4 Classic Luxury Hotels in Seoul and Which One You Should Choose
Seoul has no shortage of newer luxury hotels. Four Seasons, Josun Palace and several recent international openings can offer more contemporary rooms, newer facilities and the kind of polished design that photographs particularly well.
But there is another group of hotels that has represented luxury hospitality in Seoul for decades.
The Shilla Seoul, Grand Walkerhill Seoul, The Westin Josun Seoul and the hotel long known as Lotte Hotel Seoul have all played very different roles in the city’s hotel history. The Westin Josun traces its lineage to 1914, Walkerhill opened in 1963, and both The Shilla Seoul and Lotte Hotel Seoul opened in 1979.
There is also a very timely update: as of August 14, 2026, Lotte Hotel Seoul has officially been relaunched as THE GRAND LOTTE SEOUL following a partial room renovation and rebranding. My own experience and the existing StayArchive review predate that change, so I will distinguish between the hotel I stayed at and its newly refreshed identity where relevant.
These are not “old hotels” competing to see which has aged the least. They are long-established luxury hotels that have evolved into four quite different experiences.
The more useful question is therefore not which one is objectively the best.
Which of Seoul’s classic luxury hotels still makes the most sense for the way you want to experience the city today?
Quick Comparison
| Hotel | Main Character | Strongest Point | Main Weakness | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Shilla Seoul | Korean prestige luxury | F&B and sense of occasion | Location and my 2019 service experience | Prestige, food and a distinctly Korean luxury stay |
| Grand Walkerhill Seoul | Resort-like city hotel | Natural setting and discounted value | Transport and some dated rooms | Relaxation, nature and staycations |
| The Westin Josun Seoul | Classic international downtown hotel | Familiarity, location and Marriott Bonvoy | Less destination-like | Bonvoy elites and convenient city stays |
| THE GRAND LOTTE SEOUL | Large-scale Korean city hotel | Scale and convenience | Less intimate or distinctive | Travelers wanting everything under one roof |
There is no universal winner here. In fact, that is largely why all four have remained relevant.
The Shilla Seoul: Best for Prestige and Food
The Shilla Seoul opened in March 1979 and remains one of the clearest symbols of Korean-owned luxury hospitality. Its identity is tied not only to the hotel tower but also to Yeong Bin Gwan, the traditional Korean-style guesthouse on the grounds. The result feels noticeably different from staying in a luxury hotel occupying another tower in a business district.
For an overseas visitor who wants to experience a hotel with a particularly strong connection to Korean luxury culture, The Shilla remains the most obvious of these four choices.
My own stay, however, requires an important qualification: it was in December 2019.
I booked an Executive Business Deluxe Double through Expedia for roughly KRW 400,000 and stayed on the 20th floor overlooking Yeong Bin Gwan. There was no upgrade, but I remember the room very positively. The hardware felt elegant rather than merely expensive, the bed was exceptionally comfortable, and the bathroom had the kind of finish I expected from The Shilla name.
The Executive Lounge was another highlight. It remains on the 23rd floor, and the current schedule includes breakfast, afternoon tea and a particularly long Happy Hour from 18:00 to 22:00.
Back in 2019, the lounge operated four food presentations a day. What I remember most is the food itself: desserts and bakery items were excellent, the wine selection was strong, and the Happy Hour spread belonged among the better hotel lounge offerings I had experienced in Seoul. Some of the hot dishes leaned salty—perhaps understandably, given their role as drinking food—but the overall level was impressive.
The amusing weak point was the non-alcoholic presentation. For a lounge capable of serving such refined food and wine, the drinks refrigerator felt surprisingly ordinary.
Food remains the easiest part of The Shilla for me to recommend. Although I have not returned for another overnight stay, I have continued to visit places such as The Parkview, The Library and Pastry Boutique. Personally, Pastry Boutique remains one of my benchmarks for hotel cakes and bakery products in Seoul.
Service was where my stay became more complicated.
The Executive Lounge check-in felt disorganized, several interactions were formal without being particularly warm, and while exploring facilities I repeatedly encountered instructions that felt more controlling than hospitable. I also found someone else’s hair in the bathtub. The manager handled my complaint properly and sent cookies with an apology, so the service recovery itself was appropriate.
None of these incidents would necessarily ruin an ordinary hotel stay. My problem was the standard implied by the name The Shilla Seoul.
For a hotel this good at almost everything tangible, I expected it to be better at the intangible part.
That judgment belongs to my 2019 stay, not necessarily to the hotel in 2026. Service teams change, procedures change, and enough time has passed that I would actually be interested in staying again—partly to see what has changed.
The location is another trade-off. The hotel sits in Jangchung-dong near Dongguk University Station, surrounded by more greenery and space than most central Seoul hotels. It is pleasant for walking around the property, but the immediate neighborhood does not offer the density of shopping and entertainment found around Myeongdong.
