WHAT’S IT LIKE? Hyatt International’s first Park branded property in Seoul – fashionably minimalist and cutting-edge courtesy of Japanese design firm Super Potato. Opened in April 2005, the hotel, which features floor-to-ceiling windows, resembles a glass box during the day and a light box at night. The design concept within melds Eastern and Western influences of tradition and innovation – Japanese and Chinese natural stone, light Myanmese oak, dark maple wood, water and plenty of natural light. Topping off the 24-storey building is a reception area and “sky lobby” where one can admire city views from the comfort of orange leather seats and oak tables, as well as a pool at the lobby’s end.
Overall, the hotel (famous guests include Hugh Jackman, Lee Young-Ee and José Carreras) gives a distinguished sense of space – from the private alley that leads to the back of the hotel when you arrive by car, to the specific lifts that take you to the lobby, restaurants and guestrooms.
WHERE IS IT? In the upmarket Gangnam area, 55 minutes by car from Incheon Airport. The Samseong subway station is on the hotel’s doorstep and the Convention and Exhibition Centre is diagonally opposite.
HOW MANY ROOMS? 185 including 38 suites. The 52-square-metre Park Deluxe Rooms are touted to be the largest guestrooms in the city.
ROOM FACILITIES: Apart from the 3.4-metre floor-to-ceiling windows and room luxuries that every business traveller couldn’t do without (like a feather bed, 32-inch flat-screen TV, DVD player, multi-line phones, high-speed internet access and a safe large enough for a laptop), what blew me away about my Park Deluxe King Room was the luxurious yet intimate spa-inspired bathroom that takes up one-third of room space. It boasts a granite-stone wall, full wall windows (blinds are optional) looking out onto the city and into the bedroom, a deep tub, separate rain shower and 15-inch flat-screen TV, complete with amenities from Australian botanical-based skincare brand Aesop.
RESTAURANTS: The hotel’s signature open-kitchen restaurant Cornerstone, helmed by Executive Chef Giorgio Pappalardo from Milan, specialises in grilled meats and seafood. Plus, Business Breakfast is on the menu with a choice of Continental (US$19), American (US$26) and Korean (US$22) between 0630 and 1000 on weekdays, for a minimum of four persons. Two private dining rooms – The Cellar (which seats up to 10 persons) and the Private Dining (up to eight) – are available for meetings at no room charge, but advanced booking is required. There’s also a walk-in cellar stocked with over 3,000 bottles of French and Italian wines.
BARS: The Timber House is modelled after a hanok (traditional Korean-style wooden house) and serves snacks and a variety of premium whiskies, cocktails, sake and soju along with live music. Equally charming is the lobby lounge with a view from the top.
BUSINESS FACILITIES: Business centre offers Technology Concierge services. Six meeting rooms boast a total of 317sq m of function space designed for up to 80 for cocktails and are equipped with a built-in LCD projector, screen and flat screen TVs, wireless LAN connection and espresso machines.
LEISURE FACILITIES: The Park Club spa and fitness centre is located on the 23rd and 24th floors. At the end of the lobby lounge on level 24 is the 17-metre indoor heated pool – but only 10 people are allowed in it to offer exclusivity and also avoid overcrowding. Remember to check with the staff on the pool “peak hours” if you don’t want to be turned away in your bathrobe.
VERDICT: Some orientation is needed especially when you have to remember which lift to take to go up to the lobby or down to the restaurant or to the rooms – a somewhat unusual layout that needs a little getting used to, but it is not an issue when you’re lavished with impeccable service.
PRICE: From US$310.70 online for three nights in a Park Deluxe King Room in late January.
CONTACT: 995-14 Daechi 3-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 135-502, Korea, tel 82 2 2016 1100, www.seoul.park.hyatt.com
Julian Tan
