Mercure Ambassador Seoul Hongdae

The hotel was very clean. It's right above Hongdae's walking street, and the soundproofing was good – not noisy at all. The guests were a mix of foreigners, Chinese, and Southeast Asians. The only downside was the room size; my 26-inch suitcase couldn't open fully, but a 22-inch one would be fine. We had to fully open one suitcase and half-open the other in the wardrobe area near the door. Then, at 12:17 PM, before we even went downstairs to check out, the front desk called and said, 'You need come down right now!' So, we rushed downstairs. As for smoking, during the day, there were many young people gathered at the intersection near the hotel entrance, so we joined them. At night, you could just smoke freely in front of the hotel – no one bothered you.

The room's location is great, the bedding is comfortable, and the view is also very good. However, the air conditioning is terrible. It's fully automatic, constantly turning on and off, and the noise is incredibly loud, making it very difficult to get a good night's sleep. Often in the middle of the night, the AC would suddenly turn off on its own, making the room scorching hot. When I restarted it, the noise was astonishingly loud. Despite that, I must say that the hotel's location and everything else are fine and very convenient.

The front desk staff speaks English and is very friendly. The elevator requires a key card to go up, which feels very secure. I barely needed a travel adapter; there were plenty of outlets, so I could charge my phone, watch, and camera all at once. The twin room was spacious enough to open up my luggage. The Nespresso coffee machine and Bluetooth speaker were fantastic bonuses! On the first day, the mini-fridge was stocked with beer, chips, and other snacks. The room had a desk and bedside tables. The bathroom was wet/dry separated, and there were plenty of mirrors: a full-length mirror, a vanity mirror, and a regular mirror. The lighting was natural white, perfect for applying makeup. Body lotion, hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel were all provided, so I didn't need to bring my own. The only minor drawback was that the hairdryer wasn't very powerful. The hotel is about a 5-minute walk from the subway station. Exit 8 has an elevator, which is convenient if you have large luggage. Across from the hotel, there's a convenience store, BHC chicken, various restaurants, Olive Young, and Daiso – all incredibly close! It's super convenient for young people to shop and explore the Hongdae area.

The room was tiny; I couldn't even open my suitcase. The location was decent, quite lively at night, and very convenient for food, drinks, and shopping. It's right by Exit 9 of the Airport Express.