Is this luxe hotel the ultimate key to unlocking the best of Seoul?

Apr 08, 2026

If you want to uncover the very best Seoul has to offer, book a stay at this luxury hotel.

Seoul continues to stoke travellers’ wanderlust with its blend of beautifully preserved palaces and temples, incredible innovation (from K-beauty to tech) and a world-class food (and drinking) scene. The Four Seasons Hotel Seoul celebrated its 10th anniversary last year and continues to evolve its offering, cementing the local-infused luxury hotel’s position as a vibrant microcosm of the dynamic Korean capital.

This sleek and stylish city bolthole has successfully created an entire world within its walls – from award-winning bars that whisk you away to another era and blow your mind with creative cocktails, to a sublime spa offering traditional Korean wellness treatments; from ever-changing art and floral installations, to a palate-thrilling array of dining offerings (think Michelin-starred Cantonese, a gold-standard breakfast buffet and iconic Korean desserts).

True to the Four Seasons playbook, what really sets this place apart are the details – from the K-beauty eye-masks left on your pillow, to in-room chocolates infused with a kick of Korean chilli, and artworks from renowned chef Akira Back’s very own mum in his namesake restaurant. Four Seasons Hotel Seoul acts as a key to the (at first glance, overwhelming) city, unlocking its secrets so you can soak it up in whatever time you’ve got.

First impressions

In a nutshell: sleek, utterly luxurious, and brimming with local character. From the moment I enter the calmly glowing, soaring-ceilinged lobby and lounge on our first night, I feel transported. Four Seasons has a knack for combining reassuring luxury mainstays (their discreet, nothing-too-much-trouble service is always a highlight) with a distinct local flavour, and this Seoul outpost is no exception: with stunning, colour-saturated artworks from Gallery Mondeouvert depicting nature through the seasons, and eye-bogglingly beautiful floral installations softening the clean lines of the architecture. We’re quickly checked in and I’m soon ensconced in my Deluxe King room, ordering excellent bibimbap and a mountain of crunchy Korean fried chicken from the room service menu. It’s the perfect start to a Seoul sojourn.

Location, location, location

Centrally located in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun district, the 317-room hotel places you smack-bang within walking distance of attractions including Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village. I love pressing the bedside button each morning to open the blinds of my floor-to-ceiling windows, revealing the busy city skyline punctuated by calm pockets of temple roofs and greenery; while sipping coffee in the Executive Club Lounge one morning, I gawp at the Gyeongbokgung Palace, framed by beautiful mountains beyond.

Heritage meets high-end design

Room and suites are modelled on Joseon-era scholar’s study, combining cosiness with clean lines and mod-cons to create a soothing city oasis that comes to feel like home (especially with the addition of lush touches like Diptyque toiletries and local Korean ales).

Cappuccino and latte tones are livened by patterned blue carpets, their design inspired by the latticework of traditional Korean wooden window frames. In-room lighting – a key bugbear when luxury hotels fail to hit the mark – is nicely nuanced, soft where needed and brighter when helpful, especially in the spacious bathroom. There’s also a separate, suitably bells-and-whistles toilet, walk-in-robe, with a desk and lounge in the main bedroom. (The three-bed penthouse is so spectacularly plush that Kanye West extended his stay here when in town.)

Each restaurant and dining area is beautifully conceived and heightens the diverse range of food on offer – no cookie-cutter hotel dining here. Highlights include the moodily-lit, glamourous speakeasy-style den that is Charles H. with its glossy-leathered banquettes, polished tile walls and air of hush-hush decadence; and the airy, light-filled elegance of Akira Back, complete with stunning double-height wooden partitions.

Don’t miss the Market Kitchen for breakfast, a sweeping smorgasbord boasting live cooking stations and gorgeous displays of food both local and international in flavour (the punchy kimchi is delicious with congee; the Earl Gray Danishes a sticky, perfectly-baked delight, and the 24-karat gold fountain of flowing, melted chocolate will tempt sweet-tooths of all ages). In a neat little vignette of how history and modernity mingle beautifully here, I watch, slightly bemused, as a kitchen-helper robot zooms over the reinforced glass floor, which showcases the historical remains of a Joseon-era house underneath. Very cool.

Drinking and dining

With a compelling array of options within the hotel itself, you could easily forget that one of the world’s most exciting food cities lies right outside the hotel’s doors – happily, with a bit of planning (and perhaps some loose-fitting clothing) you can indulge in both.

The aforementioned Charles H. (which made the extended list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025) has recently unveiled the H. Bar – The Lab of Fine Drinking: a tucked-away, 8-seat cocktail experience featuring nifty techniques and seasonal Korean ingredients.

Don’t miss the sleek, neon light-accented OUL Bar, where my smoky ‘K-Negroni’ is superb, and we sample some mind (and palate)-bending cocktails – the Seoul Mule features garlic butter vodka, citrus, garlic honey and ginger seltzer, the bartender explaining it came to him in a dream (likely, he says, inspired by the scents wafting from the Italian restaurant Boccalino right next door). It’s surprisingly good: somehow fresh in an umami-rich, smoot-mouthfeel way (don’t miss the kimchi rice crackers, like grown-up, savoury rice-bubble treats).

Boccalino’s the go for Italian dishes like pappardelle with braised short rib, which is meltingly tender after eight hours of cooking. In gorgeous, jade green-accented surrounds, Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Yu Yuan does a delicious Peking Duck – glossy, caramel-coloured skin cracking to reveal the tender meat – alongside dishes like double-boiled dried fig soup with Jeongeup black chicken (which boasts a deeply meaty, almost gamey flavour). Modern Japanese fusion restaurant Akira Back is famed for its tuna pizza, alongside a greatest hits set menu featuring a Hanwoo taco with bulgogi sauce and tomato ponzu, crab fried rice and miso soup, and green tea tart with green tea ganache and barley ice cream.

K-wellness with a twist

K-beauty is no secret (I drop a small fortune at Olive Young), but K-wellness is an unexpected revelation for me after I sign up for a traditional Korean scrub treatment amidst the serenity of the hotel’s spa. Here, the sauna smells beautifully of proper wood and with its ethereally glowing pink salt wall, serves as a contemplative cocoon with views over the buzzing street scenes below. A series of pools at different temperatures sets the scene for a relaxed time-out session after a huge day spent exploring (and racking up the step count).

It’s when I venture into the little room complete with stone slab that I start to feel a little nervous. After disrobing – completely – I lie on the slab and commence to be arranged and rearranged like a hapless rag doll as my diminutive therapist scrubs, soaps and hoists buckets of warm water over me. As my prudishness subsides, a warm glow starts to take over (think exhilarating rather than traditionally relaxing), and I emerge with skin like a newborn baby and an intense sense of wellbeing. It’s only been a few days in Seoul, but rarely have I felt a hotel bring a city to life so vividly within its own walls.

Nikki Wallman was a guest of Four Seasons Hotel Seoul. See fourseasons.com/seoul