The Shilla Seoul

At The Shilla Seoul, the outdoor pool faces green hills, between pale terraces and parasols.

A week here, month by month

I’d come to The Shilla to alternate Seoul with days that need fewer plans: Korean dinner at La Yeon, an afternoon at Urban Island. For a daily walk from the hotel to the royal palaces, I’d choose Gwanghwamun instead; this is the Namsan side of the city.

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Is it for you?

Grand Corner Deluxe has a small table and 2 armchairs near the window. There is somewhere for two to read or order something to the room away from the bed.

I’d ask for
A Grand Corner Deluxe, with your preferred outlook confirmed.
Worth knowing
It is one room; there is no door separating a sitting room.
Grand Corner Deluxe

Like a regular

Sofas and columns in The Library bar

8 min readHow we write the guide

  1. Pool access in your rate

    Urban Island needs either an inclusive package or separate admission. It opens seasonally, so the outdoor pool is not something to count on in every month of the year.

  2. The lounge with children

    The Executive Lounge is for guests aged 13 and over. Younger children may enter with an adult only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, from noon to 3pm: booking a suite does not give children the same access as their parents.

  3. Before choosing your view

    The same category may face Namsan or the city. State your preference when booking and have the outlook confirmed if it is the reason for choosing that room.

What The Shilla Seoul is

A Deluxe is a sensible choice for a few nights: a desk, bath and an outlook towards Namsan or the city. Higher categories let you separate bedroom and sitting room, or choose the Korean Suite for time spent sitting at floor level in its ondol space.

Dinner needn’t follow one cuisine. Continental is French, Ariake Japanese and Palsun Chinese, while The Parkview brings together an international buffet. The Library has sofas and tables between the columns for a drink.

When the weather keeps you indoors, there is an indoor pool. The gym and sauna have separate admission rules, so decide the children’s programme before heading down in bathrobes.

In the Lumina Guide

Lumina Guide 2027

We choose the hotels of this guide ourselves, one at a time: no one pays to be in it.

Distinctions

How we choose the hotels

Its badges

What makes it rare

What makes it rare

A badge is an experience travellers look for, that is really here and that few hotels in the guide have.

What the badges are

What guests say

  1. Location

    7 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it.

  2. Room

    7 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it.

  3. Staff and service

    8 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it.

  4. Breakfast

    9 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it.

How we count
The Shilla Seoul in numbers
WhatGuests’ scoreGuests who mention itHappy
Location7.16368%
Room7.17269%
Staff and service7.714378%
Breakfast8.13786%
Price–1833%

207 guests said so on Google, from 15 August 2025 to 4 November 2026. Google reviews of the hotel, including visits to its bars and restaurants. Other hotels may cover different periods and numbers of reviews. The other hotels are the ones weighed for a stay in Seoul: for each we read its latest 500 Google reviews with text, or all of them where there are fewer, as of 4 November 2026. The score is the average of what they say, from 0 if they speak of it very badly to 10 if they speak of it very well. Where only a few mention something, the score stays close to the guide’s average: a handful of voices does not make a reputation.

The hotels we weigh it against in Seoul:

Price: for 2, the night of 13 January 2027, from 369,216 KRW on Google Hotels on 3 November 2026.

Dates I’d look at

I’d also look at 29 March 2027, with one night for 2 from KRW 412,640. On 21 September 2027, it costs KRW 621,632.

PeriodKRW a night
6 November to 30 November 2026493,315–1,390,531
December 2026445,936–1,069,248
January 2027369,216–834,591
February 2027415,512–805,889
March 2027412,640–1,118,090
April 2027574,496–1,101,120
May 2027549,344–1,200,000
June 2027588,224–1,049,984
July 2027519,312–1,320,000
August 2027580,000–1,320,000
September 2027621,632–1,149,952

One night searched on its own, for 2 adults. The lowest seller may offer different rooms and terms. Room, meals, taxes and cancellation depend on the selected offer. Prices from Google Hotels, 3 November 2026.

The pavilion and the pool

Painted beams frame the pavilion; planted terraces surround the pool.

