This was my sixth trip to Seoul. Other places I have stayed at in the past - Casaville (Shinchon), Hamilton Hotel (Itaewon) and Best Western (Mapo).

Available accommodation in Seoul for this trip was limited due to the Exodus of persons from Japan escaping possible radiation after the 2011 Earthquake/Tsunami. On this occasion I had to travel to Seoul at short notice due to a family event. I had a list of hotels I was planning on staying at however no rooms were available. After 5 hours of phone calls and searching the internet this was the only hotel that I could find with an available room for my 2 week stay.

Location - At first it seemed in the middle of nowhere - compared to the other hotels I have stayed at. There was not much nearby, but I am happy to walk. The nearest subway station (Green line) was a 10 minute walk away. 15 minute walk to Dongdaemun and a 20 minute walk to Myeongdong. 25 minutes to Namdaemun markets. So we did a bit of walking. Seoul tower was visible from our room.

Staff were welcoming and English was good - nil problems with communication. The cleaning staff were friendly and made up our room daily. Fresh towels each day. Sheets were changed once during our 11 night say, this was not a problem, just advising. Whilst the room was clean of dirt etc there was some mould in the bathroom and marks on the walls. The room is in need of refurbishment. I know that Seoul has its share of pollution that can dirty the windows over time. Our windows were dirty, very dirty. I cleaned a small 40cm x 40cm patch on our window so that we could get a clear view of the city.

First Impression was - Substandard. I was disappointment at the condition of the room - somewhat run down. The room was a reasonable size, what I expected anyway. The bathroom was a good size, but run down. My wife's parents were staying in another room, after checking in their response was, "should we look for another hotel", however, I knew that that would be futile due to the high occupancy rate in seoul at the time.

So we stayed for the 11 nights. The room was comfy enough for 2 Adults and 2 children. I have stayed in smaller rooms. The biggest and only positive aspect of the unit was the washing machine which is essential when traveling with children. Our clothes dried overnight or through out the day on the medium size drying rack provided.

Whilst there is a kitchenette we did not use the cooktop, only the sink and fridge. Bench space was minimal, about 30cm in length. Fridge was large. On arrival we received complimentry meal tickets to eat breakfast for two days. Breakfast was good but we only ate there using the complimentary meal vouchers as the cost was far too much. 2 adults and 2 children would equate to over $35,000won. Far cheaper to eat elsewhere.

Comparison with Casaville serviced apartments. I would prefer to stay at Casaville as it includes breakfast each day at a room rate of $40,000won less then Hyundai Residence. Shinchon subway station is next door to Casaville as also may eating places. The atmosphere in Shinchon is great due to its surroundings however Hyundai Residence is surrounded by printing businesses.
The rooms at Casaville are a little smaller as also is the bathroom (the bathrooms at Casaville are very very small). Whilst there is no washing machine in the rooms at Casaville they do have a small laundry room (containing 2 washing machines and 2 dryers) available for use.

Now this review is not about Casaville, just thought I would compare Hyundai residence with another place I have stayed at that is similar.

If I had a choice would I stay at Hyundai residence again?.......No.

I've given the hotel a rating of 3, would have been 2 if it was not for the washing machine.

2 x computers in the lobby to use internet

Water dispenser in the lobby

This is a very nice place with simple but spacious rooms. More like home than a hotel. Even having a washing machine in the room. It is located in a nice and lively area of Seoul. You can walk up to the tower from here, or explore thousands of little shops and factories (mainly printing and paper) around. I will come back here, when ever I visit Seoul.