The Plaza Seoul Autograph Collection Review 2026: Marriott Points, Myeongdong & Trip Finale

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Every journey has a last stop. After 100 days across Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, and everything in between — after the Great Wall and Lan Ha Bay and Da Nang’s beaches and Sapa’s mountains and the streets of Saigon — ours was Seoul.

We arrived tired in the particular way that only the final leg of a very long trip produces — not exhausted, not burned out, but carrying the accumulated weight of everything we’d seen and done and felt across three and a half months of constant movement. Seoul received us with exactly the right energy for that state of mind: a city confident enough in its own excellence to let you move through it at whatever pace you need.

We spent five nights at The Plaza Seoul, Autograph Collection — a landmark hotel in the heart of the city, booked entirely on Marriott Bonvoy points — and divided our days between Myeongdong’s extraordinary food and shopping scene and the quiet, restorative pleasure of knowing we were exactly where we needed to be at the end of something significant.

This is that story.

The Booking: Marriott Bonvoy Points for Five Nights

The Plaza Seoul is part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection — a portfolio of independent hotels with distinct character and strong local identity that Marriott represents without absorbing into a standardised brand template. The Autograph Collection sits in the upper-mid tier of the Marriott portfolio, above standard Marriott and Marriott Hotels but below the JW Marriott and luxury brands.

At a cash rate of approximately $150 USD per night — genuinely reasonable for a property of this character in central Seoul — The Plaza Seoul represents solid points value. Five nights on Marriott Bonvoy points for what would otherwise have been $750+ USD in accommodation was a fitting deployment of the program that had served us so well across the entire trip.

For Marriott Bonvoy members visiting Seoul, The Plaza deserves serious consideration as a points redemption target. The cash rate is accessible enough that the points cost is modest, and the hotel’s location and character make it one of the most distinctive stays available in the city.

Check current cash rates and availability on Agoda, or book through the Marriott Bonvoy portal for points redemptions.

The Rooms: Classic Korean Elegance

The Plaza Seoul’s rooms carry a design language that is distinctly and beautifully Korean — classic in its references, elegant in its execution, and atmospheric in a way that contemporary business hotels rarely achieve. Where many modern hotel rooms feel interchangeable across cities and continents, The Plaza Seoul’s interiors feel specifically and intentionally of their place.

The rooms were spacious and well appointed — generous by the standards of central Seoul hotel rooms, which can trend toward compact. The beds were comfortable, the furnishings were well chosen, and the overall aesthetic gave the stay a sense of occasion that felt appropriate for a final chapter of a 100-day journey.

After weeks of properties ranging from brand-new supertower hotels to heritage business properties to budget guesthouses, The Plaza Seoul’s rooms landed in a particular sweet spot — characterful enough to feel special, well maintained enough to feel current, and comfortable enough to genuinely rest in. For five nights of gentle decompression at the end of a long trip, the rooms were exactly right.

Executive Lounge: Good Access, One Honest Disappointment

As Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite members, we had access to The Plaza Seoul’s Executive Lounge throughout our five-night stay — and the lounge itself was a genuinely good experience with one caveat worth flagging clearly for other Platinum members planning a stay here.

The Breakfast Situation

At most full-service Marriott properties, Platinum Elite breakfast is served in the main hotel restaurant — a proper sit-down breakfast with the full menu available. At The Plaza Seoul, Platinum Elite breakfast is served in the Executive Lounge rather than the restaurant.

The practical difference: the lounge breakfast, while adequate, is a more limited experience than a full restaurant breakfast service. The variety and quality don’t match what a Marriott property at this level typically delivers in a restaurant setting, and across five mornings the lounge breakfast felt like a noticeably scaled-back interpretation of what the Platinum benefit usually provides.

We found this disappointing — particularly coming from the extraordinary breakfast experiences at the St. Regis Beijing and the Vinpearl Landmark 81, where the breakfast was a genuine highlight of the stay. At The Plaza Seoul it was functional and covered the basics, but it didn’t deliver the Platinum breakfast experience we’d come to expect from Marriott properties across the trip.

This is worth knowing before you book if breakfast quality matters to your stay. The lounge breakfast is not bad — it just isn’t what you might expect given the property’s positioning and the Platinum Elite status that should, at most comparable Marriott properties, unlock something better.

The Lounge Otherwise

Beyond breakfast, the Executive Lounge experience was good — evening snacks and drinks in a well-appointed, comfortable space that provided a quiet retreat after days of Myeongdong exploration. The lounge’s atmosphere was pleasant and the service throughout was attentive and English-speaking.

