Luxury Boutique Hotel x Filmography Museum in The Heart of Seoul

If you have ever read my previous posts about hotels/accommodations recommendations, it’s not hard to recognize that I usually like to stay in either boutique hotels, or places that have unique design elements to it. Location is also an important factor, as it will greatly affect the overall routes and trip planning.

This hotel review is a bit longer than my usual, as there’s just so much to write about this hotel! I hope you will find the information useful, and enjoy this hotel as much as I did!

I was so excited when I find Hotel28 Myeongdong in Seoul. Not only it is centrally located in the heart of Seoul, it is also a boutique hotel with a very special theme! So this little gem is in one of the busiest district of Seoul – Myeongdong, and is easily accessible by a direct limousine bus from Incheon Airport 6015, Being a part of the “Small Luxury Hotels of the World”, the design, facilities and services provided will not disappoint you!

Now, let me take you on a mini tour!

My Check-in Ticket

Entrance and Reception

The entrance of the hotel is located on street level, and it’s easy to find. Black & white is the main colour theme in the lobby area, with a touch of wood and brass. As the owner of the hotel – Mr Young Kyun Shin is a famous actor and film producer, it is no surprise when I see the antique film camera and film boxes as decoration here. The film theme carries on thru out the whole of the hotel, which you will see later.

The reception is located on level 6, the black and white check in counter is very stylish with the 2 mac computers. There’s also a large sitting area next to the reception where you could chill, to wait for friends, or re-pack your luggage if needed.

NOTE: So apparently, the hotel is named Hotel28 is because Mr Young Kyun Shin is born in 1928! This is not even written in the hotel’s website, but was told by the hotel staff.

Room

There are 7 types of rooms available, with the smallest being the Standard Queen room at 22.1sqm (which is still quite big and spacious), and the largest being the suite type at 46.5sqm.

I have made my booking with the most basic room (ie. The Standard Queen), and was lucky enough to get upgraded to the deluxe double room! The deluxe double room is 29.2sqm, which is super spacious, especially just for myself, and the best part, it’s got a bath tub! (I love taking bath while I’m travelling, a great way to relax)

The design of the room is very minimal and modern, colours are also quite neutral, using lots of whites, greys and woods, with a touch of brass elements, adding in that touch of industrial feel. The bathroom is extremely spacious and clean, and the amenity provided are by C.O. Bigelow, which is quite niche and special.

There is a Nespresso machine in every room, and a free minibar, which offers you free beer, juice, soft drinks and snacks! The bar is refilled every second day, but you can ask for more whenever you need.

They only use Simmons Vesta mattresses here, which is extremely comfortable. It’s more of the hard side, which is something I preferred. (I can’t bare sleeping on soft mattresses, gives me back pain). There’s also two types of duck down pillows (firm and soft) to suit different needs.

There’s a separate work desk, coffee table and a sofa on the far end of the room. The sofa was one of my favorite part of the room, I love lying there reading a book, while enjoying my cup of coffee.

The only down side to this room is the noise lever. My room is located on level 3, and the window is facing a row of fried chicken restaurants, which opens until very late. The noise from the restaurant would last until 2, 3 am every night, and made it very difficult to fall asleep.

Sky Garden and Parking

On the top floor of the hotel, it is an outdoor parking space and a sky garden. It looks like there’s also a rooftop bar (Bar Epilogue) intended here, but as the hotel is still fairly new during my stay, the rooftop bar is not yet in operation.

The Sky Garden is a great place to chill on a not-so-sunny day, as there’s no shading there. It’s quite a lovely garden, with many different colourful flowers, even strawberries! It’s quite a unique feeling to be surrounded by other commercial building, but at the same time, enjoying some greenery.

The parking space is quite narrow, and it is one of those types where you need to access it from the ground level using the car escalator. The street level access is on a narrow street, which doesn’t give you much space to steer your car. Be very careful when you park here, as it’s easy to scratch your car due to the tight spacing. (My friend scratched hers…)

Restaurants

There is an Italian restaurant called “3Birds Trattoria” located on level 6 of the hotel. They are open from early morning, serving buffet styled breakfast, till late night for dinner. I did not have a chance to try it out, but the decoration looks nice, and the environment seems to be quite comfortable.

Note: There are also other restaurants in the same building, which hotel guests have up to 15% discount. I’ve tried the cafe on the corner of the ground level, which is a branch opened by YG entertainment, the coffee was really good 🙂 A great place to shop for souvenirs for those YG fans!

Other Facilities

There seems to be something unique on each level of the hotel!

On level 3, there’s a 24 hour gym room. The equipment is basic, but it’s enough to work your whole body.

There’s also a commune library, which features a diverse range of literature and props, including the trophies of Mr Young Kyun Shin, celebrating his success as a great actor! This room can also be rented by private meetings.

The Cinematheque & Gallery is located on level 5, it is an exhibition space featuring a variety of art and film, and is sometimes used as an art gallery, showcasing amazing art pieces from budding artists. I would highly recommend all visitors to come here, as the exhibits changes all the time, it’s always a surprise to see what’s happening there during your stay!

There’s also different film related equipment being show cased around the hotel, be sure to explore each level, you may just discover something different!

Useful Information:

Hotel28 Myeongdong Official Website

Tripadvisor for Hotel28 Myeongdong

Map: