I finally got to check-in at RYSE Hotel on my recent trip to Seoul. It’s a hotel I’ve been pinteresting quite a bit this past year for its extremely photogenic design. Pink resin floors, raw concrete walls, and dichroic filmed glasses: recipe for super trendy hotel. But that’s not all. RYSE is so much more than these snapshot and recommend it for your next Seoul plan.
RYSE is an Autograph Collection hotel from Marriott in Hongdae district of Seoul. Don’t be dissuaded by this if you’re not a Marriott fan; it has the charm and attitude of a thoughtful independent hotel. It’s designed by Michaelis Boyd, a renown London firm. The hotel has plenty of surprising design pairings: reflective and colorful flooring, warm textures of the steps, and raw concrete finish.
There’s the Tartine Coffee Bar, a San Francisco bakery, on the street level. I didn’t get a chance to try the bakery this time. Neither did I get to try out Long Chim, a Thai-restaurant, or Side Note Club, the hotel’s rooftop bar. I had made plans on other side of the city (Seoul is very large). I hear from a local friend that the bakery and Long Chim are both very good.
I was upgraded to Director Room! Who doesn’t get excited about upgrades? Room 1117 has amazing views of Hongdae, young and artistic district in the western part of Seoul.
Director Room is very spacious, with a proper 5-fixtures bathroom (His-and-Her sinks, toilet, rain shower, and a tub), a large chaise lounge, and a King-size bed. Terrazzo is the main material in the bathroom with colorful resin accent walls. I’m usually not a fan of the open-bathroom concept, physical or visual, but didn’t mind it here. Overall design is hip and artsy – not too trendy and perfect for a city stay.
The little details during my RYSE Hotel stay won me over. It’s clear the owner and the team gave plenty of thought to designing this to reflect the creative and edgy attitude of Hongdae and Seoul. In the room, there’s a hotel magazine that introduce happenings around the hotel. There are face masks as bathroom amenities for guests to recover from travel fatigue. The wardrobe comes with bathrobes designed by IISE, a local fashion brand, and a cubicle for your shoes. And they serve cold RYSE-brewed beer and snack as a welcome treat. This list goes on!
Hongdae is always in my Seoul itinerary if I’m there for more than a long weekend. I will be staying here again next time
- RYSE, Autograph Collection, Hongdae, Seoul
- Architecture by SCAAA
- ID by Michaelis Boyd and intg.
- From KRW192,000 or USD164 per night