The Garden of Morning Calm

Sejong Hotel is very conveniently located in Myeongdong, which was probably the best part of our stay. It is easy to get around Seoul from here, and there are plenty of restaurants, shops and other things nearby. The hotel itself, however, feels quite old and dated. The rooms and common areas could use a significant refresh, and at least one of the elevators was not working during our stay. Breakfast was also not included with our booking. Check-in is largely self-service using a computer, although the staff we interacted with were helpful and pleasant when we needed them. There were also ongoing labor protests outside the hotel during our stay relating to former hotel workers. I don’t know enough about the dispute to comment on the underlying issues, but as a guest the protests were noticeable and a little uncomfortable. Overall, the location is excellent, but the hotel is showing its age. It probably was a very nice hotel in its day, but today I think there are likely better and more modern options around Myeongdong. I would choose it primarily for the location rather than the hotel experience itself.

Staff are friendly and helpful. The carpet are too old and dirty. Not easy to get heavy luggages up and down to the elevators.