Hotels & accommodation

The Shilla Seoul

The Leading Hotels of the World · Hotel Shilla’s five-star flagship on a wooded hill in Jangchung-dong, opened in 1979 on the site of the state guest house

The Shilla Seoul stands on a wooded hill in Jangchung-dong, Jung-gu, on the grounds of Yeong Bin Gwan, the former state guest house where Korea received visiting heads of state. The hotel opened in 1979 and its red-brick tower, fronted by lawns and a traditional pavilion, has been a Seoul landmark ever since — a quiet, green compound at the foot of Namsan, minutes from Dongdaemun and Myeongdong yet screened from the city by its own gardens.

The hotel has 464 rooms and suites. Interiors mix contemporary Korean design with traditional motifs — latticework, muted stone and warm timber — and rooms look either over the gardens and Namsan or across the rooftops of Jung-gu. Larger suites add separate living rooms and, on the executive floors, access to a private lounge.

Dining is a large part of the hotel’s reputation. La Yeon serves Korean fine dining and has been recognised by the Michelin Guide; The Parkview is the hotel’s all-day buffet restaurant, Ariake covers Japanese and Eight Chinese, and the Library bar and the hotel’s pastry boutique are fixtures of Seoul’s social calendar.

Behind the tower, the grounds hold a sculpture garden and Urban Island, the hotel’s outdoor pool deck, along with a spa, fitness club and walking paths that climb towards the old city wall on Namsan. It is the combination — a full-scale resort’s facilities inside the capital’s historic centre — that makes The Shilla the city’s default grand hotel.

• 249 Dongho-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul — on the Jangchung-dong hill below Namsan
• 464 rooms and suites, many overlooking the gardens or the city wall trail
• Opened in 1979 on the site of Yeong Bin Gwan, the former state guest house
• Home to La Yeon (Korean fine dining), The Parkview, Ariake and Eight restaurants
• Urban Island outdoor pool, spa and sculpture garden; member of The Leading Hotels of the World

Visit the property — The Shilla Seoul shillahotels.com

This featured showcase is an editorial selection by our editors. We have not stayed at this property and it is not a paid placement; no rating is implied. Paid placements never influence the South Korea liveability score, safety rating or warnings.