Andaz Seoul Gangnam and L7 Gangnam: Seoul's Boutique Hotels

Andaz Seoul Gangnam is a 241-room lifestyle-luxury boutique hotel by Hyatt, connected to Apgujeong Station's Exit 3, with its entry-level Andaz King room priced from $338 a night on Kayak (checked 2026-09-16). Seoul's other boutique-style contenders split into three groups: two hotels competing on the same design-forward Gangnam ground, L7 Gangnam by Lotte and Aloft Seoul Gangnam; two larger-scale luxury or convention towers with a different purpose, Josun Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul, Gangnam and InterContinental Seoul COEX; one ultra-luxury high-rise across the river, Signiel Seoul; and one independent 12-room guesthouse outside Gangnam entirely, Long Weekend Haus DDP. Four questions settle which one to book: how much design pedigree matters against price, whether the trip needs convention space, how large a room count still counts as boutique, and whether the party is two couples or a family who need separate bedrooms rather than a single hotel room. If design pedigree matters most, Andaz Seoul Gangnam or L7 Gangnam by Lotte lead the set. If convention space matters most, InterContinental Seoul COEX is built for it. If the group needs separate bedrooms under one roof, Long Weekend Haus DDP is the only property here built that way. Mina Cho checked these rates and room details for blatum's Where to Stay desk on 2026-09-16.

Andaz Seoul Gangnam

Andaz Seoul Gangnam sits directly over Apgujeong Station's Exit 3, with 241 rooms priced from $338 a night on Kayak (checked 2026-09-16) for its Andaz King, a 33-square-meter room on a high floor with Gangnam views. Hyatt markets the property as Korea's first Andaz, a lifestyle-luxury boutique hotel, and Sinsa Station is about a 7-minute walk, with Garosu-gil's shops around 10 minutes further on foot.

Rooms and design

Every room was designed by Studio Piet Boon of Amsterdam around bojagi, the traditional Korean patchwork cloth, running from the 36-square-meter Andaz Twin with its deep soaking tub and rain shower up to the 163-square-meter Rooftop Suite, which adds a circular tub, a theater den and an outdoor terrace. The 57-square-meter Premium King and Twin rooms and larger suites carry floor-to-ceiling windows; none of the nine listed categories includes a kitchen.

Access and booking

Check-in starts at 3:00 PM and check-out is 11:00 AM; arriving before 9:00 AM without an early check-in triggers a full night's charge. You can check current availability and rates directly on Hyatt's Andaz Seoul Gangnam page. The property holds a 4 out of 5 rating on Tripadvisor, ranked #80 of 565 Seoul hotels.

• Piet Boon design pedigree, unusual among Seoul hotels at this scale.
• Direct underground connection to Apgujeong Station's Exit 3.
• Rooftop Suite adds a private outdoor terrace and circular tub.
• No kitchen in any of the nine room categories.
• The entry Andaz King, at 33 square meters, is smaller than several competitors' base rooms.

Who should book it

Travelers who want Piet Boon's interiors and walkable access to Sinsa-dong and Garosu-gil over a lower price should pick Andaz Seoul Gangnam ahead of the larger business towers on this list.

L7 Gangnam by Lotte

Three minutes on foot from Seolleung Station's Exit 10, on Lines 2 and Bundang, L7 Gangnam by Lotte prices its Standard Double from $93 a night on HotelsCombined (checked 2026-09-16). The hotel sits at 415 Teheran-ro in the Samsung-dong business corridor of Gangnam-gu, not at the Gangnam Station intersection its name suggests.

Rooms and design

Lotte's youth-oriented lifestyle brand runs an art-driven, party-atmosphere design across six named categories: Standard Double, Standard Twin, Studio Suite, Corner Suite, Queen's Suite and the 27th-floor Upper House Room, which is built around panoramic city views.

Access and booking

Check-in begins at 3:00 PM, with a window that extends to midnight, and check-out is 11:00 AM; guests arriving after 10:00 PM are asked to contact the property ahead using the details on their booking confirmation. Rooftop dining and a fitness center are on site, and rates can be checked on Lotte's L7 Gangnam page. Tripadvisor rates it 4 out of 5, #79 of 536 Seoul hotels, and HotelsCombined shows 8.7 out of 10 from 4,113 reviews.

• Three-minute walk to Seolleung Station's Exit 10.
• Upper House Room on the 27th floor for panoramic views.
• Rooftop bar and dining on site.
• Priced well below Andaz Seoul Gangnam at the entry tier.
• Not adjacent to Gangnam Station despite the brand name.

