Grand Hyatt Hotel Seoul

OMG! This was an amazing hotel. We booked with them because their Concierge service was one of the only ones who was willing to help purchase concert tickets for us before we arrived in the country. It didn't hurt they offered airline employee discounts. The rooms had just been updated about 2 days prior to our arrival and they were absolutely breathtaking.

Floor to ceiling windows and the room was the lesser of the views (supposedly) but my room had a straight on view to the Seoul Tower and part of the city. It was perfect - what a treat to sleep with all the blinds open and watch the lights change color on the tower.

As rooms go, it may seem on the expensive side but compared to other hotels in Seoul in the same category (super deluxe) it was reasonable at $160 a night plus all their service charges/taxes.

The hotel has multiple restaurants, from a cafe (which is still expensive) to a high end Japanese restaurant and a Steakhouse. There is a piano lounge in the main lobby and a Karoake club downstairs that is rather popular with locals.

The staff was very professional, super friendly, and took very good care of the guests. One important thing to note - they exchange money there for no transaction fee and often better rates than you can get at the airport or other banks.

Another plus was they converters available for plugs. The ones we had did not work in the outlets to convert high wattage things like my curling iron! One call to the front desk and I had one within minutes that worked for my curling iron and laptop! Sweet!

Their concierge service offers a variety of tours and can help you set up pretty much anything you want to do. They really helped me out with getting the concert tickets to Toto since that was the main reason for my visit.

One drawback is the price of Internet though - it's about $1 a minute up to a max of $25 a day which is a bit pricey. Of course, most people are not there to be in their room and on the computer all day (hence why it took so long for me to finish my blog!) :-)

If you are looking for a very classy hotel with all the high end amenities and don't want to pay the $300 rate like other hotels - definitely check them out. I was told that some lower level dignitaries regularly stay at this hotel so it definitely isn't a shabby place!

The Grand Hyatt in Seoul sits atop Namsan Mountain, just above Itaewon (nightlife hotspot) and close to downtown Seoul. They recently renovated their 24-hour fitness center (all first-class equipment), and the spa is likewise fantastic. The breakfast buffet is a little on the pricey side, but probably one of the best in the world - and I've visited my share!

During the winter, the outdoor olympic-size swimming pool becomes an iceskating rink and is a huge hit. Duirng my last visit to Seoul in February, I was having dinner in the Japanese restaurant (another excellent choice) and saw a chap propose to his girlfriend in the center of the rink. Sure, it was staged and a little cheesy, but I'm sure his fiancee (I'm assuming she said yes) will remember the evening for the rest of her life.