a washing machine, it's incredibly noisy. I didn't dare do laundry at night for fear of disturbing the downstairs neighbors, and there was nowhere to hang clothes; I could only put them in the closet. Fourth, the room only had one large ceiling light and a few downlights, all white illumination, which felt very cheap. Fifth, the shower glass door didn't have a seal strip at the bottom, so a lot of water leaked out. I reported it to the front desk, but they only replaced a floor towel. Sixth, they only provide two bottles of water for the entire three-day stay. You have to pay extra for towels, buy your own laundry detergent, and there are no disposable toiletries provided. In summary: Compared to where I stayed in Busan, 900 a night here truly felt like terrible value for money. Personally, I think some guesthouses in Korea are quite good; they often have double-pane windows, showing they care about noise, and most are equipped with scent systems. This particular hotel, however, isn't as good as many people claim it to be. Seoul's public transportation is excellent, so you could definitely stay in Hongdae or a guesthouse near public transport instead.

Hygiene: Clean and tidy Facilities: Washing machine and microwave available Environment: Lots of restaurants nearby, and not far from the subway entrance Service: Self-service

Avoid this hotel! The room had underfloor heating that was constantly on and super hot. It was a real hassle to get the staff to turn it down. There were also two machines on the ceiling that made a huge amount of noise. When I called staff about it, they were very rude. The bathroom was incredibly dirty, full of hair. The main issue is that this hotel doesn't offer luggage storage. They have lockers, but you have to pay extra, 10,000 KRW per hour. Considering this hotel isn't cheap to begin with, plus the luggage storage fees, you'd be better off booking somewhere else. Steer clear!

Great! The hotel is very clean and there are plenty of food options right downstairs.

The hotel has a great location. It's just two turns away from Chungmuro Subway Station Exit 8. Airport buses 6105 and 6011 also stop near Exit 8, making it very convenient to get to the hotel. It's a fully self-service hotel with a self-check-in machine that has Chinese language options, which is super handy. The room door uses a key code, which is easy to operate. The bathroom is very clean, and there's a slight step down from the toilet area to the shower, which prevents water from splashing out. Myeongdong is also within walking distance. I would definitely choose this hotel again on my next trip to Seoul.