Unless your Seoul itinerary has an unusually strong emphasis on jokbal, you are probably choosing The Shilla because you want to spend meaningful time at the hotel itself.
Choose The Shilla Seoul if: the hotel, its food and its Korean prestige are part of the purpose of the trip.
My StayArchive rating from 2019: 8.5/10
Grand Walkerhill Seoul: Best for a Resort Escape
Walkerhill predates both The Shilla and Lotte Hotel Seoul. The complex opened in 1963 and occupies a large site between the Han River and Mount Acha, creating a setting that remains unusual even as Seoul has filled with newer luxury hotels.
That setting is the main reason I kept returning.
Grand Walkerhill is not the hotel I revisit because every service interaction has always been perfect. It is the hotel I revisit because few properties in Seoul can make the city feel so far away while still technically being in Seoul.
I stayed several times across very different periods.
In 2018, I booked a Club Deluxe River View and received a discretionary upgrade to a Club Suite River View. In 2020, I stayed in a Club Suite again, although check-in and room-cleaning issues resulted in a move to another river-view suite after I complained.
Then in 2025, I returned under completely different circumstances: an Expedia non-refundable rate of roughly KRW 160,000 for a basic twin room on the third floor.
The contrast was revealing.
The regular room felt noticeably older than the club-level accommodation I remembered, but at that rate I found it extremely difficult to complain. The grounds, Walkerhill Library, indoor pool and fitness facilities still gave the stay far more personality than the price suggested.
That is why I would not call Walkerhill the best-value hotel in Seoul at every rate.
But when a real discount appears, I strongly recommend considering it.
The current Grand Club remains on the 16th floor, with tea service and Happy Hour, while breakfast is currently served at The Buffet on weekdays and in the Club Lounge on weekends and public holidays.
River View rooms are attractive, but I would not automatically pay a large premium just to secure one. The Mount Acha side has its own appeal, and Club guests can enjoy excellent river views from the lounge anyway.
Transport is the obvious compromise. Walkerhill is not integrated directly with a subway station in the way many central Seoul hotels are. For international visitors, a taxi is often the simplest solution.
The reward is space, greenery, riverside scenery and a property that actually invites you to stay on-site.
Food is also a genuine strength. I have enjoyed Pizza Hill, the hotel’s bakery offerings and the wider F&B operation enough that food has never been the reason I marked Walkerhill down.
Grand Walkerhill Seoul is a hotel I kept returning to for its setting, not because it always got the service right.
Choose Grand Walkerhill Seoul if: you want your Seoul hotel to feel like a break from Seoul.
My overall StayArchive rating: 8.3/10
The Westin Josun Seoul: Best for Familiar International Convenience
The Westin Josun has the deepest historical lineage of the four. The original Chosun Hotel opened in 1914, and the current property continues that name while operating as part of Marriott’s Westin brand.
Today, however, I would not choose it primarily because of history.
I would choose it because it is a very easy luxury hotel to understand.
City Hall, Myeongdong, Deoksugung and the wider central Seoul area are all close, and Marriott itself highlights the hotel’s access to major historic sights, shopping and business districts.
But Lotte—now THE GRAND LOTTE SEOUL—is also located in virtually the same downtown orbit, so I would not pretend there is some enormous geographical distinction between the two.
The more meaningful difference is affiliation.
For a traveler already invested in Marriott Bonvoy, The Westin Josun provides the familiarity of a major global hotel system while still retaining the identity of the historic Josun hotel lineage.
That matters even more for high-tier members. Marriott currently lists Westin Club access as complimentary for Platinum, Titanium and Ambassador Elite members, plus one guest.
That combination makes Westin Josun easy to recommend to someone who wants a classic central Seoul hotel without giving up the ecosystem they already know.
It does not have The Shilla’s sense of ceremonial Korean prestige. It does not have Walkerhill’s natural setting. And it is not trying to overwhelm guests through sheer scale.
That is not necessarily a weakness.
Sometimes the luxury hotel that fits most easily into a trip is more useful than the one demanding to become the trip.
For a more detailed comparison with the former Lotte Hotel Seoul, I have already covered the two properties separately in Lotte Hotel Seoul vs The Westin Josun Seoul, so I will not repeat that entire argument here.
Choose The Westin Josun Seoul if: you want classic downtown Seoul convenience, especially if Marriott Bonvoy elite benefits matter to you.
Lotte Hotel Seoul, Now THE GRAND LOTTE SEOUL: Best for Scale and Korean Hotel Convenience
This section changed at almost the exact moment I began writing it.
Lotte Hotel Seoul opened in 1979 and became the flagship of what grew into Korea’s largest domestic hotel group. On August 14, 2026, following renovation work, it officially relaunched as THE GRAND LOTTE SEOUL.
That makes this a slightly unusual recommendation: my StayArchive experience belongs to Lotte Hotel Seoul, while anyone booking now will encounter the newly branded hotel.
