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Which to choose · Seoul

The Shilla or Josun Palace, Seoul?

The Shilla, opened in 1979, sits on the slope of Namsan with the Yeong Bin Gwan banquet house in its grounds; Josun Palace, opened in 2021, takes floors 27 to 35 of a Gangnam tower on Teheran-ro, carrying on the Josun name of 1914 with art deco interiors by Humbert & Poyet. The Shilla is grounds, pools and La Yeon; Josun Palace is city views, newer rooms and Gangnam.

THE SHILLA Seoul

Jangchung-dong, Seoul

THE SHILLA Seoul

Opened 1979 · 464 rooms

Josun Palace, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Gangnam

Gangnam, Seoul

Josun Palace, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Gangnam

Opened 2021 · 210 rooms

In short

Choose the Shilla for grounds, two pools on the slope of Namsan and La Yeon's two MICHELIN stars; choose Josun Palace for Gangnam, newer rooms high in a tower and Eatanic Garden on the 36th floor. The Shilla's hourly shuttles run to Myeongdong.

  • A family

    THE SHILLA Seoul

    The heated Urban Island outdoor pool with a kids' pool from March to mid-November, and the Korean Suite with floor seating.

  • A business trip in Gangnam

    Josun Palace, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Gangnam

    On Teheran-ro, ten minutes' walk from Yeoksam station.

  • Korean cooking

    THE SHILLA Seoul

    La Yeon, Korean tasting menus with two MICHELIN stars.

THE SHILLA Seoul

Choose THE SHILLA Seoul for

  • La Yeon, Korean tasting menus with two MICHELIN stars
  • An indoor pool under a glass dome facing Namsan, and the heated Urban Island outdoor pool from March to mid-November
  • The Korean Suite, the hotel's only ondol room with floor seating

Josun Palace, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Gangnam

Choose Josun Palace, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Gangnam for

  • In Gangnam, on Teheran-ro, 10 minutes' walk from Yeoksam station
  • Rooms from 44 sq m high in the tower; the Grand Masters Bay has a bench bed set into the window
  • Eatanic Garden, contemporary Korean with a MICHELIN star on the 36th floor, and a 25-metre pool over the Gangnam towers

Side by side

Where
Jangchung-dong
Gangnam
Opened
1979
2021
Last renovated
2013
–
Rooms
464, 36 of them suites
210, 44 of them suites
Room sizes
36–53 sq m
44–57.1 sq m
Restaurants and bars
8
5
Pool
Yes
Yes
Hot spring
–
–
Awards
1 MICHELIN Key, Forbes 5 stars
1 MICHELIN Key, Forbes 4 stars
Design
–
Humbert & Poyet
Airport
Incheon is about 1 hour 30 minutes by taxi or about 2 hours by the 6702 airport bus or rail
Incheon (ICN) is about 90 minutes by taxi and Gimpo (GMP) about 60
Brand
The Shilla
The Luxury Collection
Booked through us
Our own perks
Marriott STARS

The rooms

THE SHILLA Seoul

Which to book. Below suite level, the Grand Corner Deluxe (51 sq m, floors 7–17) is the largest standard room, with two windows; the Superior Suite looks straight over Yeong Bin Gwan, and families do well in the Korean Suite, the only ondol room in the hotel.

Josun Palace, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Gangnam

Which to book. The Grand Masters Bay is the room to ask for below suite level: at 57 sq m it has a bench bed built into the window for the panoramic city view, where the State, Masters and Grand Masters rooms are sold with a standard city view. Grand Masters rooms and above also include the sauna, which State and Masters rooms do not.

