The Shilla Seoul awarded 5 stars by Forbes travel guide

A lobby of The Shilla Seoul hotel in Jung District, central Seoul / Courtesy of The Shilla Seoul

The Shilla Seoul received five stars from the Forbes Travel Guide on Feb. 13, becoming the country’s first and only hotel to earn the highest accolade for seven consecutive years in the globally recognized rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants and spas.

Named after an ancient kingdom that dominated the southeast of the Korean Peninsula for 1,000 years (B.C. 57-A.D. 935), the Samsung-owned hotel is located behind Seoul’s old city walls at the eastern foot of Mount Nam, at the heart of the capital.

The Forbes guide highlighted the hotel’s Executive Lounge, which combines a living room, dining room, lounge and library along with its Urban Island, featuring an outdoor pool, a children’s pool and the Rooftop Garden.

Notably, in the background of the five-star selection were the hotel’s customized services and excellent restaurants, according to the hotel.

The hotel’s customer service, which includes personalized room services, received positive reviews.

The courteous and welcoming customer service, the use of fresh seasonal ingredients and the quality of the fine dining menu at the hotel’s restaurants also received positive reviews, the hotel said.

Established in 1958, Forbes Travel Guide is a global rating platform for luxury hospitality with some 900 professional inspectors who rank hotels, restaurants, spas and ocean cruises around the world every year as five-star, four-star and recommended.

Korea has been included in the guide since 2017, when The Shilla Seoul was selected as a four-star hotel for the first time in the 2017 Forbes Travel Guide. The hotel was upgraded to five-star in the 2019 edition.

Four Seasons Seoul in Gwanghwamun also received the five-star honor for six consecutive years.

Seoul hotels that received the four-star award this year include Art Paradiso Boutique Hotel; Conrad Seoul; Josun Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Gangnam; Paradise Hotel & Resort; Park Hyatt Seoul; and The Westin Josun Seoul.