From Honolulu to Seoul (2022) | Travel Report

Introduction

During 2020-2021, because of the lack of travel and hotels extending free night certificates across the board, we had an abundant amount of IHG free night certificates that were expiring by the end of this year. Seoul happens to have two Intercontinental hotels located almost right next to each other. With respect the Intercontinental COEX, the Grand Seoul Parnas had undergone a vast renovation and overhaul to appeal to more business and savant luxury travelers.

To that end, I utilized 4 free night certificates (under 40,000 a night, woot woot) for the remaining duration of our stay in Seoul.

Check-In & Impressions

When we arrived at the entrance, I was a bit shocked that no one showed up to help us with our luggage. For a five star hotel, I was at least expecting someone to help within a few seconds - but nothing for a good minute or so. Finally, a bellman came and helped us with our luggage to the check-in counter. Service was great after that as the bellman noted that one of our bags ripped, and offered us a Intercontinental bag to help hold our content.

I recently obtained IHG Diamond Elite and renewed my IHG Ambassador status in preparation for these few nights and for next year, so I was curious what my upgrades would look like. To note, the hotel was definitely booked close to 99% due to several high-profile conferences around the COEX center, but I noticed a few suites were still available even around 2:45pm when I checked in.

Initially, I was helped by a helpful front desk agent, who then passed me over to her manager, who was incredibly bright and spoke a bit of English, much to my broken Korean relief! I inquired about a suite upgrade as I was genuinely curious how my Diamond+Ambassador combo would play out. The manager was kind enough to then offer a 1 King Bed Junior Suite for the four nights - because the hotel was vastly booked out, I was relieved that a suite was available. Because I had booked four nights on 4 separate reservations due to them being free night certificates, he had to help override and make sure the room was linked to all four. I thanked the manager Leon for his help and he was gracious to walk me through the benefits as a Diamond member.

We talk about value in the points game - and this suite upgrade was tremendous. I felt like I just earned $2,215.53 USD as we had used 4x free night certificates basically for a whole week of suites - prices were already creeping up during our 1st week in Seoul and I’m glad the status came in handy.

King Junior Suite (Room 1509)

Even as the smallest of the suites in the Intercontinental Grand Seoul Parnas, it felt spacious for two and we were immediately swept by the materials used across the room. Upon entry, you’re greeted by the living room and a lovely business table. The living room situated the middle of the great room and a buffet table accompanies the back end of the of the room, closer to the bathroom.

The views were nothing much to brag about, though it was nice to face inwards rather than outside, allowing for privacy during the night, as the surrounding buildings were far away and were business buildings.

The bed, like all Intercontinental hotels, are all super plush and firm, which I loved. The pillows were also feather bound, but you can request for different types of pillows to suit your needs. All the electronic master controls are found on both side of the bedroom. Overall, the feel and vibes of the bedroom and living room was adequate and perfect for a junior suite.

The Bathroom

The bathroom is a massive step up compared to its sibling property, the Intercontinental COEX. Incredibly luxurious with the lavish marble tiles and walls, the shower and tub is also layered with expensive Italian marble. The bidet toilet is on the left side of the bathroom while the rainfall shower and tub is on the right hand side.

Similar to the Conrad Seoul, the toiletries are now all in bottles and are from Byredo. I love the scent and the company, but I just wished they still utilized the smaller toiletries, as these are great keepsakes for such an expensive hotel. That being said, I did enjoy my showers and my morning routine as the scent (Bal D’Afrique) was so fragrant and aromatic.

Moving to the buffet table, this is where you’ll find the Nespresso machine along with the hot water dispenser, fridge and the cups and cutlery for your morning coffee or late night tea. Simple yet elegant, our housekeeping noted that we drank a lot of water and gave us 4 bottles a day, which was a nice touch.

The hallways and design are very luxurious and I love hotels that implement their own fragrance - its’s these small details that make hotels like these memorable.

The gym itself was literally a health club that also sells standalone memberships - interestingly enough, there was a lot of people working out along with a series of younger folks trying out pilates. There are various treadmills, free weights and machines that people can use, along with a large exercise mat for your stretching and ab workouts.

Breakfast | Grand Kitchen

As a Diamond Elite member, we were given the option for breakfast each day, which has a massive spread of fresh dim sum, made to order eggs, Korean breakfast, western breakfast fruits and more. It’s very extensive, though when compared to the Conrad Seoul, I actually preferred the Conrad’s spread. Overall though, it was always great to start the day with a massive spread of food and coffee!

Conclusion

When it comes to deciding which Intercontinental hotel in Seoul, the Grand Seoul Parnas is a no brainer. This is by far the superior one compared to the aging COEX counterpart, although I suspect a renovation may be underway soon. Location is great as it’s directly connected to the shopping malls below and the Samseong Subway station. Service was great and provided us with a great time in Seoul.

Overall, our Seoul experience was incredibly memorable at the Intercontinental Grand Seoul Parnas.