KKevin AngWe stayed in Urbanstay Ikseon for 4 nights in the 2 room family suite. It was sufficiently big for the price that we paid but the location is fantastic. Next to the hotel was a CU25 convenience store and just 1-2 mins away you would hit the hanok section of Ikseon-dong. I like that the hotel is at the quieter side of Ikseon, not the rowdier side (near Insadong). It is very walkable to Insadong, and with some effort, you could walk to Gyeongbukgong ( approx 2km away)
The Check In process is through door codes which is sent to your registered email. Once you have confirmed the booking, look out for the message from Urbanstay to register your email address. Once you registered, you have the option to add-on early check in/late check out. If you just want to leave your luggage, there is a shared luggage storage area that is also accessible by door code. There is no counter staff throughout the stay, but they do leave behind email and phone numbers for 24/7 support; The signs are also sufficiently place in English. I did not have any issue with the check in as it was all displayed in my email. I hope they rotate their door codes
The interior fits my expectation - No frills, just the essential. The washing machine is also a dryer, so u can put your laundry to wash+dry and wake up to fresh clothes the next day. They provided the necessary soap/detergent/shampoo, even facial cleanser. The bed was comfortable and each area had its own A/C. I also liked that the sink was not in the toilet itself and there was also a dedicated kitchen sink. For the 2nd room, they provided a futon bed. If you booked the same as mine, the futon bed can fit nicely in the main bedroom too, once you removed the clothing rack. For us, the clothing rack worked nicely in the living room as a coat hanger as well. The bed and sofa were quite clean and comfortable; we had some good late mornings as a result of that bed.
What I hope they had done was to provide curtains for the bedroom. The blinds were quite worn out and they don't block out sunlight. So the bedroom gets quite bright once the sun is up. I wish they had provided the same curtains that were there for the living room. There was some smell in the 2nd bedroom; we did not use it, but you could smell it once the aircon was turned on. They provided a air refreshener, but not sure if it is just as an added service or it was because of the small in 2nd bedroom. I also wished that they had at least 1 counter staff in the evening or a security guard as one of the nights, around 12am, we saw some old guy lurking outside the secured door. He was fiddling with some brochures at 12am on a weekday; It would be good if Urbanstay can look into their security, given they are located in a quieter part of the Ikseon-dong neighbourhood.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this to my friends and consider staying here the next time I am in Seoul. It is no-frills but comfortable for a family traveller like myself.
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