JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul

Character and identity

Set across from Heunginjimun Gate, one of Seoul's surviving historic gates, this 170-room property pairs a contemporary full-service hotel with a vantage onto old Seoul. The lobby is anchored by a Bahk Seon Ghi acrylic-and-thread installation overhead and marble check-in desks below, and the scale stays deliberately boutique-feeling for a JW. Expect a studio-style room product with floor-to-ceiling windows that climb into skylights, an indoor pool and spa, plus Tavolo 24's strong all-day buffet, BLT Steak across the hall, and The Griffin, an 11th-floor rooftop bar with live jazz. It was the country's first LEED Gold hotel.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The real reason to book here is the combination of a genuinely distinctive room product and a location that puts you opposite a piece of Seoul's history rather than another office tower. Spend up for an Executive Sky View room to get the skylight windows and lounge privileges, and time a drink at The Griffin around a live jazz night.