Five-star Mapo, Seoul
Hotel Naru Seoul MGallery
Korea's first MGallery stands on the north bank of the Han in Mapo, with the lobby on the twentieth floor and an infinity pool looking down the Han River to Bamseom.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- Opened
- October 2022
- Rooms
- 196
- Pools
- Outdoor infinity pool and 25 m indoor pool
- From the airport
- About 30 minutes from Gimpo, our estimate
The hotel
Named after the old Mapo ferry.
Naru means a river crossing, and Maponaru was the old name for this stretch of the Han's north bank. The hotel opened on 6 October 2022 as the first in Korea from Accor's MGallery collection, and was rated five stars by the Korean authorities in May 2023. The second floor is given over to meetings and events, and inside the designers used plants, wood and daylight to bring the riverside indoors.
The tower has 24 floors and a facade of shadowed glass. Guests ride up to a lobby on the twentieth floor, where Haegyu Yang's Airy Navigation hangs; outside stands The Present of the Century by Jeonghwa Choi. Rooms look over the water to Bamseom, the island in the river, and the building holds a green building certificate.
- The infinity pool An outdoor pool facing the Han River, with its own bar for drinks and light plates.
- Bar Voisin A bar modelled on a traditional Asian pharmacy, pouring cocktails laced with herbs.
- Indoor pool A 25-metre pool, with a gym and sauna, for the colder months.
Dining
A bistro, a pharmacy bar and the pool.
Venues as listed by the hotel at opening. Shown for information.
- Restaurant Voisin French bistro Dry-aged meats from the grill
- Bar Voisin Herbal cocktails Styled on an old Asian pharmacy
- Lounge & Deck Tea, coffee and wine Off the 20th-floor lobby
- Pool Bar Drinks and light bites By the infinity pool
- Mapo Eight Café Pastries and juices on the ground floor
Good to know
Before you go.
- Arrival Check-in from 3 pm, check-out by 11 am. Reception is on the 20th floor.
- Pets Not accepted, except service animals.
- Pool closures The pools and gym close on set days each month for maintenance.
Getting there
Flying to Seoul.
Gimpo, with its business aviation centre for private jets, is about 30 minutes west by car, our estimate. Long-haul flights land at Incheon International, about 50 minutes away by our estimate.
- 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.
- What does Naru mean?
- A river crossing or ferry landing. The hotel takes its name from Maponaru, the old name of the Mapo riverside.
- Is the infinity pool open all year?
- The outdoor infinity pool is seasonal. The 25-metre indoor pool stays open through the winter, apart from monthly maintenance days.
- Which airport is closest to Hotel Naru Seoul?
- Gimpo, about 30 minutes by car by our estimate. Private jets use its business aviation centre.
- 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.
- Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas Linked to Samseong station and COEX since 1988, with its rooms refitted in 2020.
- 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.
- 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 Hotel Naru Seoul MGallery?
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.