Review Hotel URI&, Seoul, South Korea

Hotel Review: Hotel URI&, Seoul
A modern and convenient stay just steps from COEX.

During my recent trip to Seoul for an exhibition at COEX, I discovered the Hotel URI& after my usual hotel from the previous year was fully booked.

I found Hotel URI& on Trip.com, conveniently located just one street closer to the COEX Exhibition Center and, to my surprise, even better than the hotel I stayed at last year.

Similar offers were also available on Booking.com and Agoda.

At the time of booking, only Deluxe rooms were available, so I opted for a single-bed Deluxe. I couldn’t include breakfast in the online booking, but I added it upon check-in, it turned out to be 20% cheaper when paid in advance rather than daily.

Location

The hotel is situated in the Gangnam-Gu district of Seoul, directly across from COEX Hall, though it’s quite a distance from Incheon International Airport.

From the airport, travelers can take a direct shuttle bus to COEX or, as I did, grab a taxi or Uber.

Traffic in Seoul can be heavy; it took me about 1 hour and 40 minutes to reach the hotel in the morning, although my early return trip to the airport took only an hour.

Check-in

Check-in was fast and smooth. The reception area features vending machines stocked with essentials like toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, drinks, and snacks, as well as a large Nespresso coffee machine for guests’ convenience.

Bedroom

My room, located on the 13th floor facing the street with a view not particularly attractive, was impressively quiet despite its central location. I was pleasantly surprised by its spaciousness, a large comfortable bed, a small sofa, a smart LCD TV with plenty of channels, a mini-fridge stocked with two complimentary bottles of water, and a kettle with free tea and coffee. The room also offered a safe, slippers, bathrobes, and even an air purification device. The individual air-conditioning system worked perfectly.

Bathroom

The bathroom was equally spacious, featuring a rain shower, an electronic bidet toilet, a hairdryer, large dispensers of shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel, and a slightly unusual inclined mirror.

Breakfast

Breakfast was served on the second floor in a bright, spacious dining area. The buffet offered a wide variety of Korean and Asian dishes, with some Western options as well, all tasty and fresh.

Facilities

On the basement floor, I found a self-service laundry room with coin-operated washers and dryers.

Next to it was a small but well-equipped fitness room with two modern treadmills, a stationary bike, a multi-gym machine, and a rack of dumbbells. There’s also a men’s sauna on this floor, though it was closed during my visit to the gym. It appears to be for men only, as no women’s sauna was mentioned.

Surrounding

The location of Hotel Uri& couldn’t be better, just a two-minute walk from the COEX Exhibition Hall and the Hyundai Shopping Mall. The surrounding area has numerous Korean restaurants and cozy coffee shops perfect for an after-work meal or coffee break.