Five-star Samseong, Gangnam, Seoul
Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas
A glass tower on Teheran-ro, joined to Samseong station and the COEX centre, with its rooms rebuilt in 2020 and the club lounge moved to the top floor.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- Opened
- 1988, reopened December 2020
- Forbes Travel Guide
- Recommended, 2026
- Location
- Linked to Samseong station and COEX
- From the airport
- About 75 minutes from Incheon, our estimate
The hotel
Gangnam's first international hotel, rebuilt inside.
When it opened in 1988, the year of the Seoul Olympics, this was the first hotel in Gangnam to carry an international brand. It stands on Teheran-ro, the business avenue south of the river, with the COEX convention and shopping centre and Samseong station reached without going outside. A refurbishment in 2014 had already redone the lobby, the ground-floor restaurant and the Grand Ballroom.
In 2020 the hotel closed for eleven months and reopened on 1 December. A new glass skin went on the outside, and every room from the 7th to the 33rd floor was redone by the London studio 1508 London, in warm Korean colours and natural materials. The windows are now about half as wide again as before, and the club lounge moved up to the top floor.
- Top of the tower The Club InterContinental lounge and Wei Lou, the Chinese restaurant, both moved to the 34th floor in the 2020 refit.
- Ondol rooms Some rooms follow Korean custom, with heated floors and low furniture.
- COEX on the doorstep The convention centre, its shopping mall and Samseong station connect directly to the hotel.
Rooms & suites
Glass walls over Gangnam.
All rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows. The 2020 refit added 226 suites of 60 square metres.
- Rooms Deluxe Room About 40 square metres, in grey, navy and white.
- Suites Junior Suite One of the 226 suites of about 60 square metres added in the 2020 refit.
- Signature suite Presidential Suite 303 square metres over two floors with ceilings four metres high, a dry sauna, a study and a dining table for eight.
Dining
Chinese at the top, Japanese at street level.
Restaurants as listed by the hotel and Forbes Travel Guide. Shown for information.
- Wei Lou Contemporary Chinese 34th floor, with a Peking duck menu
- Hakone Japanese First floor
- The Grand Kitchen Buffet Live cooking stations
- Lobby Lounge Cocktails and live music Under the chandeliers
- The Grand Deli Pastry, chocolate and wine First floor
Recognition
Awards and listings.
- Forbes Travel Guide Recommended, 2026
- MICHELIN Guide Listed hotel, no Key
Good to know
Before you go.
- Arrival Check-in from 3 pm, check-out by 11 am. The MICHELIN Guide gives noon; we confirm with the hotel.
- Children Under-12s stay free in an existing bed. The pool is for guests over 12 and at least 150 cm tall, and the gym for adults only.
- Pets Not accepted.
Getting there
Flying to Seoul.
Long-haul flights land at Incheon International, 69 kilometres away according to the hotel, about 75 minutes by car, our estimate. Private jets use the business aviation centre at Gimpo, about 45 minutes away by our estimate, depending on traffic across the river.
- Shanghai 1 h 30
- Tokyo 1 h 55
- Hong Kong 3 h 05
- Singapore 6 h 25 long-range jet
- London 12 h 05 long-range jet
Questions
What guests ask first.
- Is Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas connected to COEX?
- Yes. The hotel links directly to the COEX convention and shopping centre and to Samseong subway station.
- Can children use the pool?
- Only from the age of 12 and a height of 150 cm, and guests aged 12 to 18 need an adult with them.
- Which airport suits a private jet?
- Gimpo, which has a business aviation centre with its own customs and immigration. It is about 45 minutes from the hotel by our estimate.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Seoul?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Seoul, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Seoul
Other hotels worth the trip.
- Four Seasons Hotel Seoul Rooms that look straight onto the palace grounds, Yu Yuan with one star, and two Keys since 2026.
- SIGNIEL Seoul High in the 101-storey Lotte World Tower, with Bicena and its star on the 81st floor.
- The Shilla Seoul On the slopes of Namsan among gardens, with La Yeon and its two stars on the 23rd floor.
- Fairmont Ambassador Seoul A marble staircase in the lobby, the Han River and The Hyundai Seoul close by.
- Josun Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Gangnam Art Deco lines south of the river, and Eatanic Garden with one star in the building.
- Park Hyatt Seoul Ten rooms to a floor across 24 storeys opposite COEX, with the lobby at the very top.
- Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul Rooms and suites on the side of Namsan, most of them with their own relaxation pool.
- Conrad Seoul Opened in 2012 inside the IFC complex, with 434 rooms and a 25-metre indoor pool.
- Grand Hyatt Seoul Below Namsan since 1978, with 615 rooms, an ice rink and JJ Mahoney's, a club since 1988.
- The Grand Lotte Seoul The former Lotte Hotel Seoul took this name in August 2026 after a refit of its main tower; Pierre Gagnaire cooks on the 35th floor of the Executive Tower.
- The Westin Josun Seoul Opened in 1914 as the Chosen Hotel on the site of the Hwangudan altar and rebuilt in 1970, it is the oldest hotel still trading in Korea.
- Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences Built in 2021 by Seokchon Lake, where some rooms look across the water to the Lotte World Tower.
- JW Marriott Hotel Seoul Above the Express Bus Terminal since 2000; the sauna runs on hot spring water found during the building works.
- Andaz Seoul Gangnam Hyatt's first Andaz in Korea, 241 rooms on the site of an old KT telecom office, open since 2019.
- Grand Walkerhill Seoul A 1963 resort hotel on the eastern edge of the city, its rooms facing the Han River or Achasan.
- Hotel Naru Seoul MGallery Korea's first MGallery, opened in 2022 with 196 rooms looking over the Han River to Bamseom, and an infinity pool facing the water.
- Vista Walkerhill Seoul Built in 2004 as Asia's first W hotel and renamed in 2017, it has an indoor pool above the Han River and an 800-year-old olive tree in the lobby.
- Mondrian Seoul Itaewon The Capital Hotel of 1988 became the first Mondrian in Asia in 2020; 295 rooms, and a pool and lounge on the fifth floor.
- The Westin Seoul Parnas Opened in 1999 as the InterContinental Seoul COEX and reopened under the Westin name in September 2025, with 564 rooms by Bongeunsa temple.
Staying at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Seoul, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.