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W Y
Washington DC, District of Columbia

Fantastic but not for everyone

Review of Hotel Nostalgia
4.0 of 5 bubblesReviewed 17 July 2012
I'm writing this as an American visiting Seoul for the first time, so I can compare it with US hotels better than its peers in Seoul.

From the outside, this appears to be no nicer than its neighboring hotels, but has a lot of perks that make it great for the clueless international traveler. First of all, their English-speaking staff knew my needs better than I did. I spoke no Korean upon arrival, and they provided a lot of help that provided me with independence I otherwise would not have had: they arranged taxis, explained a great deal about transportation and areas around the city, and even wrote a message on the back of their business card saying that I could give to a taxi driver giving instructions on how to bring me back to the hotel. The front desk gave me an outlet adapter as well and there were free bottles of water in my fridge, and very fast ethernet in the room. Wifi wasn't great, but ethernet in room made up for it.

Environment: it's not near a train station, but is conveniently close to GMP airport and a good balance if you want to be between Incheon airport and downtown. There was a surprisingly lively night life two blocks away with plenty of decent-looking restaurants, coffee shops and bars. Glass elevator a plus.

Rooms: I loved mine but understand other reviewers' concerns. It has the style of much older hotels that may seem dated compared to the new immaculate white, well-lit rooms that are popular now. The lighting in the room is only by its many lamps, which makes it dim and can leave an impression of dinginess (though my room was very clean). Instead of the clean white walls and tile of most hotels these days, they were decorated with wallpaper, extensive woodwork, and marble floors at the entry, which I loved as a respite from the common sterile room. I don't think the hotel itself is old, just has the style of older hotels. If it is old, it doesn't show it. The rooms were amazingly silent, especially given the bustle outside and my neighbor's blaring TV, which I could only hear in the hall. The main drawbacks were they are smoking rooms, and do smell like it, and the beds were very firm.

Stay if here if: you want an interesting hotel, a quiet room, or want a staff that can help a clueless traveler.

Don't stay here if: you are sensitive to the smell of smoke or prefer the clean feeling of brightly lit white rooms.
Date of stay: July 2012
Room Tip: They appear to fill the bottom floors first, so ask for higher up if you want to be isolated...
Trip type: Travelled solo
5.0 of 5 bubblesValue
5.0 of 5 bubblesRooms
5.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
4.0 of 5 bubblesCleanliness
5.0 of 5 bubblesService
3.0 of 5 bubblesSleep Quality
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8 - 13 of 31 reviews
Reviewed 11 June 2012

I would not recommend this hotel for a number of reasons....there was nothing really wrong with it, but there was very little right with it, either. For starters, it is very far from the places of interest in Seoul (a 45 minute subway ride of a very expensive taxi ride). It was clean enough, but everything was just kind of old and smelled musty. There was no shampoo or bath product in the bathroom aside from a tiny bar of soap, the wifi was not great (we were on the 6th floor) and there were no good food or drinking options nearby. However, the staff was nice and helpful.The rates seemed unreasonable considering the location and lack of amenities. Next time I will stay in a cheap guest house in a central location or a nicer hotel.

Date of stay: June 2012
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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1  Thank Pia F
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 28 March 2012

Pros: good location near GMP airport.

Cons:
1. pretty old look, run-down feel throughout the hotel.
2. I wanted to ask a non-smoking room, but only was told there is no non-smoking rooms in the hotel. ALL rooms are smoking rooms!!!

Another issue not to blame the hotel is the taxi from Gimpo airport. Due to the close distance to GMP airport, be prepared to be price gouged by the driver when you hire a taxi from the airport. They're just reluctant to take you if you don't agree the higher fee since they've been sitting in the waiting line for hours. shame on the Korean taxi drivers!!

Date of stay: March 2012
  • Trip type: Travelled on business
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2  Thank ShaoW
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 23 December 2011

I was on the 6th floor and had perfect (the usual Korean speed) wi-fi internet; in fact there were no wires in my room.

The staff was very friendly and more than willing to help me get to my destinations in Seoul using public transportation (usually through subway line 9 at Gayang station, which is the closest to the hotel) during my stay, no matter where I wanted to go. The front staff is generally multilingual (as this hotel is visited by foreigners more than Koreans), and will provide you with whatever you need.

I stayed in the one-bed room, and while the bed was a little on the "hard" side, it was comfortable enough and provided good rest (but I was also exhausted from everything else related to travel so...). It can get pretty loud until... 9PM (because there is a bar lounge on the 8th floor). After 9PM, it's DEAD quiet (although the hotel is in a busy street corner of the city). I found it amazing that it could be this quiet in a city hotel.

The food served at the restaurant is very clean, tasteful, and reasonably priced for a hotel. They also provide discounts on the food served at the hotel restaurant (on the first floor usually during lunch time) for those staying at the hotel.

The water in the refrigerator is complementary, and you do not get charged for drinking the water in the hotel room, a very nice change.

I highly recommend this place, and will be staying here again when I come back to Seoul!

Date of stay: December 2011
  • Trip type: Travelled with family
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6  Thank Doyeon K
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 17 December 2011

Wifi only available on 1st floor. Wired internet in the room. Everything was as one can expect in a good hotel. Breakfast was not "american" breakfast that I have had at other hotels in Korea, but there are many places to walk to, including a starbucks within 3-5 minute walk.

Date of stay: December 2011
  • Trip type: Travelled on business
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2  Thank JaneC-P
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 1 November 2011

The people were nice.....the room was very small-hallway and room had shabby (dirty) carpet. Bathroom was clean and had decent shower and granite counter. We chose this location because it was the best hotel in the area. We would probably not stay here again.

Date of stay: October 2011
  • Trip type: Travelled with friends
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3  Thank loulouMilwaukee
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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