For unwinding in the evenings during a deliberately slower-paced final week of a long trip, the lounge served its purpose well. The evening service didn’t reach the heights of the Renaissance Saigon or JW Marriott Hong Kong, but it was a comfortable and reliable option each night.

The Service: English-Speaking and Professional Throughout

The service at The Plaza Seoul was consistent and professional across all five nights — staff spoke excellent English throughout, which matters practically in Seoul where English proficiency outside the main tourist and hotel districts can be variable.

Every interaction — check-in, concierge, lounge service, housekeeping — was handled with warmth and competence. The kind of steady, reliable hospitality that doesn’t generate a specific standout story but leaves you with a consistent sense of being well looked after. For a final week of a 100-day trip when the last thing you want is logistical friction, The Plaza Seoul’s service delivered exactly that reliability.

The Location: Myeongdong on Your Doorstep

The Plaza Seoul sits at the edge of Myeongdong — and for the kind of stay we wanted at the end of a long trip, it could not have been better positioned.

Myeongdong: Seoul’s Greatest Shopping and Street Food District

Myeongdong is one of Seoul’s most famous and energetic districts — a dense, walkable area of shopping streets, department stores, street food vendors, Korean cosmetics shops, international brands, independent boutiques, and cafés that runs at full intensity from late morning until well past midnight.

We were tired. We wanted to shop, eat well, wander without an agenda, and gradually process the fact that 100 days of extraordinary travel was coming to an end. Myeongdong was perfect for all of it.

Street food — Myeongdong’s street food vendors are a destination in their own right. Tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), hotteok (sweet filled pancakes), Korean corn dogs loaded with cheese, egg bread, tornado potatoes, and dozens of other snacks available from stalls lining every major street. We ate our way through the district methodically over five evenings and never ran out of new things to try.

Korean BBQ — Seoul’s Korean BBQ scene is among the best in the world and Myeongdong’s proximity to the broader restaurant landscape of central Seoul meant excellent options in every direction. We had multiple Korean BBQ meals during our stay — galbi, samgyeopsal, bulgogi — and each was a reminder of why this style of eating, communal and celebratory and built around the table as a social space, is one of the world’s great culinary traditions.

Local cafes and dessert shops — Seoul’s café culture is extraordinary, and Myeongdong is dense with options ranging from minimalist specialty coffee spots to elaborate dessert cafés serving bingsu (shaved ice), Korean rice cakes, and the kind of photogenic desserts that Seoul has become internationally famous for. We spent multiple afternoons in cafés that would have been the highlight of any café culture conversation — beautiful spaces, excellent drinks, unhurried service.

Department store food halls — Lotte Department Store and other major retailers in and around Myeongdong have basement food halls that function as some of the best eating in the district. Premium Korean groceries, prepared foods, international brands, and the particular pleasure of a well-curated food hall at its best. We visited multiple times and used them for snacks, gifts to take home, and the experience of watching Seoul’s food retail culture in operation.

The Walking Street Energy

What made Myeongdong work so well as the backdrop to our final week was its specific energy — busy without being overwhelming, diverse without being chaotic, and infused with the particular Korean brand of urban vitality that makes Seoul one of the most walkable and liveable major cities in Asia.

After the intensity of Beijing — a city that demands constant engagement and rewards it — Seoul’s Myeongdong felt like a gentle deceleration. Still urban, still energetic, still full of discovery, but at a pace that matched exactly where we were mentally at the end of 100 days on the road.

Seoul as the Final Stop: Bittersweet and Perfect

There is something specific about the emotional register of a last stop on a long trip. You are present — genuinely, fully present — because you know it’s ending. Every meal feels slightly more important. Every walk through an unfamiliar street carries a quality of attention you bring to beginnings as well as ends.

Seoul in this context was bittersweet in the way that only the conclusion of something genuinely significant can be. We were happy — the trip had exceeded every expectation, delivered experiences we’ll carry for the rest of our lives, and brought us closer in the particular way that extended travel with someone always does. We were also sad, in the honest, unashamed way that it’s appropriate to be sad when something wonderful is ending.

Myeongdong absorbed both feelings equally well. We shopped and ate and sat in cafés and didn’t talk about the trip being over and also talked about nothing else, and Seoul — generous, energetic, beautiful Seoul — gave us exactly the space we needed to land.

