For this stay in Seoul we opted for the RYSE hotel, from the Autograph Collection chain mainly because of its price and for the boutique hotel side with the non-standard design of the chain.

The hotel and its location

The hotel is located in the west of the city in a very lively but somewhat out of the way area. Compared to the Westin Chosun previously tried, it will be almost essential to take a cab or public transport to reach the sights where a walking enthusiast could do everything on foot from the Westin. But considering the difference in service it is a choice I do not regret.

Since the Asiana flight that brought us from Beijing landed at Gimpo airport, it only took us 30 minutes by cab to get to the hotel. From Incheon count at least double but this is not specific to the hotel but to the location of Incheon.

Autograph Collection hotels are usually built around a theme, for example for the Fontecruz in Lisbon it was the journey. Here it is the cinema, hence the fact that the different types of rooms are named Creator Room, Director Room, Producer Suite, Artist Suite etc. For the rest I have not seen anything that explicitly refers to the world of cinema in the decoration or in any way.

Check-in

We arrive thus at the hotel, a big tower which presents nothing special seen from the outside.

Let’s see if the promise on the door is kept!

In the lobby there is a large relaxation/waiting area and a kind of “snack bar”.

Very lively, point of appointment or waiting there will always be many people at this place.

The check-in is done in a dedicated space a few floors up.

The first thing that surprised me was how crowded the hotel was and how much music was present. You’d think you were in a W!

A huge lounge allows customers to settle in while waiting for their turn to check in.

One will not wait very a long time and after a few minutes I will thus make my check-in.

Very courteous and efficient staff who carry out the welcome protocol, thank me for my loyalty etc. We had both booked a “standard” room, the “Creator Room” and I will finally be upgraded to the “Director Room” and Olivier to the “Producer Suite”. So we have two rooms to present to you.

The Director Room

This is the largest room available before the suites.

You enter through a small hallway equipped with ample storage space and leads on one side to the bathroom (which we will see later) on the other.

At the end of the hallway you reach the room.

Despite the fact that it is not a suite it has a nice spacious lounge area.

On the table a bottle of red wine as a welcome gift to whom we will settle his fate the next day at the aperitif.

The bed, large and comfortable.

The bathroom is large and as more and more often is totally glazed and gives on the room what increases the impression of space (one can of course occult the bathroom when one uses it).

A double washbasin.

A large bathtub.

A large separate shower.

And the latest Japanese-style toilets.

The room has a beautiful view of the city.

It is spacious, well decorated, comfortable…nothing to complain about.

Two small reproaches however. First of all there is no desk and the height of the coffee table in the lounge is not suitable for working. In the context of a business trip it is prohibitive but even on vacation it is very borderline.

Then, but this is due to the floor I was located on, the noise of the music from the rooftop bar that sometimes reached me in a muffled way. Episodic and not too disturbing to me but I know some people are very sensitive to this kind of thing.

The Producer Suite

Olivier’s Producer Suite had, in addition to the lounge area, a “dining room” area, the usefulness of which is debatable, but which at least gave him a table of a good height for working on a computer.

Right next, the bed:

Contrary to my room where the glass between the bathroom and the room was darkened by a curtain, there a pressure on a button made that the glass was opacified.

And after the bed the lounge area.

Again, it’s nice and well decorated even though, when it comes to suites, I like to have a clear separation between the day part and the night part.

The bathroom is also a bit larger.

Same remark concerning the noise coming from the rooftop bar but amplified! Located a few dozen meters from mine, his room was right below and the first night the noise was such that he had to ask to change rooms.

The answer of the hotel was immediate: it was a punctual event which lasted until 10 pm and we promised to him that with our return of dinner all would be finished. Promise kept. And as compensation, he was also entitled to his bottle of wine, which will allow us to organize a second aperitif before our departure!

Problems do happen and the customer can easily forget about them when the property’s response is adequate.

Bars and restaurants.

The hotel has several bars and restaurants, starting with the one on the ground floor, plus coffee & snack I mentioned earlier.

Still on the first floor another restaurant that we did not try.

Upstairs there is another Thai bar/restaurant which is only Thai in the restaurant part.

First of all, the bar part.

Depending on your taste, you can find coffee tables, sofas or side tables with stools.

The setting is not bad even if I think it should look better at night.

Very good service also even if at this hour we can’t say that they were overwhelmed.

On the other hand I found the music quite loud even at this hour without the activity nor the atmosphere justifying it.

Now the restaurant.

It has adopted the “open kitchen” fashion.

The least we can say is that we are not stacked.

There are different types of spaces for more or less privacy.

Here again I find the music loud without it being justified.

The dishes will be well presented, served in nice portions and good!

Very attentive service. They will remember that we used to take sparkling water at the bar and will offer us some spontaneously. On the other hand that it was long and slow…. I hope it’s not like this when the property is full!

To finish the atmosphere bar and the rootop bar.

The setting is quite nice.

The menu includes some interesting creations.

Very professional service and good cocktails. Music still loud but here it is justified.

Due to the weather that evening the rooftop will be closed to customers but they kindly let me visit it.

Too bad…It must be really pleasant.

To finish the breakfast, really remarkable with a superb buffet!

The hotel facilities

No spa here but a well-equipped gym, but quickly full at peak times

A bright room on a high floor instead of a $ basement is always more pleasant!

The service

The staff was very professional and friendly and the staff handled Olivier’s complaint intelligently.

But I noticed some bugs in the housekeeping like this pillowcase “forgotten” on the minibar or this glass not cleared on my night table. We will put that on a momentary tiredness moment of the cleaning lady…

Bottom line

Although the hotel is a bit out of the way, we do not regret our choice at all. Nice property, comfortable, very good service despite some bugs, really attentive staff.