Who should book it

If nightlife-adjacent energy near Gangnam's business corridor matters more than a design pedigree, L7 Gangnam by Lotte is the pick over the pricier Andaz.

Josun Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul, Gangnam

254 rooms make up Josun Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul, Gangnam, an art-deco property designed by Humbert & Poyet of Monaco, steps from COEX Mall and Bongeunsa temple, priced from $328 a night (checked 2026-09-16).

Design and amenities

The Luxury Collection positioning ties the property to the 1914 Chosun Hotel legacy, with Frette linens and Byredo bath amenities carried through the room categories. At 254 rooms, its scale is close to Andaz Seoul Gangnam's 241, making it one of the more intimate large-brand hotels in this set rather than a convention-scale tower.

Access and booking

The hotel is positioned near Apgujeong as well as COEX, giving it reach into both the retail and convention sides of Gangnam. Marriott's opening announcement and rate details are at Marriott News. Tripadvisor rates it 4 out of 5, #146 of 567 Seoul hotels.

• Art-deco interiors by Humbert & Poyet, a design credential none of the other hotels here carry.
• Frette linens and Byredo bath amenities.
• Room count close to Andaz Seoul Gangnam's, keeping a boutique-adjacent scale.
• Built for heritage-luxury signaling rather than a lifestyle-boutique concept.

Who should book it

Readers who rank heritage-luxury pedigree and COEX proximity above a lifestyle-boutique concept should book Josun Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul, Gangnam ahead of Andaz.

Aloft Seoul Gangnam

At 736 Yeongdong-daero in Gangnam-gu, Aloft Seoul Gangnam prices rooms from $143 a night (checked 2026-09-16) inside a bold, contemporary building minutes from Gangnam's nightlife strip and COEX.

Design and positioning

Marriott positions Aloft as an entry-level design hotel, with an energetic, youthful identity built around public spaces such as the lobby and bar rather than large suite categories.

Access and booking

Check-in is 3:00 PM and check-out extends to 12:00 PM, an hour later than Andaz Seoul Gangnam's 11:00 AM. Details and rates are on Marriott's Aloft Seoul Gangnam page, and the property carries 454 reviews rated "very good" on Tripadvisor.

• Entry-level pricing among the Gangnam design hotels on this list.
• Minutes from Gangnam's nightlife strip and COEX.
• Checkout extends to noon, later than most properties here.
• Design identity centers on public spaces rather than large suite categories.

Who should book it

Budget-conscious travelers who still want a design-forward room pick Aloft Seoul Gangnam over the pricier Andaz and Josun Palace.

InterContinental Seoul COEX

Attached directly to the COEX Convention and Exhibition Center and Mall, InterContinental Seoul COEX runs 656 rooms and prices from $118 a night (checked 2026-09-16), the largest room count of any property in this comparison.

Design and facilities

The hotel's design leans corporate and convention-hybrid rather than boutique, built around the LED-lit Harmony Ballroom and 11 meeting rooms.

Access and booking

Its direct link to COEX's convention and retail complex is documented on IHG's meeting facilities page. Tripadvisor rates it 4.5 out of 5, #73 of 720 Seoul hotels, the highest rating in this set.

• 656 rooms and 11 meeting rooms for convention-scale groups.
• Harmony Ballroom with LED lighting.
• Direct connection to COEX Mall and the exhibition center.
• Built around business and convention functionality rather than a boutique design concept.

Who should book it

Groups attending a COEX conference or exhibition need InterContinental Seoul COEX's meeting space, not the room count of a boutique property.

Signiel Seoul

Floors 76 through 101 of Lotte World Tower in Songpa-gu hold Signiel Seoul's 235 rooms, three minutes on foot from Jamsil Station's Lines 2 and 8, priced from $232 a night per momondo (checked 2026-09-16).

Rooms and design

The Deluxe Suite runs 59 to 73 square meters with one bedroom, a king or twin bed, and a bathroom with a separate shower booth and tub; the 353-square-meter, two-bedroom Royal Suite on the 100th floor is reserved for state guests and VVIPs. Diptyque amenities and Michelin-linked dining set the property's luxury register: STAY, its restaurant, is run by three-Michelin-star chef Yannick Alleno, and the hotel holds Asia's largest champagne bar.

