Mondrian Seoul Itaewon Review

After enduring a two-hour delay, I was fortunate enough to sleep through the entire journey. Filled with excitement, I embarked on the car ride to Mondrian Seoul Itaewon, eagerly anticipating my stay. Unfortunately, upon our arrival to Mondrian Seoul Itaewon at approximately 18:40, the doorman seemed unhelpful and unfriendly. It was disheartening not to feel welcomed as we disembarked from the car and handled our own luggage.

Upon reaching the Mondrian Seoul Itaewon, it appeared deserted. We took the elevator to the lobby for check-in and inquired about food recommendations as we were famished. Regrettably, the Korean beef barbecue across the hotel, which was recommended, turned out to be disappointing. Nevertheless, I swiftly made my way to my room to change. However, the door seemed to have mixed up the luggage, and my bag ended up in my friend’s room instead. As someone who frequently travels and stays in hotels alone, feeling uncomfortable and experiencing a restless night was quite rare, the last comparable experience being at The Opposhit House.

The room at Mondrian Seoul Itaewon had a blurred glass feature. While showering, I thought I saw shadows moving, assuming it was a result of street lights. However, when I realised the curtains were fully closed, I tried not to let it bother me and positioned myself with my back turned away from the blurred glass, finishing my shower with my face against the wall.

On the first night, utterly exhausted from the long commute, I took sleeping supplements and aimed to have an early night. I went to bed around 22:00 but woke up around midnight due to the excessive heat in the room caused by the heating system. Attempting to cool down, I turned off the AC and opened the window. Struggling to fall back asleep, I felt an unsettling sensation of being watched, catching glimpses of flashing lights in my peripheral vision. After 30 minutes of unsuccessful attempts to sleep, my heart started racing, making it impossible to doze off. I resorted to taking two more melatonin pills in the hopes of finding some rest. Eventually, I managed to fall asleep again, only to be abruptly awakened at 03:30 by a loud “BAM” sound. Startled and drenched in sweat, I discovered that the significant slamming noise was caused by the window, possibly due to the wind. However, upon inspecting the curtain, I realised it wasn’t as windy outside as I had assumed. I called the reception to inquire about turning off the heater, but they informed me that it was centrally controlled and couldn’t be adjusted individually. To cool down, I took another shower and watched “The Devil Wears Prada” until the outside gradually brightened, allowing me to sleep for a few more hours.

The Haunting Intrusion

On the second night, I sought a solution for the heating issue, and the hotel kindly provided me with a fan. However, this posed a challenge for me, as I require complete darkness and silence to sleep. Thankfully, I spent the night out with friends, returning late to the hotel. Learning from the previous night’s experience, I placed a window stopper to prevent it from slamming shut. The next morning, around 10:22, despite displaying the “DO NOT DISTURB” sign, someone repeatedly attempted to enter my room while shouting in Korean, a language I didn’t understand. Fortunately, the locked door prevented unauthorised access. Already sleep-deprived from the previous night, this incident left me in a state of distress.

Reacting promptly to this unsettling incident, I immediately contacted the front desk to share my experience. Approximately 15 minutes later, I received a callback, revealing a shocking turn of events. Contrary to my initial assumption, it was not a housekeeper attempting to enter my room. Instead, another guest had mistakenly believed it was her room. It turned out that this guest had forgotten her room key and, without proper identity verification, sought assistance from the housekeeper to open the door. This incident profoundly disturbed me, as safety and privacy are paramount to me. Thankfully, I was able to contact the hotel management, and they empathised with my concerns, offering to change my room to ensure my sense of security.

Strange Happenings: The Haunting Melody

I was led to the Cabana Suite by Max from the front office team at Mondrian Seoul Itaewon. The suite had direct access to the outdoor pool, which I can imagine being a popular choice during the summer. However, I found it surprising that despite the suite being double the size of a regular room, the layout for the wardrobe, toilet, and shower remained the same. I would have expected a bathtub to be included in the suite. After Max showed me around the room, he suggested I visit the sauna to relax. I unpacked my suitcases, took some photos of the room, and then changed into my swimwear to go down to the sauna. Unfortunately, it was overcrowded, so I decided to have a quick workout session instead and returned to my room.

When I got back to the room, I noticed that the speaker was unplugged. I tried to plug it in and connect it to my phone, but I couldn’t find the speaker. After a few unsuccessful attempts, I gave up and used my phone for music instead.

Suddenly, I received a call from my friend in Hong Kong who mentioned seeing my social media story and feeling weird about it. He told me that the Mondrian Seoul Itaewon had a reputation for being  陰氣重, negative energy and asked how much longer I would be staying there. I told him that I was only staying for one more night; he warned me not to risk it and move hotel instead. 

I decided to take a shower, but as soon as the water started splashing, the speaker in the room suddenly played some K-pop music. It was eerie because the speaker wasn’t connected to my phone, and my phone was playing the soundtrack from “How To Train Your Dragon.” I got goosebumps from the experience and seriously considered moving to another hotel. However, due to various reasons, I decided to stay and tried to find a way to survive one more night. I opened the bottle of red wine provided by the hotel and jokingly said, “These are for you, please leave me alone for one night.” Surprisingly, that night I managed to get six hours of uninterrupted sleep.

I woke up around 06:00 and wanted to go to the gym and use the sauna when it would be less crowded. I asked the receptionist at the wellness center for access, and she gave me a locker key. However, when I entered the changing room, an old man who I assumed was the locker janitor started yelling and shouting at me, saying that no hotel guests were allowed. I tried to explain to him that I was told my room had access to the sauna, but he continued shouting in Korean, making it impossible to communicate with him. I asked him to accompany me to the wellness reception, but no one there seemed to understand or speak English. I requested to speak with the duty manager, but the receptionist informed me that they were off and refused to contact anyone else. Frustrated with the lack of assistance, I decided to go to the gym and work out to vent my grievances. After my workout and shower, I finished packing my bags around 11:00, intending to go out for an early lunch. I approached the receptionist and asked for a recommendation for a Korean BBQ place. According to Google, the restaurant was supposed to open at 11:30, so I asked the receptionist if they could make a reservation for me. However, the receptionist checked his phone and informed me that the restaurant was already open and that I could walk in. I double-checked, mentioning that Google stated it would open at 11:30, but he insisted it was already open. I took a cab and arrived at the restaurant at 11:15, only to find it closed until 11:30. The hotel staff members’ lack of knowledge and unhelpfulness left a negative impression on me. I have stayed at various hotels in Seoul, and this has been the worst experience so far.

During my stay, I visited the lobby bar and rooftop bar for food and drinks, but the quality was average at best. In terms of design, I didn’t enjoy the lobby’s constant blasting music, even at night. The excessive LED screens throughout the entire hotel, including inside the elevator, were also bothersome. The enclosed space with two LED screens was uncomfortable, and I could even feel the heat radiating from them with my eyes closed. This kind of blue-ray pollution is terrible for the skin. The gym had an appealing aesthetic at first glance, but the super bright white light pillar was distracting and hurt my eyes while working out. Even when running on the treadmill and looking down at the pool, the huge LED screen was a constant source of distraction. For me, a hotel should be a place to relax, and the constant city light pollution kept me restless throughout my stay.

In terms of location, the hotel is situated in Itaewon, but it’s not within walking distance of the shopping areas, bars, or restaurants. If I had to take a taxi regardless, there are much nicer places with better offerings in Seoul.

Address: 23 Jangmun-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea