The Shilla Seoul

My colleagues and I agree that for the price, this was the best hotel we have stayed at. It is full of amenities, the laundry service was amazing, the food was good, the lounge was top notch. We did not even get to visit the pool, the grounds or many of the other facets of the hotel because there simply was not time. My suggestion is to ask about the elevator near the duty free shop to get back up the hill, if you aren't using transportation. It will save you alot of energy.

It is a luxurious hotel on the hilltop conveniently located near various shopping areas and attractions. Even though a subway station is near the hotel, it takes a hotel shuttle to the subway station as the hotel is not built for people to walk in.

Beautiful hotel and the best service. Every staff member was friendly and went out of their way to make our stay comfortable. The hotel shuttle was convenient to get to popular attractions and there is a duty free mall in the hotel. This was our second time staying two consecutive years and will stay again the next time we come to Seoul.

We booked 3 business deluxe double rooms via Amex FHR for our family of 6 at the Shilla because we had stayed here on a long ago trip (in 1994) and had fond memories from that time. It was just as we had remembered! Checkin was fast and we were given 3 adjacent rooms on the 22nd floor. We enjoyed the comfortable rooms, which are well-maintained and stocked with Molton Brown products, and the incredible breakfast each morning, which was a highlight for my parents, who are picky eaters. We had the buffet dinner at the Parkview restaurant on a weekday (the weekend lines are absolutely insane - it seems to be very popular), and it was an incredible meal, with every seat occupied, primarily with a Korean clientele, and galbi, crab legs, really excellent sushi and sashimi, and so many other delicious foods. We used our FHR credits on a late-night meal at the bar/lounge, enjoying the lounge singer, and on a huge array of desserts and treats from the pastry shop. The location is fairly good, in the Namsan area not far from Dongdaemun, and we found it perfectly convenient to get around using K-rides, which came quickly right to the front door of the Shilla. The staff were uniformly friendly, polite, and helpful. We are glad to have relived our memories of the Shilla from 1994 and would absolutely without any hesitation stay here again on our next visit to Seoul!

I recently stayed at The Shilla Hotel for two nights. As many recent reviews suggest, the service was exceptionally friendly, and the breakfast was truly outstanding—almost breathtaking. However, the experience was somewhat diminished over the weekend due to multiple events, which filled the lobby with non-hotel guests. This made it less comfortable for actual guests. The location is excellent, but the rooms feel a bit outdated, and the nearby walking trails are not well connected, which was disappointing. Additionally, the hotel’s automated and impersonal responses to guest reviews are underwhelming. It makes me question whether this hotel truly deserves its place as one of Korea’s only two 5-star hotels in 2025.