Spontaneous Seoul 2019

• Introduction
• Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3 – SilverKris Lounge
• Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3 – Marhaba Lounge
• Singapore Airlines SQ608 Boeing 787-10 Singapore to Incheon – Business
• Conrad Seoul
• Fairfield by Marriott Seoul
• JW Marriott Hotel Seoul
• South Korea Incheon Airport Terminal 1 – Asiana Busines Lounge
• Singapore Airlines SQ611 Boeing 777-300ER Incheon to Singapore – Business

This was my choice of property for my Marriott Bonvoy Platinum challenge mattress run as it was the cheapest property during my dates. I needed 2 more nights to get my Plat so this was a reasonably priced 2 nights for the status.

So after some braincells slaughter, I decided to book Fairfield for 2 days, 27 – 29 June, even though I would be landing on early morning of 28 June only. I emailed the room reservations to inform that I am only checking in on morning on 28 June but pre-booked the day before so I can guarantee a room when I reach so they don’t mark me as a no-show on 27th.

The property acknowledged very quickly and assured me that the arrangement has been duly noted.

This Fairfield was only opened in June 2018 and is the world’s largest Fairfield-branded hotel with 553 guest rooms. Their marketing spill as below:

Fairfield by Marriott Seoul is not only the first Fairfield by Marriott in Korea, but also the world’s largest. Our hotel welcomes travelers to South Korea with immaculately designed accommodations, intuitive amenities and gracious service. Our hotel is located in Yeongdeungpo-Gu, one of Seoul’s concentrated business districts. Our hotel is a short distance away from downtown Seoul and the city center, providing guests with easy access to notable neighborhoods like Myeongdong and Itaewon

Address – 870 Gyeongin-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul 07306 South Korea.  Website.

Contact – +82-2-2108-9000. ffi.selfi.ays@marriott.com.

Price – 65,835=35KRW++ per night under the Member Rate Advance Purchase = 131,670KRW total. Ended up to be SGD173.57 for 2nights in total under the Complimentary Grab & Go mini breakfast package. Under the description, the mini breakfast comprised of a sandwich and juice or coffee/tea.

Getting There – I took a cab from Conrad which took about 20mins and costed KRW110,000 (SGD2-13) – possibly this price due to tight traffic. If you are taking the subway, it is a unsheltered 5-min walk from Yeongdeungpo Station.

Location – The property is built by a roadside so it doesn’t have a driveway – you just alight from the roadside and walk in. Very no frills. A quick walk will take you to the nearby Yeongdeungpo Station which leds you into the seemingly endless Yeongdeungpo underground mall where there’s plenty of shopping options. You can also take one of the exit to get to Times Square Mall, a standard mall with shopping eating options, alongside a supermarket and stuff. Plenty of things to do for an afternoon.

Check In – I ended up reaching slightly after 11am that day and the front desk was initially confused about my check in date but was sorted out quick enough. Received my room key quick enough and was given a voucher for the mini breakfast. I was also Premier Room (23SqM), Studio, 1 King. I was upgraded to the Deluxe Room with city view on the app prior to arrival.

Room – My Deluxe Room (23SqM) with city view had no views as per say as my room window faced some old buildings so oh wells. I don’t really know whats the difference between a Studio and the Deluxe as the website seems to show exactly the same details. It feels more spacious than its size and comes with a comfy looking King bed alongside a day bed which works very well in creating more sense of space in the room. TV, desk, open concept sink, toilet and bathroom still looked new-ish and I would imagine this to be an adequate place for a few days. May be a little tight for 2pax with luggage but still doable.

Facilities – Popped by to check out the small gym, well okay, fitness corner and seems basic and probably good enough for simple workouts.

Bistro 870 – Also dropped by their main restaurant and it seems fairly spacious and would imagine the crowd given the size of the property.

Check Out – I left the keys in the room and checked out via the Marriott app. The check out page shows the option to have the folio emailed to you but I never got it.

In summary,

A surprisingly good property in a convenient spot in a non-Myeongdong area. It beats Conrad in terms of having access to shopping and transport options and many times cheaper. I think its still worth a stay even if you get something that includes their buffet breakfast. Best of all, its new-ish. For now, that is.