Hilton Gyeongju

Decent. The place itself is fine and I actually liked the view onto the amusement park, with the trees and riverside. For its (relatively low) price, it was very decent, but I'd struggle to find something I really liked about it.

The check-in experience was one of the worst I've seen. The ticketing system was confusing, it was crowded, they put us in a waiting room which did not have A/C despite the very hot weather, and there seemed to be only one desk open for a while despite the crowd and a lot of staff just hanging around visibly doing nothing. Also, use of the facilities came as extras, which makes you feel unwelcome. The drinks and food were also very expensive by Korean standards. Quality-wise, what we had was very average at best. The location was actually pretty far from the main attractions and streets of historical Gyeongju; this was mostly my fault for not checking thoroughly though. If you are planning to go there during a hot month, the walk along the river/lake to the historical centre is not really feasible, although taxis are plenty.

また泊まりたい

Well, we did arrive an hour early for check in. We just wanted to ask if we can still check in and if not wanted to leave our luggage while we walk around the lake. I took the ticket and waited in line and there were two staff members working at the time. The female staff member was helping someone and the male staff member was doing some administrative work. He looked up and saw me waiting and he seemed to frown at me then he said he could not check us in yet and told me to come back at 3. I was shocked by his response and didn’t know how to respond. He saw me still standing there and gestured to come to the desk then asked for my name and passport. Once he realized that we are gold members he proceeded to check us in. However he seemed very irritated! He said he gave us an upgrade for the room but not the executive room nor the lake view. That is not an upgrade at all! I did politely asked him if we can be upgraded to an executive room he responded by saying in a disgruntled manner that only the diamond members would be upgraded to an executive room. I told him we had received an executive room upgrade in Seoul and Japan but he didn’t seem to care. Then loudly he said that you are using the points to stay here so you don’t have to pay for anything! I believe the hotel gets reimbursed by the corporate. Anyways the hotel needs some renovations and I would not waste my points here. Three stars for other staff members and the location.

Good

I had a great sleep in this hotel. We were here with the family, and they are situated next to a lake, and the lake boulevard is very good for taking long romantic strolls. They have a huge kids play club house and manicured gardens. Large, expansive breakfast buffet and 7 on-site restaurants. Very close to the KPop Museum. Around 30 minutes to Seokguram and Bulguksa Temple. Very conveniently located. The hotel crew is warm, pleasant and accomodative. The best experience is taking a walk alongside the lake, with great views and greenery.

Some wet unpleasant smell in the Lobby. Price in restaurants are extremely high

Clean and well updated hotel.