Just returned from spending a week at this hotel with my son and my father ( my age -42, my father -65 & My son -11 yo).

We were very impressed with this hotel.

What we liked:

Our room was described as "Deluxe" and located on 8th floor corner. Big, comfortable, best housekeeping service...just a very nice room.

Staff Service- On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate (my dad concurrs) this category firmly at 10.

Hotel facilities- Couldn't find any problems here..You will enjoy their indoor pool, spa service, restaurants and lounges.. The entire hotel is just so clean and well organized...

We did not havea rental vehicle and used taxi service exclusively while we were in Seoul and did not have any problem with same and accordingly "liked" this aspect of our stay in Korea

What we didn't like:

I can't come up with anything....

We highly recommend this hotel.

Just returned from a 4N stay at the Shilla. This place lives up to its reputation as the top hotel in Seoul. Had a huge deluxe room (55 sq m) on a high floor w/ an impressive view of the city. Service in general was excellent - from ironing my clothes overnight to ensuring that my cabs knew exactly where I was going each time I ventured out. Couldn't have asked for more.

Sunday (buffet) brunch at the French restaurant on the top floor was equally impressive. Lots of options w/ live music. Pretty busy in the afternoon sitting.

Location is good/ok depending on your goals in Seoul - it's not right in the business district nor in an entertainment hotspot. But it's more of a 1/2 way point between such locales. If you have business downtown during the day but also plan on spending your nights south of the river in Apkujong, this is a solid location as a cab will get you to both relatively quickly (as long as traffic permits which is easier said).

Conclusion: You pay top dollar/pound for this hotel. But you get what you pay for.

We booked a room with 2 beds and had guarnteed reservations. We received a corporate discount and thought we were getting a good deal. We checked into the hotel and there was an ensemble playing pleasant music in the lobby and the hotel staff seemed to be courteous. We went to the room and discovered that there was only 1 bed. I called the front desk and said there was a mistake but was informed that due to a holiday in Japan, they don't have rooms with 2 beds because apparently Japanese tourists were more important and they gave away my confirmed room. We discuss the matter and call back and inquire about a rollaway bed and am told that they will need to charge us since we were staying on a corporate discount rate. On top of this, they ask how many people will be using the swimming pool because we have kids and they need to charge us extra if we use the pool. We checked out and wrote a comment card for the management. I am still waiting to hear back from them. It's 3 years and counting. They should focus on how they run the hotel and instead of a cello player in the lobby.

I booked the Shilla through the Concorde homepage. Among many places, I decided to stay in Namsan, which is the montain in the very center of Seoul. The food in the hotel was great, but I tried various restaurants in Namsan. As it turned to be the most posh area in Seoul, there were lots of good food.

Well, the place may not be the most convenient place to take the public transport. But it can be covered with the free shuttle, or you can take a taxi anywhere. I was surprised that taxi fare in Seoul is really cheap. It was roughly one third of that of London. If you are not going to Seoul for a tight-scheduled business trip, I do recommend to stay in Namsan. So good a view!

An alternative hotel will be the Sheraton Walkerhill near the river. I went to the Korean restaurant in that hotel and really loved it; the food, the river view, the staff... Absolutely fabulous.