Framed against the dancheong-painted eaves of Gyeongbokgung Palace in the image above — green and red and gold lacquer against a cobalt Seoul dusk — a 29-storey tower of dark glass and vertical fins makes the central argument of Four Seasons Hotel Seoul without a word: that old Korea and new Seoul can share the same skyline without either flinching. Completed in 2015 and designed by the Korean firm Heerim Architects, the building draws its facade rhythm from traditional wooden screen patterns, the vertical bronze mullions at the crown evoking the hatching of a joseon-era latticework door at monumental scale. The property holds 317 rooms and suites across its upper floors, with interiors handled by Hong Kong–based Chhada Siembieda, who calibrated each space between contemporary restraint and deliberate Korean cultural reference. The guestrooms carry that balance well — walnut headboard panels inlaid with panels referencing minhwa folk painting sit against floor-to-ceiling glazing that frames the city at altitude, the carpets woven in abstract interpretations of traditional pojagi patchwork. Downstairs, the spa pool hall is wrapped in grey limestone with a monumental ink-wash landscape mural across the end wall, the hexagonal coffers above it borrowing geometry from traditional Korean roof tile arrangements. The restaurant level pushes in a different direction entirely — lacquered booths, veined marble bar fronts, and neon phoenix signage giving it the electric energy of a contemporary Seoul dining room rather than anything deferential to the palace next door.

No travel notes provided yet.

No description provided yet.