Half rest hostel Jongno Insa

We had a pleasant experience there. The room was very clean and comfortable, and the hotel is located very close to several landmarks. The only downside was that our room was on the 5th floor, so we had to carry our suitcases up from the 4th floor since the escalator only goes up to that level. However, the staff were very helpful and assisted us in carrying the luggage up.

We had a great stay at the Halfrest hostel….Perfect location close to Subway, walking distance to lots of interesting tourist attractions,to many restaurants to choose from. The staff are brilliant always chatting about your day & are very helpful

Clean, comfortable room with two single beds and private toilet and shower, very quiet despite being in a popular bar area. Walking distance form major attractions and staff very pilite and helpful.

They did not send me check-in information and there was no one at the front desk when I arrived. I was locked out of the building and had to stand in the alley surrounded by smokers with my bag until a kind guest let me in. I had messaged the host but received no reply. I was able to use the self check-in kiosk to get my room key (there was still no staff at the front desk, only a "be back later" sign) and saw I was in room B2, but I didn't see a building map or any information about where to find that room. The building had 6 floors (including a floor B2, which my room was not on) and I had to wander around looking for my room for a frustratingly long time. I eventually found it through an unmarked door, past some bathrooms, and down an incredibly hot hallway. The dorm rooms are located underground and it seems they don't run AC in the halls between the rooms, which are crowded with luggage bags and steamed from the open shower doors. The day AFTER my check-in, after I asked them again why I had not received check-in information, they sent me the building code and the message: “We will provide more detailed instructions on how to use the hostel on the day of your check-in,” which they never did send. They never apologized for failing to send me check-in information nor acknowledged their mistake in any way. It seems they rely on copy-pasted messages and do not actually customize their responses to guests. When I left the building (including when I went to check-out) there was usually no staff at the desk and there were guests waiting to be helped. I'm giving three stars because the mattress was comfortable, the hostel was close to transportation routes, and it was relatively clean (although there was a small hole in one of my towels, someone had removed their eyelash extensions and left them in the shower, and there was dried product stuck to the wall behind a sink). They also do provide some useful items like water and hair dryers. However, the customer service was awful; the pillow was uncomfortable; the room got too hot when sleeping; the dorms and shared spaces felt dark and cramped underground; the bags in the hallways made the small space more crowded; and the limited bathrooms, showers, and hair drying space got full during morning and night.