Can Park Hyatt bear G20 crush?

The Park Hyatt Seoul has a reputation for luxury and elegance, but the confusing layout and the lack of privacy of the roof-top swimming pool and other facilities appear to be a turn-off for visitors. / Korea Times file

Confusing elevator plan, lax privacy loom as concerns in southern Seoul hotel

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia

The Park Hyatt Seoul may have a reputation as one of the most modern and sleekest hotels in the city, but it just might be too cool for its own good.

From the outside, the hotel’s glass-covered facade is not very distinctive.

One might even pass the building without knowing it is the Park Hyatt Seoul, unless you notice the understated sign over the foyer entrance.

The foyer itself is quite small, with one receptionist and some staff to assist hotel guests with the elevators.

And assistance is definitely needed to figure out which of the elevators will take them to the meeting rooms, guest rooms, Park Club and the lobby, which is on the 24th floor of the building.

There are few signs indicating which elevator provides service to all the floors, and which one only goes up to the fourth floor and which one goes all the way to the 23rd and 24th. This can be bewildering, especially for someone at the Park Hyatt Seoul for the first time, though staff are ready to lead guests to the right elevator.

Inside the darkly lit elevator, one has to press the floor numbers on a sleek panel instead of the usual silver buttons. But the panel can be quite tricky to push, with some guests pressing it two or three times before the right floor numbers light up.

Lobby with a view

One of the most unusual aspects of the Park Hyatt Seoul is its lobby, which is located on the 24th floor, unlike most hotels which have it on the first floor.

Perhaps its location is meant as a security measure to prevent unsavory people from easily entering the hotel and non-guests from hanging around the coffee shop.

When the elevator doors open at the 24th floor, one is immediately faced with an austere front desk, only decorated with red and orange plants that are the same shade as the colored panels on the wall. It makes anyone who is not a guest feel conspicuous.

The floor-length windows offer a somewhat impressive view of the tall buildings and wide roads of southern Seoul. Natural light streams inside the lobby, lending a warm atmosphere to the cold and impersonal interior decor.

Brown leather chairs and tables can be found at the far left of the lobby, where people can have coffee or drinks while waiting to be checked in. The area is quiet and comfortable, although there is a low, unidentified hum that people can hear.

The Park Club, also located on the 24th floor, has a small indoor swimming pool that is visible to anyone sitting in the lobby cafe. Even though swimmers enjoy a good view of the city through the large windows, it is doubtful that they enjoy being in full view.

Oddly, there are no restrooms on the 24th floor. One would think that since it is where the lobby is located, the planners would have included at least one restroom on the floor.

Instead, one has to go down to the 23rd floor where the men’s and women’s bathrooms can be found. They are once again dimly lit with unflattering lighting that creates shadows on one’s face when you look in the mirrors.

On the plus side, the Park Hyatt Seoul offers clean towels to dry one’s hands, instead of providing tissue paper. There were small clean towels folded neatly on a tray next to the sink, as well as dispensers for soap and lemon-scented lotions.

Facilities fall short

Some hotel guests have ended up disappointed by the offerings of the Park Hyatt Seoul.

One guest, who asked to be identified by just his surname Kim, was unimpressed with the hotel’s 2-day-1-night package that cost over 300,000 won last summer. He complained about the small size of the Park Club Spa & Fitness Center, saying that the equipment needs to be upgraded.

``I was very disappointed by their service. The pool and gym were too small. Their ads showed really good facilities, but it’s not the same in reality. They claim to be a five-star hotel, but their service is maybe only that of a three or four star hotel,’’ Kim said.

Those who have stayed at the Park Hyatt say that it is better to book a room on the higher floors to get the best views of the city.

Some say that the rooms on the lower floors provide little privacy. Because of the wide and clear windows, the rooms from across the other side of the hotel are also visible.

Style points are definitely high for the rooms and facilities, but in the process, it seems that the hotel sacrifices guests’ comfort and ease of use.

A few years ago, an international pop star once jokingly remarked during a press conference at the Park Hyatt Seoul that his suite was so high-tech that it took him all night to figure out how to turn off the lights in the room.

On the third floor where the meeting rooms are located, it can be quite difficult to figure out where the women’s and men’s bathrooms are. The bathrooms can be found behind a slatted wall.

The bathroom door lacks any sign or symbol to indicate if it is a men’s or women’s bathroom. Most people look helplessly baffled before opening the door, until someone points to the barely noticeable and stylized male and female symbols on the wall next to the door.

These unusual symbols might score high style points, but fail to achieve their purpose as signs.

Overall, the Park Hyatt Seoul is certainly a stylish and modern hotel, but it does not seem to have placed high priority on making life easy for its guests. The hotel should not sacrifice user-friendliness for the sake of style.

파크 하야트 호텔 G20을 감당 할 수 있을까?

파크 하야트 서울 호텔은 서울에 있는 호텔 중에서 가장 현대적이고 미끈한 호텔이라는 명성을 가지고 있을 수 있다.

그러나 외관에서 이 호텔의 유리로 덮인 건물정면은 독특함이 떨어진다.

사람들은 현관입구에 걸린 표시를 보지 않으면 파크 하야트 서울 호텔이라는 것을 모른 채 호텔 건물을 지나칠 수도 있다.

현관입구는 그것 자체가 작으며 한 명의 리솁션니스트와 엘리베이터를 이용하는 손님들을 안내하기 위한 약간의 직원이 있다