Gangnam Stylish.
Seoul, South Korea — For our return trip to Seoul this year, we opted to stay in the posh Gangnam area of Seoul close to some business we had nearby. My prior experience with IHG was limited to mostly the Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express brands, so I was curious about the chain’s smaller more upscale “voco” properties which had a convenient Gangnam location.
Dates Stayed: 14 April – 20 April 2024
Room Type: Premium King with Hinoki Bath (upgraded from Premium King)
Elite Status: IHG Platinum Elite
Notables: Great elite recognition, free breakfast for Platinum and Diamond Elites, very convenient to Gangnam area of Seoul
Location
voco Seoul Gangnam is located in the northern part of the Gangnam district of Seoul, south of the Han River that runs through the metropolis.
It is surrounded by hip neighborhoods, trendy boutiques and walkable to the main Gangnam shopping street where most of the flagship luxury stores are located. You may notice numerous medical clinics and surgery centers nearby since Gangnam is a big hub for elective medical procedures.
It is roughly a 5-10 minute walk to nearest subway station of Sinsa-dong which connects to the #3 and Shinbundang lines of the efficient Seoul subway system. Sinsa station exit #1 is the nearest entrance from the hotel.
Alternatively, you can also take an airport limousine bus from Incheon airport to the Gangnam area. There is a bus stop in front of the Four Points hotel a few blocks down the street from voco Seoul Gangnam.
Take note that the hotel sits roughly on top of a hill so it is an uphill walk from both Sinsa subway station as well as the airport bus stop to the hotel.
This hill may present an issue if you have a lot of luggage or physical limitations. I would consider taking a rideshare or taxi directly to the front door in these cases. A taxi/rideshare from Seoul-Incheon International Airport takes roughly 45-60 minutes one-way, depending on traffic conditions.
The Hotel
voco Seoul Gangnam was opened in 2022 as the second hotel of this brand in South Korea. Since the writing of this review, a third voco hotel in Seoul’s touristy Myeongdong area has started accepting bookings.
With 151 beds and a chic yellow-navy color scheme accented by dark woods, the hotel gave the impression of being a smaller boutique hotel. IHG’s website states that voco means “to invite” in Latin and apparently is going for a cozier more laid-back vibe which they do well.
The hotel fit nicely into this more upscale neighborhood and gives IHG loyalists a less stuffy premium option in Gangnam compared to the flagship InterContinentals.
The first floor and lobby of the hotel is actually up a set of stairs/escalators. The door at street level enters into the basement level with elevators to the lobby inside for accessibility if needed.
As you enter the relatively small but tastefully decorated lobby, you are greeted by a seating area and restrooms off to the side. At the back of the lobby is the front desk with two counters. Beside the front desk you’ll find the entrance to the hotel’s Amarillo all-day restaurant; more on that later.
The staff were very friendly and professional. In addition to the native Korean, various front desk staff were fluent in English, Mandarin Chinese, and Japanese.
We were a little early on check-in day, and the staff proactively offered to keep our luggage in the storage room while we went out for lunch which was greatly appreciated.
The Room
We were assigned room 1202 on the twelfth floor, facing the main street in front of the hotel. The yellow-navy color scheme with wood floors from the lobby continued into the room theming.
Interestingly our room key card was made of bamboo and branded with the IHG One Rewards loyalty program logo.
Immediately upon entering, you are greeted by a small panel with a slot for your room keycard that enables room power and several buttons that control groups of lights throughout the room.
Additionally there are options to notify staff if you would like your room serviced each day (they will skip your room if you select Do Not Disturb).
Further into the room, which is relatively spacious for this region of the world, is the king bed which was plush and very clean.
On either side of the bed was a nightstand with both a universal power outlet as well as South Korean pattern outlet. There was also a USB-A power outlet as well.
Directly across the bed was a large flat-screen TV. A personalized welcome message was made the home screen which was a nice touch.
Beyond that is a coffee table and lounger beside the floor to ceiling window. From our room, we could see Namsan mountain and N Seoul Tower across the Han River. The window opens slightly if you want some fresh air.
The front desk, as recognition of my IHG Platinum status, arranged a welcome amenity of a modest bottle of white wine and some Korean rice cakes which were delicious.
