Oakwood Premier Coex Seoul makes residents feel at home

Oakwood Premier Coex Center Seoul opened in 2002. / Courtesy of Oakwood Premier Coex Center Seoul

One immediately feels the warm home atmosphere upon entering the Zacharys apartment at Oakwood Premier Coex Center Seoul.

Their two­bedroom serviced apartment came furnished, including a king­size bed, full kitchen, TV and built­in washing machine and dryer but there was more than enough room for their own yellow couch and piano.

Floreta Zachary is a professional pianist, and she and her husband, Justin, always travel with the piano.

Serviced apartments like Oakwood usually do not allow guests to bring in their own furniture, especially a big one such as a piano, but Oakwood made an exception for the Zacharys.

The apartment walls are decorated with Floretas paintings. Her paint brushes, canvases and easel are set aside on the veranda.

Floreta cooks for Justin, who has been working for Samsung C&T Corp. for almost three years now. When herhusband goes to work, she performs chores, meets up with friends, participates in a cooking class offered by Oakwood, goes shopping, plays the piano or paints. Housekeeping cleans the apartment every other day.

The couple said they are very happy about living in the serviced apartment.

Justin Zachary, left, and his wife Floreta in their home at Oakwood Premier Coex Center Seoul

They allowed us to bring in our own furniture, Floreta said during the interview. She also said the hotels exceptional service makes her feel at home in Seoul.

The couple also appreciates the apartment staffs fluency in English.

Its important that we communicate in English, Justin said. All the staff here speaks decent to superb English.

That is very important, and thats great.

Having English­speaking staff was one of the critical factors that the couple considered when they chose a place to stay in Seoul.

Floreta said she was also amazed by the fact the staff calls her by name.

Everybody knows your name, she said.

She also remembers when her piano metronome was broken and the hotel staff came up and took the metronome to be fixed. Ten minutes later, they came back with the metronome fixed.

"That was wonderful. This is the enormous difference with this apartment. We are very lucky. This makes the whole difference."

Opened in 2002, Oakwood Premier Coex Center Seoul has 280 rooms in six types studio, one­bedroom, two-bedroom, three­bedroom and four­bedroom suites and the penthouse.

A living room in a two-bedroom suite

The apartments have recently been renovated.

Each apartment is furnished with a king­size bed, dishwasher, microwave, conventional oven, TV, cable subscription and washer and dryer. All apartments except for the studios have their own sauna.

Oakwoods location is one of its best features. It is walking distance to the Samseong subway station and is also close to the Bongeunsa Temple, Coex Mall and Hyundai Department Store.

The neighborhood also has a wide selection of restaurant, which the Zacharys really like. Should they choose to stay in, however, the apartment building also has its own restaurant, Oak Restaurant & Bar, on the fifth floor, which is open all day and serves a variety of cuisines.

Oakwood also has a fitness center, which includes a gym, an indoor swimming pool and a screen golf range as well as a banquet hall and meeting facilities to meet its residents business needs.

The meeting rooms are equipped with a projector, screen, free wireless Internet connection, wireless microphone and audio visual system. Translation and interpretation services are also available.

This is a combination of hotel life and private life, Floreta said. For more information about the apartment and reservations, call (02) 3466-­7000.