Access and booking

Check-in is 15:00 and check-out 11:00 AM; cancellation or modification is accepted until 6:00 PM the day before arrival, after which a one-night charge applies. Rates and rooms can be checked through The Leading Hotels of the World's Signiel Seoul listing. Tripadvisor rates it 4 out of 5, #59 of 567 Seoul hotels.

• Panoramic views from floors 76 to 101 of Lotte World Tower.
• STAY restaurant by three-Michelin-star chef Yannick Alleno.
• Asia's largest champagne bar.
• Located in Songpa-gu's Jamsil area, not Gangnam's Sinsa or Garosu-gil pocket.
• Royal Suite booking is limited to state guests and VVIPs.

Who should book it

Travelers who rank sweeping tower views and Michelin-linked dining above intimate scale should choose Signiel Seoul over the mid-size Andaz.

Long Weekend Haus DDP

Long Weekend Haus DDP holds 12 apartment-style suites at 15-3 Ssangnim-dong in Jung-gu, a short walk from Dongdaemun Design Plaza, with its flexible-rate Garden Suite starting from KRW306,000 a night (2026-09-14, official site).

Rooms and layout

Rooms run from the 32-square-meter, one-bedroom Terrace and Skyline Suites through the 35-square-meter, two-bedroom Dining Suites and 44-square-meter, two-bedroom Maru Suites, up to the 69-square-meter Penthouse, which has three bedrooms and two bathrooms and takes up to 8 guests. That layout means two couples, or a family of six, can share bedrooms and a living space under one booking instead of splitting across two hotel rooms. A self-check-in kiosk handles arrival, so guests landing after midnight or before a dawn departure never need to time their arrival to a front desk shift, and the flexible rate cancels free up to 14 days before arrival. Extra guests beyond each room's base occupancy add KRW10,000 per person per night, and every room is non-smoking.

Access and booking

The property is bookable directly at Long Weekend Haus DDP's official page, as well as through Stayfolio and Trip.com. It carries a 9.5 out of 10 rating on Trip.com from 66 reviews, checked 2026-09-16.

• Self-check-in kiosk removes any front-desk timing constraint for late or early flights.
• Two- and three-bedroom suites let two couples or a family book one unit instead of two rooms.
• Free cancellation up to 14 days before arrival on the flexible rate.
• The 69-square-meter Penthouse sleeps up to 8 across three bedrooms and two bathrooms, the largest party any single unit on this list accommodates.

Who fits this stay

Two couples who want separate bedrooms under one roof, a self-check-in for a late arrival, and a Dongdaemun base instead of Gangnam fit Long Weekend Haus DDP's Maru or Dining Suites better than any hotel room on this list.

Evidence and criteria

This comparison of Seoul's best boutique hotels for 2026 checked each property's own listing page, a named booking platform, or Tripadvisor against the dates below rather than relying on a single aggregator.

• Andaz Seoul Gangnam: Tripadvisor rating 4 out of 5, #80 of 565 Seoul hotels, checked 2026-09-16.
• L7 Gangnam by Lotte: Tripadvisor rating 4 out of 5, #79 of 536 Seoul hotels; 8.7 out of 10 on HotelsCombined from 4,113 reviews, checked 2026-09-16.
• Josun Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul, Gangnam: Tripadvisor rating 4 out of 5, #146 of 567 Seoul hotels, checked 2026-09-16.
• Aloft Seoul Gangnam: 454 reviews rated "very good" on Tripadvisor, checked 2026-09-16.
• InterContinental Seoul COEX: Tripadvisor rating 4.5 out of 5, #73 of 720 Seoul hotels, checked 2026-09-16.
• Signiel Seoul: Tripadvisor rating 4 out of 5, #59 of 567 Seoul hotels, checked 2026-09-16.
• Long Weekend Haus DDP: 9.5 out of 10 on Trip.com from 66 reviews, checked 2026-09-16; 12 rooms confirmed against the property's own structured data, reconfirmed 2026-09-14.

Readers who filter Seoul stays through Small Luxury Hotels of the World's directory or the Michelin Guide's Seoul hotel picks will find the city's wider boutique field also includes Ryse Hotel in Hongdae, Ananti at Gangnam, Hotel28 Myeongdong and L'Escape, none of which appear in the seven-property set compared above.

Sources: Hyatt's Andaz Seoul Gangnam property page, Tripadvisor, Kayak, Marriott News, HotelsCombined, LHW, IHG, and Lodivra's Long Weekend Haus DDP room guide, all checked between 2026-09-14 and 2026-09-16.