I've stayed here a few times now. I wrote a very nice review for this place my last visit but this one I must be more realistic with fellow travelers. While you read this please have in mind I lived in Korea from around 1996-2000, so to me my first time at Somerset was like a dream come true because back then the best hotel was in Itaewon and it was pretty crappy.
My GF left her company for a medical and personal reason, which lead me to arrange some travel plans to a few different countries. She told me the first place she wanted to go was where I came from. So, I was thrilled to be able to show her Korea. Having told her about my last stay at Somerset we decided to book it there. Now I'm going to go from good to bad to make life easier and not to make it sound too bad.
1) Somerset is fairly easy to find. Being in Jong-ro gu, you are pretty much in the area of everything. You have Anguk subway station which goes pretty much everywhere. Namdaemoon market, dongdaemoon, & myung dong gil is all walkable. Now its not walkable for everyone, I am 28 and I enjoy very very long walks.
2) Breakfast, every morning you are allowed to feast there, but for the price per day, you would assume more variety of menu.
3) jogyesa, for anyone who wants to see a temple, across the street they opened a facility called Temple Stay which is great. Free internet and decently priced tea/coffee/juice shop.
4) fairly clean facility
5) post office is close, near Anguk station
6) Starbucks on lobby floor for you caffeine junkies
7) so many different places to eat in the area
8) most front door staff speak/understand average english
9) private entrance, meaning not everyone but guest have access
10) gym, actually very clean and better then most so called gyms I have been to
I think that was the goods I can think of at the moment. Now to the bad.
1) no occupied system, i mean housekeeping came in one day when my gf and I decided to sleep in late. not only once but a few times. but this time i literally was in my shorts and got up to tell her to leave. this happened my last trip and i complained to front desk, they told me that housekeeping will be advised but i guess housekeeping didn't get the memo
2) we found this big big .. really big .. bug on the floor. thank god not in the room but still. i still cant determine if it was a roach or a waterbug. its like trying to figure out which twin is which.
3) check-in, i arrived at 5am due to a wrongly timed flight. I asked for a room early, which i would gladly pay for. no room, i asked for rooms in the area, i was told that a room would be provided if i really insisted. then i was told no rooms were available. i was told to come back a certain which i did, again no room. so i went roaming with my gf and they told me to call for a room, i called and i think he got annoyed, b/c he was very rude in korean. once i started talking in english and told him i have a reservation, he got a lot nicer. apparently speaking english got me the room faster. go figure.
4) the staff did nothing to try to earn my business when i checked out early due to being so disappointed and embarrassed.
Now I am really a easy person to please, all i need is peace and quiet. Korea is a very developed country. Even a few years ago, places in Seoul had in floor toilets. Now a days everything is modern and up to date. They have a complete public bathroom system. Koreas customer service is probably one of the best I have ever seen, but to me, coming back to Somerset was a blow below the belt to that high standard.
BTW the bathroom is now officially considered small in my books. trying to share this bathroom with a female was a bit tough. i noticed disadvantages which as a plain Hanes t-shirt wearing male, would have never noticed.
Now you may ask, what is my overall opinion?
I would like to assume if your staying here, you have money to spend elsewhere. Seriously shop around, for these prices you can get rooms pretty much anywhere in the area or even anywhere in Korea.