JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul

We love everything about this Hotel and we keep coming back!!! Another trip plan to stay at JE Marriott again this summer. Look forward to it. Only down fall is we have to pay additional to use the hotel pool!!! No picture this time but I will give you updates upcoming trip!

Stayed here with family while on vacation for about 5 nights. Overall the service was great, the staff were friendly and helpful with planning some of the activities we wanted to do, arranging taxis, etc. They also provided a generous welcome gift. The facilities were some of the best I've seen from a hotel. They offered a fully equipped gym, a golfing simulator, a pool and a hot tub. The breakfast offered a wide selection of foods both western and Korean. Location was decent but not the best for all the tourist activities we looked to do. The main drawback of the hotel was the rooms. They were smaller than I'd expect for a luxury hotel and had a strange layout that varied by room. The bathroom was a good size but felt just as large as the main room. The room was updated and included modern tech like a tablet for controlling the curtains.

We took a long trip from the United States to South Korea and the Philippines, and this was the second Marriott hotel that disappointed me. I reviewed the other hotel under their name that was in the Philippines. This hotel had great food options and their lounge was amazing, but the shortcoming came at the pool and how I was treated as a woman in this hotel. When we arrived at the very pretty pool area, we were asked to shower, which we did. It did not go unnoticed that there were only men in the pool while about four women guest sat in the lounge chairs. When entering the pool, literally climbing the steps, a member of staff ran up to me and told me that I was not allowed to enter the pool without putting on a hair cap. I don’t understand why she didn’t tell me this when she first asked us to shower, but my assumption was that she didn’t think I would be going in the pool and that just my boyfriend would be and I would sit at the pool side, like the rest of the women. I have very long hair, which is impossible to fit into a pool cap and I’m pretty sure she knew this. I believe the real problem was my bathing suit, I know in Korea they wear T-shirts and shorts into the pool and do not wear traditional American bathing suits. However, my bathing suit was a full piece bathing suit that did not show any cleavage and in America it would be considered extremely modest. I feel she did not want me in the pool with the men. I understand if this is Korean culture however we paid the hotel Marriott prices to stay somewhere where the culture should not have mattered. I should’ve been able to enjoy the pool considering that I paid for most of the visit with my American money. I found it very embarrassing to be stopped while entering the pool and being told that I was not allowed to. That was quite frankly bullshit. The woman knew she offended me because as I was leaving, she did an extremely low bow as some sort of apology. The Marriott hotel should train their staff to not interrupt their guests while they are enjoying their vacation.