The Ambassador Seoul : un hôtel Pullman

Excellent first time stay at The Ambassador. The staff were extremely professional and the accommodations were modern and luxurious. The location is also great - right by Namsan - and you can take the 3 line to most central Seoul tourist destinations. I am already looking forward to my next visit!

Rooms are spotless and overall hotel decor is extremely modern and comfortable. Most staff are friendly and happy to help. Some shortfalls: - Arrived at night and not a soul in sight to help with baggage. The same for when we checked out. - Gentleman at check in could not speak English so I couldn't respond to him properly, making the whole encounter rather awkward - Despite being an Accor Gold, I was assigned a room on the lowest floor with no view and constantly heard cars/trucks throughout the night - The room mentioned above was at least on the same floor as the pool - but imagine my surprise when staff stopped me at the door and told me it's an extra charge, and quite steep.

Arrival No one was there to help with our bags, even though the bell staff was not engaged. Not the best first impression. The lobby’s digital art was cool and everything seemed to flowed better as compared to pre-refurbishment. Check-In When I got to the Front Desk, the notions of tentative service continued to grow. it was unmanned for a while until genie-like Andew appeared. Given that he was alone, Andew could not personally usher me to the Club Lounge but tapped me up anyways whilst assuring me my luggage will be settled. Andew who did everything from delivering my luggage to the generous loyalty amenities and even my laundry was truly a gem! The dread however continued as I arrived at the Club Lounge with staff busy from Afternoon Tea and were blissfully unaware of my presence. Things started to look up, however, where moments later I was greeted by GRO Paul Ahn. Busy but impressive, and the Star of the Property, Paul made sure I was given a proper welcome. This gentleman is the epitome of hospitality. He gave me the rundown of everything the hotel had to offer and even clarified on communications exchanged with the hotel pre-arrival. More on this gem later! Room The room seemed smaller due to all the furnishings and the additional single bed, but the space was optimised and functional. Everything was pristine, despite the light colour palette that are notoriously hard to maintain! The bed was downright dreamy, and the recliner was a surprise hit. The bathroom was perfectly sized and had a stand-alone tub, which was much appreciated. The shower was also a delight with good water pressure and reliable temperatures. Bath time was also a treat with the premium Penhaligons bath amenities. And the bidet with a music player was a whimsical touch! The minibar was not your standard offering but provided quality items all the same including their in-house wine! Housekeeping The housekeeping team was amazing and super friendly. They paid attention to how I organized my stuff and were just lovely to interact with. They didn't top up my mini-bar automatically, but that was no biggie. I'm kicking myself for not getting any of their names, but they were great. (16th Floor including supervisor). Laundry Now, the laundry situation was a hot mess. They totally missed the express option and even sent my laundry back a day late! The third-party laundry service provider even used another hotel's packaging to return my items. Yikes. The cherry on top was my shirt (requested to be hung) was folded and packaged with everything else with the plastic being hung from the hanger! That gave me a good chuckle. They did waive the express charges, and everything came back in good shape, so no harm done. In-Room Dining I ordered in one day, and the process was super easy thanks to the TV ordering system. The food was presented well, tasted great, and came in big portions! We couldn't finish it all! Sauna Facilities The sauna was one of the better hotel saunas I've been to. It was spacious, even when it was busy, and everything was well maintained. The only downside was the rust / oxidisation on the wet sauna ceiling. It would have been nice if they provided some salts or exfoliating crystals, though. Perhaps it was not offered since they have a person that can do that for you for a nominal fee. The Kings The Lady Hostess/Manager was amazing, and the food was good quality. I wish they had a more pronounced menu rotation, but everything they did have was fresh and delicious even when arriving close to closing time. Club Ambassador - Service If you're looking for the cream of the crop, look no further than the Club Ambassador! While everyone was doing their thing, GRO Paul Ahn shone like a diamond. This guy had more leadership skills than Napoleon and made sure his team was on point. He was the perfect blend of friendly and professional, making guests feel like they're at home. Paul even went the extra mile by mixing up his secret cocktail recipe for me - it was even (realised belatedly) a blend of my favourite beverages! The cute hotel special cocktail recipes on display at the drink bar needs to include Paul's mixology magic ASAP! The only thing that could be improved is the team's product knowledge, but let's not split hairs. Kudos to the Club team for doing a great job even during busy weekends! Club Ambassador – F&B Afternoon tea was good, but not quite good enough to write home about. The treats were all sweet and evenly tepid, which is great if you like your food at ambient temperatures. During happy hour, the spread was so generous that I thought I'd hit the jackpot. The head chef was like a food drill sergeant, militantly coaching the Club chef to adjust the food presented ever so slightly to ensure every dish was picture-perfect. The amount of care could also be observed in the food’s quality though. Imposing aura aside, I enjoyed the accidental lesson on food presentation and philosophy of the head (?) chef. Watching six chefs working together to set up the happy hour food presentation was quite a spectacle; tiny part bemusing, excessive even. Perhaps, this made the food taste even better. Oh also, on top of the lavish spread, there was also a live station. Otherwise, the F&B staff could have been more engaging but the food more than made up for it. Also, HOT TIP! Refills might not always be the same as the original items, so they really said OPTIONS! If you're staying at the hotel, definitely include the Club access - you won't regret it. Check-Out Checking out was a breeze, thanks to Paul's attention to detail. He even predicted that I would use points to pay for part of my stay - how's that for psychic? Brianne and Selene also deserve a shoutout for their helpful reminders about the marathon impacting local traffic and their ever so often warm greetings. Overall The property is interestingly a hit with locals especially on the weekends; there was nary any fellow foreign travellers. The shuttle services to Myeongdong seems to have ceased therefore requiring one to face the uphill and downhill travels to the nearest, otherwise conveniently located subway station. The refurbishment though done under unfortunate circumstances refreshed the property to the beauty it is today and continues to be a proud emblem of the property’s rich history. Though it is a Pullman in name, there is little to remind you of its association with the brand. Nonetheless, a solid product all around. Would definitely return again.

Staff was polite but breakfast (55,000KRW) food was slightly inferior value to other similar hotels (esp. Hot choices and salads). I enjoyed drinks more eg strawberry juice and Kale-cucumber both good

Je n'ai jamais vu un Pullman d'Accor avec tant de services payant en supplément. Cet hôtel est très commercial, il vise les clients extérieurs pour payer la piscine extérieur et la sauna. Cet hôtel demande un supplément en plus que le prix de la chambre pour utiliser sa piscine extérieur ainsi que la sauna qui devrait être mis à disposition de ces clientèles. Vraiment très scandaleux !