L’Escape, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Myeongdong

Well trained staff

Expensive but awesome and that's what you'd expect.

We had an excellent experience at this hotel. Its central location was perfect, allowing us to conveniently access all the main attractions and enjoy the surroundings with ease. From the moment we arrived, everything was perfectly organized and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. We were especially delighted to receive a complimentary upgrade to a junior suite, which made our stay even more comfortable and memorable. The room was spacious, beautifully maintained, and equipped with everything we needed. What truly stood out was the exceptional service: the staff was consistently friendly, professional, and attentive to every detail. Overall, everything was amazing and exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend this hotel and would gladly return in the future.

Having stayed in Seoul before and experienced a more standard, modern hotel room, we thought we’d try something a bit different and would perhaps be more of an experience whilst also giving a relaxing night during our layover. Unfortunately, what we got was far from this. While most people rave about L’Escape’s unique, bougie style and its bold French-inspired decor, for us, the atmosphere felt more eerie than elegant. The dark, moody lighting and intense design choices created a vibe that was better suited to a thriller movie or a brothel than a hotel room meant for unwinding. The room itself, though stylish, wasn’t as comfortable as we’d hoped. The shower had a full glass window looking directly into the bedroom, offering no privacy and making the whole layout feel awkward and exposed, with lots of dark shadowy areas. The lighting system was also very strange and aided the whole murder-y vibe. As we explored further, we couldn’t help but notice stains on the walls and on the sofa at the end of the bed. In the hallway, the protruding lamps had clearly been knocked into repeatedly and were held in place with tape that had been painted over to blend with the wall — a clear sign they’d taken a lot of damage. What really threw us off, though, was the in-room speaker system. We assumed it was just for playing music and requesting amenities etc, but whilst talking in bed, it randomly triggered itself, giving us a response. That’s when we realised it was always listening — similar to Apple HomePod, Alexa or a Google Home. We couldn’t find a way to mute or disable it, and in a private hotel room, it left us feeling quite uncomfortable and uneasy. The TV also being put behind a mirror made this even more so considering concerns around hidden cameras and general hidden devices in hotel rooms. Even checkout wasn’t a smooth experience. We were told at check-in that a room inspection would be necessary due to us using a debit card for deposit. So we used the in-room checkout system to save time, but this told us to contact the front desk. When we got to the front desk, we were told it would take just five minutes. However, it stretched to over 20 minutes, which led to a series of delays. We just missed the subway, which meant a 10 minute wait, this subsequently made us miss three airport trains — including the express service we’d planned as a backup — and almost missed our flight altogether (partially our own fault for expecting to get to the airport around 1hr30mins before the flight, but equally this delay meant we ended up getting to the airport 50 minutes before). We planned around an issue with the subway, as it is around a 15 minute walk to Seoul station, but because of the 20 minute room check this eroded even that additional time. While L’Escape is undoubtedly unique and boasts an upscale, bougie vibe that many guests enjoy, our stay felt more uncomfortable than charming with a dirty, brothel like vibe. The location was convenient, and the design certainly makes a statement, but the overall experience was not the relaxing escape we were hoping for.