The first room

THE SHILLA Seoul

Deluxe

Deluxe

36 sq m · Namsan, city or Yeong Bin Gwan view · floors 7–22; king or twin

Josun Palace, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Gangnam

State

State

44 sq m · city view · floors 27–35, king bed

The room to ask for

THE SHILLA Seoul

Grand Corner Deluxe

Grand Corner Deluxe

51 sq m · Namsan or city view · floors 7–17; corner room with two windows; king

Josun Palace, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Gangnam

Grand Masters

Grand Masters

56.2 sq m · city view · king or two queens; larger bathroom and separate powder room

The largest suite

THE SHILLA Seoul

Presidential Suite

Presidential Suite

290 sq m and 380 sq m · Namsan and city view · 22nd floor; North Wing in French style with sauna, South Wing modern; two bedrooms each

Josun Palace, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Gangnam

Josun Grand Masters Suite

Josun Grand Masters Suite

411.5 sq m · panoramic city view · 35th floor; dining room, home bar, dressing room and office

Dining

THE SHILLA Seoul

  • La Yeon · Korean fine dining · 23rd floor

  • Continental · modern French restaurant · 23rd floor

  • Ariake · Japanese restaurant

  • Palsun · Cantonese restaurant

  • The Parkview · all-day buffet restaurant

  • The Library · lounge and bar

  • The Distillers Library · whisky bar

  • Pastry Boutique · bakery

Josun Palace, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Gangnam

  • Eatanic Garden · contemporary Korean restaurant · 36th floor

  • The Great Hong Yuan · Chinese fine dining · 36th floor

  • Constans · buffet restaurant · 24th floor · breakfast, lunch and dinner

  • 1914 Lounge & Bar · lounge and bar · 24th floor · afternoon tea

  • Josun Deli · deli · 24th floor

The spa and the pool

THE SHILLA Seoul

A 25-metre indoor pool under a glass dome facing Namsan, with indoor and outdoor jacuzzis and a dry sauna; Urban Island, a heated outdoor pool with cabanas and kids' pool open March to mid-November; a gym, indoor golf range and the Clé de Peau Beauté Spa.

Josun Palace, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Gangnam

The Josun Wellness Club on the 26th floor has a 25-metre indoor pool looking over the Gangnam towers, a fitness centre with city views, a sauna and a Pilates studio.

Where they are

The two stand 6.9 km apart, as the crow flies.

THE SHILLA Seoul

On the slope of Namsan

  • Incheon Airport

    90 min by taxi

  • Incheon Airport

    120 min by bus, 6702 airport bus; rail takes about as long

  • Gimpo Airport

    60 min by taxi

Josun Palace, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Gangnam

On Teheran-ro in Gangnam, in the Center Field West tower

  • Yeoksam station

    10 min on foot, Line 2, Exit 8

  • Seolleung station

    15 min on foot, Line 2 and Suin-Bundang line, Exit 5

  • Gimpo Airport

    60 min by taxi

  • Incheon Airport

    90 min by taxi

The building

THE SHILLA Seoul

Opened on 8 March 1979 by Hotel Shilla, with the main building and Yeong Bin Gwan, now the banquet house, side by side. The Library lounge is by Peter Remedios and Ariake by the Japanese designer Ueki Kanji.

Josun Palace, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Gangnam

Interiors by the European design duo Humbert & Poyet, reinterpreting the 1900s Josun Hotel in an art deco register; the hotel occupies the upper floors of the Center Field West tower and opened in 2021. The Josun Hotel itself opened in Sogong-dong in 1914.

Booked through us

THE SHILLA Seoul

THE SHILLA Seoul

Our own perks

  • A room upgrade on arrival where one is free

  • Breakfast for two each day

  • A hotel credit to spend on dining or the spa

  • Early check-in or late checkout when the hotel can give it

Josun Palace, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Gangnam

Josun Palace, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Gangnam

Marriott STARS

  • A room upgrade on arrival when one is available

  • Daily breakfast for two

  • A US$100 hotel credit each stay

  • Early check-in and late checkout when available

On the hotel's flexible public rate.

Become a client

Still deciding? Tell us your dates and what matters most, and we will say which we would choose, and book it at the hotel’s own rate with the perks above.

Questions

Josun Palace, at 231 Teheran-ro, 10 minutes' walk from Exit 8 of Yeoksam station on Line 2. The Shilla is in Jung-gu, by Dongguk University station, with hotel shuttles to Myeongdong and Dongdaemun.

Josun Palace: its State rooms are 44 sq m, against 36 sq m for the Shilla's Deluxe. At the Shilla the Grand Corner Deluxe, at 51 sq m, is the largest below suite level.

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