Located amidst a neighbourhood brimming with art and culture, a hotel in Seoul, South Korea also hosts its own music events, writes Loong Wai Ting
AN autumn morning has just begun when I drag my heavy luggage up the last couple of steps at the Hongik University Station Exit 3 in Seoul, South Korea. The area is now teeming with students from the nearby university.
Some of them have just pulled an all-nighter, the evidence clear beneath their eyes. Others have just started going for morning classes.
Stopping to catch my breath, I fish out my phone to check the direction to Ryse, Autograph Collection — the hotel I will be staying for two nights while in Seoul. It’s just a five-minute walk from the exit.6h
En route, I pass by an elderly couple, who sell sandwiches out of their modest truck. While savouring my meal, I take in the morning scene.
My Korean friends say that Hongdae is a place for young people only. I agree. Everywhere I turn, arts, culture and young vibes seem to peek out from around the corner. In short, youth culture flourishes here.
RISE OF RYSE
Stuffing the last piece of the delicious sandwich into my mouth, I quickly gather my belongings and walk towards the hotel. Inside Ryse, an employee introduces herself as Kim, one of the most common surnames in Korea, and offers to take my luggage as she walks with me towards my check-in on the third floor.
I would’ve stayed on to enjoy the pink lobby (yes, the floor is painted pink!) and various art installations if not for Kim’s hospitality. Having just arrived from Gangwon, a city in the southeast of Seoul, I long for a hot shower and a nap before heading out.
Thankfully, check-in is brief. The hipster hotel caters mostly to the young crowd, like me. A member of the Marriott Group’s Collection of Autography Hotels, Ryse has 272 rooms, including 14 suites tastefully designed by the London-based SOHO House Designer Michaelis Boyd.
The design is kept as open as possible with the use of glass and sliding door to divide the room from the bathroom. For privacy, there are pulled down shades.
I appreciate the little creature comforts like free refill of facial mask every day and other complimentary amenities. For eco-conscious travellers, you’ll love the toiletries such as shampoos that come in bottles and are refilled every day. Others like toothbrush and cotton pads are packed in recyclable paper instead of plastic.
My room is on the 12th floor, overlooking parts of the Hongik University on my right and a sprawling view of endless rows of shops and business establishments below. I can imagine how the area lights up with bright lights and music at night.
The hotel regularly hosts music and arts events, workshops and exhibitions. Occupying the entire floor on the basement level is the Arario Gallery, one of Korea’s most established art players in the local art scene. On the ground level, which opens out to Hongdae street, are the famous San Francisco bakeries: Tartine (Coffee Bar) and Toast Bar.
CAFE-HOPPING
Not much of a drinker, I skip most of the bars and underground clubs in Hongdae. Instead, I take up my Korean friends’ invitation to visit a hidden cafe off a narrow alleyway in Euljiro, one station away from Hongik University Station.
Brimming with Korean and Chinese heritage, it is as if time stood still in this mysterious cafe. There are the traces of old Shanghai ambience and a certain intimacy within its four walls.
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Previously a Korean medicinal hall, it was remodelled to become a cafe. Stepping into the cafe is like stepping into the movie set of renowned Chinese director Wong Kar-wai. Many antique furniture are lined tastefully in the cafe.
The coffee served here is some of the best I’ve tasted — strong and full-bodied with a smooth and dry finish, just the way I love my coffee. I purchase roasted coffee beans at the cafe.
With time to spare, we head to another hidden gem near the hotel. This cafe-bar has a very unique name. Jal-aljidomoshamyeonseo (Not Knowing You Well) is a place where local artists as well as students from the nearby university regularly hang out.
The cafe has just opened and we’re the first to arrive. After ordering a local brew, I grab a seat near an open window and look at the street below.
The sun is dipping towards the horizon, bathing the autumnal sky a purplish, pink hue. One more drink before I head back to the comfort of my room in Ryse.
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