The core identity, however, remains easy to understand.
This is large-scale Korean full-service hospitality in the middle of Seoul.
Its location around Euljiro and Myeongdong puts shopping, dining, business districts and sightseeing close at hand. Like Westin Josun, it works particularly well for travelers who plan to spend much of the day exploring central Seoul.
Where I would differentiate the two is not by pretending one occupies a dramatically better block.
Instead, ask what kind of hotel system you want.
Westin Josun offers the familiarity and benefits of Marriott Bonvoy.
Lotte offers the flagship experience of one of Korea’s most important home-grown hotel groups.
I also remember the lounge experience at Lotte particularly positively, which is one reason it would be high on my personal list for a return visit. The rebranding and newly renovated rooms give me an additional reason to revisit rather than assume my older experience represents the property exactly as it exists now. Officially, the Main Tower renovation culminated in newly renovated room categories launching with the new brand in August 2026.
For travelers who enjoy having restaurants, lounges, shopping and hotel services concentrated in one large complex, that scale is an advantage rather than a lack of intimacy.
Choose THE GRAND LOTTE SEOUL if: you want downtown convenience and would like to experience a flagship Korean hotel brand rather than another global chain.
Which Classic Luxury Hotel in Seoul Should You Choose?
If your priority is prestige, Korean luxury identity and food, I would choose The Shilla Seoul.
If you want nature, relaxation and a hotel that feels closer to an urban resort, choose Grand Walkerhill Seoul.
If you want downtown convenience with Marriott Bonvoy recognition and familiar international benefits, choose The Westin Josun Seoul.
If you want large-scale convenience and a flagship Korean hotel experience, the newly relaunched THE GRAND LOTTE SEOUL is the most natural fit.
For pure value, Walkerhill deserves a special mention—but only with an asterisk. At ordinary luxury-hotel pricing, its older rooms become harder to ignore. When it drops into genuine promotional territory, however, very few comparable Seoul hotels offer that much space, scenery and resort atmosphere for the money.
For an overseas visitor asking me for one particularly Korean luxury-hotel experience, I would still point first toward The Shilla Seoul.
That does not mean my own 2019 stay was flawless. Quite the opposite. My service experience was the largest reason it stopped at 8.5/10 despite excellent rooms, food and facilities. Other guests may reasonably evaluate the hotel very differently, and seven years is far too long for me to treat every service observation from that stay as current.
In fact, if budget were not a concern, The Shilla would now be the first of these four I would revisit, precisely because I want to see how the experience has evolved.
Lotte would probably come next, especially after its 2026 relaunch and because I remember its lounge favorably. I have already returned to Walkerhill repeatedly, while I know Westin Josun well enough that another stay feels less urgent.
That is a personal return-visit order, not a ranking.
These hotels serve different trips.
Final Verdict
Seoul’s classic luxury hotels have survived not because they offer the same experience, but because each still does something distinctly well.
The Shilla turns the hotel itself into part of the destination.
Walkerhill uses landscape and space in a way few Seoul hotels can reproduce.
The Westin Josun combines history with the practical familiarity of an international hotel system.
And THE GRAND LOTTE SEOUL represents the scale and ambition of Korea’s own flagship hotel industry—now entering a newly renovated chapter.
The best choice depends less on which hotel is the most luxurious and more on what you want your Seoul stay to feel like.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which classic luxury hotel in Seoul is best for a first-time visitor?
There is no single answer, but The Westin Josun Seoul and THE GRAND LOTTE SEOUL are the easiest choices for travelers who want to stay in the center of Seoul and spend much of their time sightseeing, shopping and dining outside the hotel.
Which hotel is best for Marriott Bonvoy elite members?
The Westin Josun Seoul. Marriott currently provides Westin Club access to eligible Platinum, Titanium and Ambassador Elite members, making it the most compelling of these four for travelers already invested in Marriott Bonvoy.
Which hotel offers the most distinctly Korean luxury experience?
The Shilla Seoul. Its Korean ownership, Yeong Bin Gwan, long-standing prestige and strong domestic F&B reputation give it a more distinct sense of Korean luxury identity than the other three.
Which is the best resort-style hotel in Seoul?
Grand Walkerhill Seoul. Its large grounds between Mount Acha and the Han River create a noticeably more resort-like atmosphere than the three downtown-oriented hotels.
Which hotel offers the best value?
Grand Walkerhill Seoul can offer exceptional value when discounted. I would not automatically call it the best value at every rate, but when promotional prices fall well below the newer luxury hotels in Seoul, it becomes extremely easy to recommend.
Is Lotte Hotel Seoul still called Lotte Hotel Seoul?
No. As of August 14, 2026, Lotte Hotel Seoul officially relaunched as THE GRAND LOTTE SEOUL following renovation and rebranding. Existing reviews of Lotte Hotel Seoul—including my own—therefore describe the hotel before this latest change.
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