Five-star Samseong, near Bongeunsa, Seoul
The Westin Seoul Parnas
The old InterContinental COEX, stripped back and reopened in September 2025 as a Westin, with many of its 564 rooms and its indoor pool looking over Bongeunsa temple.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- Rooms
- 564, including 144 Club Rooms
- Opened
- 1999; reopened as a Westin, September 2025
- Setting
- Opposite Bongeunsa temple, by COEX
- From the airport
- 35 km from Gimpo, 68 km from Incheon
The hotel
A new Westin beside the temple.
The hotel opened in 1999 as the InterContinental Seoul COEX, run by Parnas Hotel, which also runs the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas a few minutes away. It closed on 1 July 2024 for a full renovation and reopened on 15 September 2025 as The Westin Seoul Parnas, still owned and run by Parnas under a Marriott brand. The interiors are by Cheng Chung Design, known as CCD.
Its neighbour is Bongeunsa, the Buddhist temple on Bongeunsa-ro, and many rooms and the indoor pool look down on its roofs. COEX, Samseong station on line 2 and Bongeunsa station on line 9 are a short walk away. The Westin Club, 702 square metres on the top floor, looks out to the Han River, and a fitness club of more than 6,000 square metres fills two floors.
- Bongeunsa views Many rooms, and the indoor pool, look over the temple roofs in front of the hotel.
- Cosmopolitan Fitness Club Two floors and more than 6,000 square metres, with the pool, golf swing analysis, AR putting and a recovery zone. Free for hotel guests.
- Westin Club A top-floor lounge of 702 square metres with Han River views, for guests in Club Rooms and suites.
Rooms & suites
Eight room types, up to the Presidential Suite.
All 564 rooms have the Westin Heavenly Bed. 144 are Club Rooms with access to the Westin Club.
- Rooms Guest rooms Many face Bongeunsa temple; others look over Gangnam.
- Club Club Rooms 144 rooms with access to the Westin Club on the top floor.
- Signature suite Presidential Suite At the top of the hotel's eight room types.
Dining
Five places to eat and drink.
Restaurants as listed by the hotel. Shown for information.
- ON:TABLE All-day buffet Seasonal, local ingredients and live stations
- Asian Live Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Indian and Arab With a sushi counter
- The Logue Lobby lounge and bar Afternoon tea, live music in the evening
- Epicellar Wine A private wine archive
- ÉDIT Bakery and deli Also a small lifestyle shop
Good to know
Before you go.
- Arrival Check-in from 3 pm, check-out by 11 am. The guest checking in must be at least 19.
- Pets Not accepted, except service animals.
- Getting about Samseong station on line 2 and Bongeunsa station on line 9 are both close.
Getting there
Flying to Seoul.
Incheon International is 68 kilometres away, about an hour to an hour and a half by car by our estimate; the hotel runs no shuttle. Private jets land at Gimpo, through its business aviation centre, 35 kilometres from the hotel, or around 45 minutes 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.
- Is The Westin Seoul Parnas the old InterContinental COEX?
- Yes. The InterContinental Seoul COEX closed in July 2024 and reopened after a full renovation as The Westin Seoul Parnas on 15 September 2025.
- Does the hotel have a pool?
- Yes. An indoor pool inside the Cosmopolitan Fitness Club, free for guests, looking over Bongeunsa.
- Which airport suits a private jet?
- Gimpo, which has a business aviation centre with its own customs and immigration, 35 kilometres from the hotel.
- 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.
- 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.
Staying at The Westin 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.