ザ プラザ ホテル ソウル

Forget any connotations of old-world glamour: staying at the Plaza means something a little different in Seoul than it does in New York. Built in 1976, and reopened in 2010, the property is located on the site where the Chosun Dynasty’s Jicheonsa Temple once stood. So maybe it just depends on your definition of old-world glamour.

Despite its massive size, the hotel was rebranded as a ‘luxury boutique hotel.’ The Plaza also calls itself Korea’s most exclusive hotel. It’s a lofty claim, and one they’re backing up with high-minded design concepts and a wide array of amenities. In an effort to go against the grain — the owners wanted to avoid the generic contemporary style typical of so many large hotels, including the original Plaza — the hotel enlisted the Italian designer Guido Ciompi to choose an inspired color palette and custom-made furniture, contemporary musicians to collaborate with an innovative sound design project, and a range of Korean artists and craftsmen to create the hotel’s one-of-a-kind art collection.

Even the most standard room, the Deluxe Double, is a product of the careful design scheme. The bed isn’t placed against the wall, but centered in the middle of the room and facing windows looking out over the city. The look is cool but colorful, and amenities are plentiful: a walk-in rain shower with bath products by Molton Brown (or by Hermes in the higher-end rooms and suites), a goose-down duvet, a Nespresso machine. The sophisticated steel-gray and white Presidential suite looks suitable for a modern-day James Bond, while the richly decorative Royal Suite was inspired by the look of a traditional European parlor.

The Plaza contains several fashionable dining venues, from the Japanese-style Murasaki and the Italian eatery Tuscany to the Seven Square buffet and the sultry Lounge, Ciompi’s signature space. The Seoul Plaza Fitness Club features a sleek swimming pool and an indoor golf practice range. Not that the hotel expects you to stay on the grounds all day and night: each guest room comes stocked, thoughtfully, with a local jogging map and a bottle of chilled water — motivation to get out into Seoul for a little urban adventure.