At the heart of the oppas rich K-drama CEOs neighborhood, there’s a Hyatt hotel that is clearly a visual/cultural representation of what fancy life in Korea is like. Money attracts money — just look at the entourage of cars in the valet lobby.
Booking
Since this a special trip, I decided to book a standard suite directly. It’s a good reminder that there are sometimes more than one option to book a Hyatt suite with points.
Option 1 is to book a suite directly. Since this is a category 5, it requires 32,000 pts.
Option 2 is to book a suite with cash + points. In this case, it was $331 + 6000 points
Contrary to what most readers here think, I don’t have limitless amounts of points. Since the $331 room rate is quite attractive for a suite, I decided to choose Option 2 for this redemption.
Surprise Upgrade (Premium Suite)
I think the last time we got a surprise upgrade is at St. Regis New York to the Madison Suite. It’s been 7 years since that stay and I still remember it vividly. This moment is no different. Upon walking in, the hotel surprised me with the Andaz Large Suite! It is a 1000+ square ft room. My jaws dropped seeing the waterfall kitchen island.
We spent a good amount of time chilling in the living and dining room. Life imitates art. We flew all the way to Korea just to watch K-dramas.
After you pass the living room and hallway, there’s a sliding door that enters the master bedroom with terrace views.
And a gorgeous marble on marble on marble bathroom.
A handwritten thoughtful note from the front desk… thank you Ms. Lee 🙂 I love personal touches like this
Overall, Andaz Gangnam was a perfect stay. Nestled in the fancy district of Seoul, it’s the “see to be seen” place ideal for first timers in Korea. The Andaz Large Suite is designed to host big groups and we took full advantage of it by maximizing its living/dining room space. The hotel’s surprise upgrade (special shoutout to Elin Lee) is an intimate touch that definitely makes this stay next level.
Chai Bear World 