On the way to Melbourne, I would have a few stops along the way on my award ticket.  My second stop would be Seoul where I chose to stay at the Hyatt Regency Incheon, an airport hotel, for the overnight layover.  Not familiar with Hyatt, I had no idea what to expect.

Location

The Hyatt Regency Icheon is conveniently located on the airport grounds but not walkable so you need to take the shuttle, which runs every 20 minutes to the hotel.  The shuttle sign can be easily missed after a long overnight flight (it was by me on first look).  It is located across from the smoking outdoor room which looked like a smoke filled box (strange to me).  The ride to the hotel is a quick 3 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check-In/Lobby

Walking into the hotel after a fourteen hour flight, I was exhausted and surprised by the upscale lobby.  Not exactly what I imagined my “airport” hotel would be.  There were four of us on the shuttle and as we approached the check in desk there were two staff which quickly grew to three to check us in with little wait time. When it was my turn, the associate verified my 9 a.m. morning flight and indicated that I could leave at 7 a.m. on the shuttle (I chose to leave at 6:30 am as I was not familiar with the airport and wanted a bit of extra time despite flying business class).  He did offer to upgrade me to club level (additional cost) which I declined as I would not use the club amenities (dining room & lounge).  My rate was 250,000 KRW, approximately $233 US before taxes. Internet in-room and lobby access are free.

Hotel Room

My room was located on the club level and I would pass the private dining room (which was pretty full at 7 pm).  My room looked exactly like the standard king room on the website except it was darker. I would have preferred an overhead light in the middle of the room rather than just wall and desk lights but considering I was trying to adjust to jet lag and it was nighttime, the low light probably was better for me to fall easily into sleep. The room was large with a separate desk as well as storage and a separate coffee/tea area. The bed was comfortable but not quite heavenly.

Bathroom

The bathroom felt spacious given the clear glass window with shades which looked out to the bedroom. The lighting was bright and the sink area ample with two complimentary bottles of water. The toiletries were inside a decorative box on the countertop.

Restaurant 8

The hotel has an interesting concept to the restaurant – it is eight restaurants in one.  The design is so cool and there are small steps to take you to different alcoves of the restaurant.  If you think the Cheesecake Factory menu has too many options, you will definitely be lost here as everything you could want is on the menu, well on the eight menus that you get in the menu book.  The foods choices are French Cafe, Deli, Italian Cucina, Grill, Yakitori Grill & Sake Library, Sushi, Chinese style Noodles & BBQ and Desserts.  The tables around me had wood grilled pizza, sushi, sandwiches and pasta – I was tempted to try them all. The wine & drinks list was also a plethora of choice.

I chose gnocchi, bread, a glass of red and of course a chocolate dessert – all of which were fantastic. The service was top notch attentive throughout my meal without being intrusive.  There was continual service coverage if you needed anything.

Room Service

With an early departure, my only breakfast option was 24 hour room service.  I ordered using the door hangtag.  My food arrived on time and was just what I needed before my day of flying to Singapore.

Overall

The hotel has many amenities that I didn’t get to use such as the pool, gym, spa, a karoke bar and a casino – more than enough for any stay.  A mark of luxury for me is service and the service was stellar.  Staff were consistently attentive in the lobby, restaurant and throughout the hotel. My overnight stay was a pleasant surprise as I expected to just crash and leave but was able to enjoy a good sleep, great food and a soothing environment.