Round The World and other travels
A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries
This is: The Portuguese Connection (2012)
Hotel 6
Courtyard Times Square, Seoul
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This Courtyard by Marriott
was part of the new Times Square so-called "multi-complex",
featuring shopping, dining and entertainment outlets. This
was another of Bruce's special-rate, travel-industry deals,
so that the cost of the stay to each of us amounted to
remarkably little. On this occasion, however, the hotel
insisted that due to the nature of the rate being used,
normal status benefits would not be granted. This seemed a rather stern approach, given that the Lisbon Marriott had so recently provided Executive Lounge access. It also seemed a rather odd way to do business with somebody who had the ability either to recommend this property to clients or to steer them in the direction of the competition. But it was clear that the manager was a stickler for the rules and he was not for budging. |
Our basic twin room was actually not bad at all - the refusal of an upgrade hurt more than any minor shortcomings in our physical surroundings. The in-house cafe and bar ('MoMo') was also a pleasant facility, although there were plenty of other dining options available in the adjacent mall, while a variety of neighbourhood coffee shops were able to supply a rudimentary, but adequate, breakfast.
This was my first experience of Courtyard by Marriott and it struck me as fairly similar to Four Points by Sheraton, i.e. actually quite impressive for this sector of the market. Shame about those withheld benefits.
