First things first: Be careful, everyone! This hotel double-charged me over 9,000 in room fees!
I booked 5 nights with breakfast included on Ctrip. The reservation stated 'pay after stay,' with automatic deduction upon checkout. When I checked in, a young man at the front desk saw my reservation and asked for my bank card for a pre-authorization deposit. I figured hotel pre-authorizations are standard procedure, and trusting a large chain, I handed over my card without hesitation. That's where the problem started. He deducted the five-day room fee, totaling over 2 million Korean won. At the time, since it hadn't cleared, I didn't receive a bank notification and assumed it was a normal pre-authorization. After checking out, I received a Ctrip 'pay after stay' deduction SMS, confirming the transaction. Back home, with various other expenses, this charge got buried and went unnoticed. I even skimmed through my statements without catching it. Luckily, my detail-oriented finance-savvy dad eventually spotted the anomaly. I quickly contacted Ctrip, who actively helped me communicate with the hotel. The first time, the hotel replied that it was a pre-authorization, not an actual charge, and would resolve in a few days. I suddenly recalled seeing a similar situation in the comments section recently, but hadn't paid attention then. I immediately contacted my bank, and they confirmed that it was an actual consumer transaction, not a pre-authorization, and had been cleared days ago. I contacted Ctrip again. Their customer service was quick to respond and actively mediated with the hotel. After I provided the actual deduction records, the hotel replied that it was an employee error and they would process a refund... So, everyone, when staying at this hotel, definitely be vigilant. The chance of such 'errors' is quite high.
Now, for an objective review of the hotel:
**Transportation:** The hotel is near Seoul Station. You can connect via an underground passage from the station, but it's not super close. It's not *in* the station as one might imagine, but rather connected. After arriving at Seoul Station on the Airport Express, exit gate 15, then walk along the perimeter towards Line 4. Look for Exit 12 of Line 4, and you'll see the underground passage connecting to the hotel. At a normal walking pace, it takes about 10-15 minutes. You can drag your luggage the whole way. However, our first time, we took the wrong exit and had to buy a subway ticket for 1500 won just to get out of Exit 12 of Line 4 to find the hotel connecting corridor. The turnstile was right there, so we had to go in and come back out. You might be able to walk along the side without going through the turnstile. Transportation is still quite convenient; once you're at Exit 12 of Line 4, you can enter the station and transfer to various lines to get around.
**Room:** The hotel lobby is on the 19th floor. The staff are all enthusiastic and have good attitudes. There are no Chinese-speaking staff, but English is fine. I booked a twin room and was assigned to the 22nd floor. The two 1.2-meter beds, when pushed together, left enough space to fully open my 26-inch suitcase. Having stayed in smaller rooms in Tokyo, I found the room size acceptable. The window overlooks an office building directly across, which is very close. To the left is Seoul Station, also very close, but the train noise isn't actually loud. However, there was a low-frequency hum coming from somewhere that was quite annoying. It was fine for sleeping at night, but unpleasant during the day. I looked out the window and it seemed to be coming from the air conditioning units on the lower floors, but I'm not certain. The air conditioning vent blows directly onto the bed. Even on the lowest setting, the airflow felt strong. The hotel cleaning was reasonably good. Downstairs, there's a 14-hour CU convenience store where you can buy various things and even a transportation card, which is very convenient. To the right, there's also an Olive Young store, a bit small but still worth browsing. Breakfast is served in the same area as check-in on the 19th floor, and the view is nice. Downstairs, there's a donut shop, a bakery, and a small Korean eatery with gimbap, tteokbokki, and rice bowls. The power outlets in the hotel room are the same as in China, so no adapter is needed. The room does not provide disposable items like toothbrushes, combs, or razors, but it does have shampoo and shower gel. It's equipped with a smart toilet seat. There are also water dispensers and ironing boards in the hallway.
Original TextTranslation provided by AI
