Fairmont Ambassador Seoul

Liked: Great 5 star Hotel - next to The Hyndai shopping center. Great staff and really nice room. Big enough to easily open a big suitcase.

Liked: Rooms are so big and comfortable. Everyone on the staff is super kind and helpful. Lots of tasty breakfast options!!

Disliked: Location is a bit far from things, but it’s a nice place to end up after a long day of exploring Seoul

I stayed at Fairmont Ambassador Seoul a few years ago when it first opened. The interior was lavish and I was very satisfied with the Spectrum breakfast. I visited again recently, but there was occasionally an unpleasant smell coming from the bathroom sink/drain, and the bathtub was blackened with what looked like water stains, which bothered me. The staff who brought and took the room service were both friendly, but during check-in there was a wait and when I asked what the problem was the agent looked flustered and just said “no” without explaining why, leaving me standing and waiting. It seemed to be an unfamiliar issue with the reservation system; they called someone like a manager and it was resolved quickly. The scripted “thank you for waiting” didn’t feel sincere to me. The location is of course great for shopping connected to The Hyundai, but I don’t think price and service are proportional.

When I stay in Seoul I usually use hotels in Yeouido, and this was my first time at the Fairmont Ambassador Seoul. Overall it was good compared with other hotels in the same class, and the staff’s friendliness was top-notch (especially the front desk and the room attendants). The location also had a lot of advantages. What was a bit disappointing was the breakfast compared with other hotels — the taste, variety, and attention to detail. I asked for the apple to be cut and they only quartered it and removed the core. Usually they cut, decorate, and remove the peel or present it more neatly, so that kind of service was a little lacking. The selection also felt limited, and the food didn’t particularly stand out. However, the Peking duck was so good it made me forget those shortcomings. Overall I had a comfortable stay and was pleased.

Liked: Staff

Disliked: extremely over priced, you can have one third of the price for this quality of the room in many other places.

Last time Conrad Suite, this time Fairmont Suite... Neither are very good value for money. The facilities themselves belonged to the Conrad. The staff friendliness was overwhelmingly the Fairmont. Food quality was overwhelmingly the Fairmont. When I visited there was still some lingering smell from the renovation, which was disappointing (a staff member offered to move us to another room). Thanks to the staff for their kindness!

Stayed one night with friends by chance in Yeouido — right next to The Hyundai Department Store, so it’s great for shopping. True to a five-star hotel, the service, room condition, and size were better and more spacious than I expected — comfortable. Definitely worth the high price, haha. I booked a rate that included breakfast, and since there were many foreign travelers the breakfast quality was high and it tasted good. It was unusual to see Peking duck and kimbap on the breakfast menu, but each item seemed to have a reason for being there.

Excellent but refrigerator is too much small.