If you have an early morning flight out of Incheon and are looking for a place to stay, picking one of the many hotels around Unseo station – just a couple of minutes away from the airport’s terminals – is one of your best options.
One of those is the Howard Johnson by Wyndham Incheon Airport which I had a chance to stay at last December. I booked my one night stay in a “superior twin room” for about 68,000 won (about 60 dollars) through Hotels.com.
Continue reading this review to see what the hotel was like.
Getting to the Hotel
The hotel is located right across from Unseo station which can be reached using the “all-stop” AREX train. Besides the ride from either of Incheon airport’s terminals taking just a few minutes, the station can also be reached by non-stop trains from Gimpo airport and Seoul station.
From the station, it’s just a four- or five-minute walk to the hotel. In fact, as soon as you get out of the station, you can see the large hotel right in front of you.
Besides the train, there is also a free shuttle bus connecting the hotel with Incheon airport’s two terminals. While the one to and from terminal 1 runs more or less every hour, the one to and from terminal 2 runs more scarcely.
Keeping the not-so-convenient schedule in mind, I recommend taking the train from the airport to the hotel and then taking the shuttle bus back.
Check-in, Lobby, Dining, and Other Facilities
The hotel’s reception was on the third floor. It’s worth noting here that the Howard Johnson shares lobby as well as reception desk with the Days Hotel & Suites – another Wyndham property. As such, when lining up for check-in, make sure you are standing in the right line.
Luckily, when it was my time to check-in, the line was more or less non-existent.
Besides the reception desk, the lobby also featured some seating and – since it was Christmas time during my visit – a couple of Christmas trees.
With the hotel being inside a shopping mall-like facility, there were plenty of restaurants within a short walk. Even outside that, there were plenty of establishments to choose from.
For our dinner, Hirofumi who I was traveling with and I chose a small Korean restaurant just outside the hotel.
If you would prefer to dine in your room, there is room service. While I haven’t tried it – and so I cannot speak to its quality – below is the menu so that you can at least see the prices.
There was also a pool and spa unrelated to the hotel where guests could get a discount.
Guest Room
After getting our room key, we headed to the seventh floor. The hallway, while dark, was elegant – and what one would expect from a similar hotel.
The hallway of the room itself had a bathroom with toilet on the left side, and a closet and some storage space on the right side. There were a hot water pot, some cups, tea and coffee on a shelf in the storage area.
Further down, there were two single beds with a nightstand between them and a piece of art above them. Disregarding their width, the beds were fairly comfortable and each came with a pair of pillows.
Across from the beds, there was a large wall-mounted TV (the wi-fi password was displayed on a label stuck to the TV frame).
There was also a work desk with a light and a mirror. Rather than having “Korean” power outlets, the desk was equipped with universal ones accepting various types of plugs. I wish all hotels used those.
Going back towards the entrance, next to the closet, there was a sofa chair with a small coffee table.
Finally, the bathroom was fairly simple.
There was no bathtub – only shower (although with two types of heads).
It’s worth noting that the button that looks like the toilet’s flush button was – in fact – the “emergency” button. The toilet was flushed with the lever on the tank. I wonder how many people wanted to flush the toilet and accidentally declared an “emergency…”
Howard Johnson Incheon Airport Summary
Overall, while nothing luxurious, the Howard Johnson Incheon Airport was a nice place to stay. The staff was friendly, the room was clean and sufficiently equipped, and the hotel’s location offered convenient access not only to Incheon but also Gimpo airport and Seoul city.
As such, I would (unless trying to review another hotel) gladly stay at the Howard Johnson again. For just a bit more than the Incheon Airport Hotel (yes, that’s the hotel’s name), the Howard Johnson offered considerably nicer facilities at a standard that can be expected from an international hotel chain.
