Location
Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotels & Residences is located north of the Han River in the Dongdaemun shopping district, two subway stops from the city’s shopping mecca of Myeongdong. There is no lack of restaurants, cafes and 24-hour convenience shops in the vicinity of the hotel. There are three 24-hour convenience shops within minutes of the hotel: one diagonally opposite, and the other two are in the buildings to the left and right. Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotels & Residences is also very well connected by public transport, with the nearest bus stop next to the hotel, and the nearest Subway station, Dongdaemun History & Cultural Park, is a mere 3 minutes from the hotel. On top of that, Airport Bus #6001 calls at the stop next to the hotel. With these public transport options being so close to the hotel, we found staying in Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotels & Residences was great for us to explore Seoul.
The Suite
Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotels & Residences has two wings: the Hotel Wing and the Residences Wing. We checked into the 44㎡ Premier Suite, located in the hotel wing. Despite being the highest category room, the Premier Suite in Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotels & Residences has a Junior Suite layout.
Entryway
The entryway of the Premier Suite is home to the only wardrobe interior suite and the entrance to the bathroom. Despite having two panels, the amount of space afforded in this wardrobe was limited. The left panel was designed for guests to hang their clothing, while the right panel features a short hanging rack with three drawers. The hotel populated the left panel with bathrobes and ironing equipment, which took up a bulk of the area in the panel, leaving little room for us to hang our clothing. The space afforded by the right panel of the wardrobe is even smaller, as this is where we find a three-tier drawer. The presence of this drawer took up space, resulting in t-shirts and shirts that can be hung here. Only two of the drawers can be used as the top drawer houses a fairly large in-room safe. Fitted next to the wardrobe is a ledge that was meant for us to place our luggage. I thought having only one luggage rack was insufficient for a suite of this size, as we did not spot any other luggage rack in the suite.
Bathroom
Decked out in earthy stone grey with some woody elements, the bright and spacious bathroom in the Premier Suite of Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotels & Residences is functional and aesthetically pleasing. Despite being fitted with two sizeable sinks, there is still plentiful sink countertop space for the suite’s occupants. The open shelving space below the sink, which the hotel used to place towels for its guests, further adds to the space afforded to the suite’s occupants. A large bathtub sits by the window at the end of the bathroom, allowing guests to soak away the fatigue accumulated from the sightseeing and shopping in Seoul while being treated to a view of Namsan from the bathroom.
Opposite the sink countertop, lined up on the right side of the bathroom, are two equally large cubicles encased in glass. These sizeable cubicles house the toilet and walk-in shower. The hotel equipped the toilet with a Japanese-style bidet, while the walk-in shower is fitted with a regular and rain shower head. I like the generous space allocated to these cubicles, especially the walk-in shower. The Deep Nature spa shower gel and shampoo smelled refreshing and had a very nice fragrance. These bath amenities left our skin feeling soft and refreshed.
Sleeping area
The sleeping area occupies the rest of the space in the Premier Suite. The first thing we saw in the sleeping area is a cabinet that houses the minibar, next to the luggage ledge which extends from the wardrobe. The minibar is equipped with a kettle, a Nespresso coffee machine, some glasses and mugs placed on top of the cabinet. A large drawer in this cabinet reveals the mini fridge, stocked with sodas and mineral water. A little further from the minibar was the slim designed work desk, sitting in one corner of the suite. This work desk was sizeable enough for guests to do some work on, and the power outlet fitted onto the wall ensured laptops are always charged up.
In the centre of the sleeping area was a large king bed and a bed-end bench, placed by a wooden wall, which took up most of the space here. The sleep quality on the king bed was excellent, leaving us feeling refreshed the next day, but the pillows were too soft for my liking. Since we were only staying in this suite for one night, we did not bother requesting firmer pillows from the pillow menu. I like the addition of the bed-end bench, which provided us with an additional place to sit and a place to put our stuff. The bedside tables on each side of the king bed were designed as an extension of the king bed. However, the space afforded on these tables was a little small. Populated with a huge tablet that controls the lighting and the facilities on one of these tables, and a tissue box and alarm clock on the other table, we found little space left to charge our mobile phones overnight.
Facing the king bed, sitting on top of a large wooden cabinet, was a 55″ LED TV. A good mix of English and Korean and a handful of Chinese channels kept us entertained. The TV placement was perfect for us to watch while lying on the bed. I thought including the cabinet where the TV sits was great, giving us additional space to stow our stuff. Nestled in the innermost part of the Premier Suite at Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotels & Residences, between the floor-to-ceiling window and the king bed, was the lounging area. This small lounging area was furnished with one dark grey leather armchair, a two-seater light grey fabric couch, and a small round table. This lounging area gave us a place to relax and watch the liveliness of Seoul zipping past below the hotel.
