The Westin Josun Seoul Hotel

The Westin Chosun was established in 1914 as, simply, the Chosun Hotel, named for the dynasty that had ruled Korea for five centuries. It was a smallish but grand affair, a four-story European-style hotel with a Louis XVII living room and elevators from New York. This was the new center of Korean tourism, its first Western-style hotel, and introduced such Western cultural novelties as ice cream and dance parties.

It has been a long nine decades since then, and Seoul is now as modern and cosmopolitan as any other world capital — and though the Westin Chosun's name and silhouette have changed, its position has not. This is the city's top business hotel, located deep in the heart of the traditional downtown area on the north side of the Han river, within walking distance of almost all possible business destinations, from banks and government offices to historic landmarks and shopping districts.

Guest rooms are the city's largest, and though recently renovated, they have retained their idiosyncratic character — somewhere between all-out Far East set design and buttoned-up European elegance, they are a million miles from the beige standard one expects from a business hotel chain. And the rest of the facilities are no less impressive; the business center and conference rooms are stat-of-the-art, and guests have access to the City Athletic Club. There are no fewer than eight restaurants, including not only Japanese, Italian and French options but the ever-popular O'Kim's Irish Pub & Sports Bar as well.