Hotel The Designers (Seoul, South Korea)

There’s a friendly atmosphere, helped along by the fact that a number of staff members can speak English.

The hotel; well, it’s a motel really, is in a very quiet yet convenient location. If the budget can stretch to it, the top floor suites provide the best accommodation, coupled with truly spectacular views.

You aren’t stranded in the middle of nowhere here. There are plenty of shops and restaurants nearby. There’s even a useful 7-Eleven store just across the road from the hotel.

Air conditioning only activates at all when you return and insert your access card. When  heat and humidity levels reduce from excruciatingly unbearable to just unbearable, it cuts out! There’s a lack of hot water, just when you need it, first thing in the morning. This must be the HQ for the city’s mosquito colony; there are thousands of them. Double beds aren’t too bad but single beds are like sleeping on a pile of bricks.

Rooms are on the small side, but that’s a standard issue here. As a rule of thumb; the cheaper you go, the smaller the room gets. Rooms aren’t cleaned or tidied unless you make a request for them to do so. There are rumours that towels and bed linen used to be white. Now they are unpleasantly discoloured and stained.

There are many guest stories relating to shower water being unable to drain away. Instead, water overflows into the bedroom. This seems to be a regular problem. There are only two elevators in the entire hotel. Prepare for long waiting times.