Service
The service at Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongaemun Hotels & Residences throughout our stay (this one and our subsequent stay) was a mixed bag. The staff at the concierge desk on the ground floor were welcoming and ready to assist guests having trouble finding their way around the hotel or within the hotel. They were always seen wearing smiles on their faces and even volunteered to deliver our luggage to the reception on the 20th floor where we check-in. However, I find it weird that we were made to wait at the concierge desk while one of the staff punched in our reservation details into their system to confirm that we had a reservation before inviting us to proceed with the check-in on level 20.
While the concierge desk staff on the ground floor make good efforts to provide good service and impression, the same cannot be said of the staff at the reception on the 20th floor. As we arrived slightly earlier than the official check-in time, there were no signs at the reception on level 20 to indicate where the check-in line was. When it was our turn to be served by the only staff at the reception after queuing up, the staff directed us to move to one side and proceeded to serve the guest behind us instead, stating that the guest was checking out. There was also no recognition of ACCOR status, as though the ACCOR sign was there for show. Both our check-in experiences were slow, and the staff took their time to check us in. As we checked out of the hotel after a one-night stay and would return to the hotel after spending one night in Busan, we did not plan to bring our luggage to Busan and requested that the hotel store our luggage. Instead of helping us with our luggage, the staff at the reception on the 20th floor told us to go to the ground floor with our luggage and leave it with the concierge without rendering any assistance with our luggage.
Fortunately, the poor service was only isolated to the reception. The rest of the staff around the hotel, from the fitness centre staff to the staff at the lounge bar and even the staff at the restaurant, made us feel welcome. The staff at Food Exchange were observant and seemed only to appear when we left our table for more food to clear the plates. We were also warmly welcomed every morning at the restaurant during breakfast. The staff at the lounge bar was personable and friendly when we approached her to redeem our welcome drink. Overall, the service was good, but could have been better if not for the reception staff.
Hotel Facilities
Breakfast @ Food Exchange
Our stay includes a complimentary breakfast served at Food Exchange, located on level 20 of the hotel. The restaurant has a large seating capacity, and we had no trouble finding seats. There is a good variety of Korean and Western choices for breakfast. I like how the food is spread out in the restaurant during breakfast to disperse the crowd. Breads and pastries are found on a kitchen island in the centre of the restaurant, where the hotel serves up a variety of breads and pastries and accompanying jams. I was pleasantly surprised to find soy milk and Chinese fried fritters served at the bread station during breakfast. The cold cuts and salads had a station next to the bread station. Here, we found various salad vegetables and cold-cut meats. The hot food section is right at the back of the restaurant, where we found various hot food, from eggs to bacon to sausages. There is even a made-to-order noodle bar here. However, the restaurant does not serve made-to-order eggs; only scrambled and sunny-sideup eggs were available during breakfast.
Gym
A small gym is located on a corner of level 20, in the direction of the Residence wing lifts. Despite the small setup, the gym is well-equipped with machines allowing guests to do cardio and strength workouts. I like how the hotel arranged the cardio machines, like treadmills and stationary bikes, facing the window, allowing guests to look out into Seoul during their workout. The strength machines are placed facing a large mirror, allowing guests to check their postures during their workouts. There is a good variety of machines that work out every muscle group, and even a free weight area. The gym is also fitted with sauna facilities in the changing room.
Swimming Pool
Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotels & Residences has not one but two swimming pools on the top floors of the hotel. The indoor heated swimming pool is on level 20 of the hotel, next to the gym entrance. This indoor pool is rather sizeable, allowing guests to do serious laps in the marked-out swimming lanes. There are eight deck chairs for guests to rest in between laps. We also found a jacuzzi at the entrance of the indoor pool. One point to note: guests must don swimming caps when swimming in public pools in Korea, which can be purchased from the staff at the gym. Another outdoor swimming pool is on the hotel’s rooftop (level 21). This pool is accessible via a flight of stairs from the indoor pool area. However, we did not visit the outdoor pool or the rooftop area during our stay as it was closed.
Executive Lounge
As guests of the suites and the highest tiered member of the ACCOR group, we had access to the Executive Lounge in Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotels & Residences. The lounge is perched on level 19 of the hotel, accessible from the hotel wing lifts. The hotel serves afternoon tea and evening cocktails at the lounge, but due to our schedule, we only managed to visit the lounge to take a brief tour after we checked out. The lounge felt cosy and serene during our visit (perhaps we were the only ones there). There is a good mix of seating arrangements catering to small and large groups. Outside the afternoon tea and evening cocktail hours, the lounge serves up drinks, fruits and pastries.
Overall
We had a comfortable stay in the Premier Suite at Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotels & Residences. The room was well designed and is of a good size, which does not feel compact. The sleep quality on the king bed was excellent, and the bathroom was large. What I like most about the hotel is its location, being close to the Dongdaemun shopping district and well connected by subways and airport buses. The service is generally good, except for the check-in staff.