On the other side of the bed, opposite the lounge chair and coffee table, is a space-efficient closet. Here you will find also find the mini-fridge, a coffee-tea set-up and the room safe.
The closet has a sliding door that unfortunately blocks access to the hallway and bathroom if opened all the way. This may be a little inconvenient for two people. This was probably my one gripe with the room design.
One nice thing is all drinks in the minifridge are included with the stay. I noticed that the staff replenished any beverages we consumed each day when cleaning the room.
Beside the entrance to the bathroom was a small vanity. Next to this vanity was another panel with the room temperature control and another set of lighting controls. It took some experimentation to figure out which button controlled which room lights.
The bathroom was spacious for an East Asian hotel and impeccably clean when we arrived. The toilet here was equipped with a nice bidet.
The rainfall head in the shower stall was a luxurious touch, and the bath products were Antipodes branded. The water got plenty hot and pressure was great.
On the opposite side of the bathroom was the room’s namesake Hinoki cypress wood bath. This hardy wood gives off a nice earthy citrusy scent when wet and is naturally decay-resistant. You will often find similar baths in Japan where this wood originates.
There is a removable seat in the bathtub should you want to submerge your entire body. It was a godsend to be able to take a warm soak and relieve any fatigue after a long day exploring Seoul. I made use of it every night without fail.
Dining
voco Seoul Gangnam has one restaurant on-site, Amarillo. Meaning “yellow” in Spanish, its name is a play on the vibrant yellow-navy color scheme of the hotel.
The breakfast buffet is served here in the morning. Afterwards, it converts to a full-service restaurant serving lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner.
At the time of our stay, the breakfast buffet cost approximately US$28 per adult and $16 per child (38000 KRW for adults, 22800 KRW per child). Breakfast was free for both IHG Platinum and Diamond members.
It is notable that free breakfast is not usually a standard Platinum benefit at most full-service IHG hotels, and we were very grateful when it was offered at check-in.
Upon entering the restaurant for breakfast, you pass by the bar and are greeted by an open seating area. Directly left as you enter is a smaller room contain the coffee machines and hot food buffet.
There are rotating Western and Asian hot options each day as well as a few items that remained constant throughout our stay. There is enough variety that everyone can probably find something that suits their palate.
Immediately outside of the hot buffet line were two tables with various cereals, milk, yogurt and fruit juices.
In front of the bar is a fruit and salad spread as well as cold deli options.
On the opposite side of the bar is another area with breads and pastries.
There are also made-to-order egg dishes you may request from your server. Opposite the hot food buffet, you will find an omelette station.
Overall, while the restaurant itself was small, the food selection and quality was superb. There was truly something for everyone, and you could have a different breakfast each morning if you wanted.
We did not partake in any other meals aside from breakfast at Amarillo during this stay, but you can find the full restaurant menu here: Amarillo Menu (PDF).
Other Amenities
The hotel had a basic gym equipped with some basic cardio machines and a cable weight machine. There were no free weights available at the time of our stay.
Each floor had a fairly well-equipped shared kitchenette with a communal fridge, should you choose to cook meals while staying. While we did not see anyone using it during our stay, the kitchen on our floor appeared well maintained and very clean.
Most floors had a dedicated laundry room with coin-operated washers and dryers assessible with your keycard. Laundry detergent and dryer sheets were available in a nearby vending machine which also doubled as a change machine to break larger bills.
The hotel does have a rentable ballroom in lower level used for small weddings, meetings, and parties. It seemed very popular with multiple events taking place during our stay.
Lounge/Club
This property did not have an executive lounge or club at the time of our stay.
Booking
This 6-night stay was booked directly with the hotel in August 2023 for a total cash price of US$906.98 ($151.16 per night) for two people. Total pricing in Korean won was approximately ₩1,348,680.00.
Originally, we were booked into a standard Premium King room but given an upgrade to the Premium King room with the nicer Hinoki bath at check-in which worked out to about an additional ~$30 value per night.
Hotel Website
https://www.ihg.com/voco/hotels/us/en/seoul/seovc/hoteldetail
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Bun World Traveler 