Hotels in Seoul

Heerim Architects' 317-key Gwanghwamun tower from 2015 — interiors split three ways: LTW Designworks did the public floors, AvroKO designed Boccalino and the bars, and André Fu's AFSO did the Asian rooms. The dining roster reflects the divided design brief: Yu Yuan (Cantonese, one Michelin star under To Kwok Wai), Akira Back, Boccalino, and Charles H., the speakeasy that's held a top-50 spot on Asia's 50 Best Bars since 2018.

Humbert & Poyet's 2021 Gangnam hotel occupies the site of Korea's original 1914 Chosun Hotel, layering mid-century European modernism with Korean geometric patterning, a rooftop pool overlooking the Gangnam skyline, and Michelin-tracked Korean restaurants in the country's first Luxury Collection property.

Opened in 1979 on a landscaped hillside above Jangchung Park, The Shilla Seoul carries its Samsung group origins in its scale and VIP infrastructure—a state guesthouse, a rooftop pool commanding the park's elevated position—Peter Remedios' 2013 renovation introducing Korean craft materials into a property that has hosted world leaders since its founding.

Rogers Stirk Harbour's 2021 Han River tower with structural bravado — Korean jimjilbang spa traditions delivered at altitude.

A contemporary luxury hotel in Gangnam with floor-to-ceiling windows, indoor pool, spa, and multiple restaurants—the most discreetly positioned five-star property in the district that defines Seoul's modern luxury hotel market.

A better place. is a small Seoul lodging in Jongno's Gwancheol-dong — an independently run accommodation near Insadong with the intentional name of a hospitality project that aspires to be precisely what it says.

Seoul's most resort-like city hotel — set in its own hillside grounds since 1978, with Han River views and an on-site ice rink.