The Plaza Seoul vs Other Marriott Properties on the Trip

Having stayed at the Renaissance Saigon, the Vinpearl Landmark 81, and the St. Regis Beijing all on Marriott points or certificates during the same trip, The Plaza Seoul sits comfortably in the middle of that range — ahead of the Renaissance Saigon in room character and design, behind the St. Regis in overall luxury and breakfast quality, and comparable to the Vinpearl in location quality and points value.

The breakfast disappointment is the meaningful caveat that separates it from the trip’s Marriott highlights. Everything else — the rooms, the service, the location, the lounge beyond breakfast — delivered well. For a five-night final stay on points, it was the right choice.

Practical Information

Location: Myeongdong / City Hall area, central Seoul — one of the most walkable and well-connected positions in the city

Getting there: Seoul’s subway network is comprehensive and efficient — Myeongdong and City Hall stations are both nearby. From Incheon International Airport, the AREX Airport Express runs to Seoul Station in approximately 43 minutes, then a short subway connection to the hotel area. From Gimpo Airport, approximately 30–40 minutes by subway

Getting around: Seoul’s subway is excellent — clean, fast, affordable, and comprehensive. T-money card (similar to Hong Kong’s Octopus) handles all transit payments. Walking for everything in Myeongdong and the immediate surroundings. Kakao T (Korea’s Grab equivalent) for ride-hailing

Booking: Check current cash rates on Agoda. For Marriott Bonvoy points redemptions book through the Marriott portal. Note: Platinum Elite breakfast is served in the lounge rather than the restaurant — factor this into your expectations

Connectivity: Set up a South Korea e-SIM through Airalo before arrival — use our link for 10% off. Coverage in Seoul is outstanding — South Korea has some of the fastest mobile data in the world

Myeongdong tips: Evening is the best time for street food — vendors set up from late afternoon and the atmosphere peaks around 7–10pm. Weekends are significantly busier than weekdays. The Lotte Department Store basement food hall is worth visiting regardless of whether you’re shopping

Tours and activities: Book Seoul day trips, DMZ tours, and Korean cooking classes through Klook

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Plaza Seoul Autograph Collection worth it on Marriott points? Yes — at a cash rate of approximately $150 USD per night the points cost is modest and the hotel’s character, location, and overall experience deliver good value. The breakfast caveat for Platinum members is worth knowing but doesn’t change the overall recommendation.

Does Marriott Platinum Elite include breakfast at The Plaza Seoul? Yes, but in the Executive Lounge rather than the main restaurant — a more limited experience than the Platinum breakfast benefit typically delivers at comparable Marriott properties. Worth knowing before you book if restaurant breakfast is important to you.

Is Myeongdong worth staying near in Seoul? Absolutely — for visitors who want walkability to street food, shopping, cafés, and the energy of central Seoul, Myeongdong is one of the best bases in the city. The Plaza Seoul’s proximity to the district is one of its strongest assets.

How many days do you need in Seoul? Five nights gave us a comfortable, unhurried experience of Myeongdong and the surrounding area. A week would allow broader exploration of Seoul’s other excellent neighbourhoods — Hongdae, Insadong, Gangnam, and the palace districts. Three nights is the minimum for a meaningful visit.

How do you get from Incheon Airport to Myeongdong? AREX Airport Express to Seoul Station (approximately 43 minutes), then subway Line 4 to Myeongdong Station — total journey under an hour and very affordable. Alternatively, book an airport transfer through Klook for a direct, hassle-free connection.

Final Thoughts

The Plaza Seoul gave us the right ending. Not the most spectacular hotel of the trip — that honour belongs to the InterContinental Da Nang Sun Peninsula or the Vinpearl Landmark 81 — but the right one. Beautiful rooms that felt specifically Korean. A lounge that worked for quiet evenings. A location that put one of Seoul’s most rewarding districts on our doorstep for five days of gentle, bittersweet unwinding.

The breakfast disappointment is real and worth flagging honestly for other Platinum members. Beyond that, The Plaza Seoul delivered a five-night final chapter that the trip deserved — on Marriott points that had been building for years before we ever booked a single flight.

One hundred days. Eight countries. Dozens of hotels, restaurants, buses, flights, night markets, ancient sites, and unexpected moments of beauty. And then Seoul, and then home.

We wouldn’t change a single day.

Check current availability on Agoda, or book through the Marriott Bonvoy portal for points redemptions.

For our complete 100-day Asia journey, start at the beginning with our Asia trip overview. For how we funded the entire trip on points and certificates, our how we saved $20,000 guide has everything.