Instagram
Taekwondo in the pavilion서울신라호텔 · 17 October 2026Watch on Instagram
Instagram
The pool and live music서울신라호텔 · 14 September 2026Watch on Instagram

Good to know before you book

Rooms at The Shilla Seoul

Barrier-free Business DeluxeBarrier-free Business Deluxe43.0 m²A king bed, city view and adaptations for wheelchair users.View the room Business DeluxeBusiness Deluxe43.0 m²King or twin beds, a desk, sofa and small table.View the room DeluxeDeluxe36.0 m²King or twin beds, a desk and Namsan or city views.View the room Executive Business DeluxeExecutive Business Deluxe43.0 m²King or twin beds with Executive Lounge access.View the room Executive Grand DeluxeExecutive Grand Deluxe53.0 m²A king bed and a bathroom with panoramic views, plus Executive privileges.View the room Grand Corner DeluxeGrand Corner Deluxe51.0 m²A corner room with a king bed, sofa and small table.View the room

Getting here

Address249 Dongho-ro, Jung-gu, 04605 Seoul

Seoul

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Before you ask

When are check-in and check-out?

Check-in starts at 3pm and check-out is by 11am.

Can children use the indoor pool?

Ordinary admission starts at age 13 and a height of 140cm. At weekends and on public holidays, younger children may enter with an adult; children under 140cm need an adult and a life jacket.

Is there an accessible room?

Barrier-free Business Deluxe is a king room with a city view, designed to accommodate wheelchair users. Confirm the specific adaptations you need before booking.

Are there 2-bedroom suites?

The Presidential Suite has different layouts: the North Wing includes 2 bedrooms. Published areas are 290 and 380m²; ask which wing the offer covers.

How much does a night cost?

For one night for 2 adults, KRW 493,315 on 30 November 2026, KRW 415,512 on 2 February 2027 and KRW 549,344 on 3 May 2027. Prices from Google Hotels, 3 November 2026.

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Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas exterior

Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas

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La piscina coperta del Four Seasons Hotel Seoul

Four Seasons Hotel Seoul

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Premier Room

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Orange parasols and loungers beside the swimming pool

Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur

For a weekend with children, I’d book the Family Premier Suite: a tent in the sitting room and activities to do together without leaving the hotel. If you want to build your days around KLCC Park, choose a hotel on the park; Shangri-La is on Jalan Sultan Ismail.

酒店外观鸟瞰和城市

Hilton Kuala Lumpur

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Fairmont Golden Prague

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Monastery Garden

Mandarin Oriental Prague

I’d choose a garden-facing room here and keep an hour for the spa in the old chapel. To step straight into the streets of the Old Town, I’d look across the river.

Grand Studio

The PuLi Shanghai

I’d come to the PuLi to stay in Jing’An, beside the park and with an evening at the Long Bar. To wake up facing Pudong’s skyline from across the river, I’d choose the Bund.

Exterior Marina Dusk

Mandarin Oriental Pudong Shanghai

I’d choose the Mandarin Oriental to stay in Pudong and have dinner at Yong Yi Ting. If your Shanghai starts each morning in the French Concession and ends in Jing’An’s bars, I’d stay in Puxi.

Portrait Milano's Piazza

Portrait Milano

A piazza open to Milan, then the former seminary’s loggias and the room you choose for quiet.

Palazzo Parigi's monumental lobby

Palazzo Parigi

A theatrical staircase in Brera, a hidden garden and a room view you choose for yourself.

Ca’ di Dio seen from the water, with its long facade on Riva Ca’ di Dio and the bridge over the canal

Ca’ di Dio

From the Castello waterfront into a sheltered court, with the Arsenale on foot and San Giorgio at dinner.

Up for breakfastHeld by a hotel in the top sixth for breakfast, among the guide’s hotels where at least 30 guests write about it.22 hotels of 573 hold it.

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19 photographs

Urban Island at The Shilla Seoul
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The Library at The Shilla Seoul
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Grand Corner Deluxe
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Superior Suite
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Business Deluxe
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Deluxe
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Barrier-free Business Deluxe
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Business Deluxe
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Corner Suite
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Deluxe
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Executive Business Deluxe
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Executive Grand Deluxe
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Grand Corner Deluxe
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Korean Suite
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Premier Suite
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Presidential Suite
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Royal Suite
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Shilla Suite
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Superior Suite
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