strongly advise travelers to reconsider booking La Casa Hotel Gwangmyeong through Hotels.com. As a Platinum member and frequent Hotels.com user, I experienced significant discrepancies between the advertised listing and reality:
Misleading "Serene Mountain" Claims:
The hotel is described as a "serene retreat nestled in the mountains," but it’s surrounded by roads, an IKEA, and a parking lot. The so-called "mountain view" was a partial glimpse from the bathroom window—hardly the tranquil escape promised.
Facilities Require Extra Fees:
The gym shown in photos is part of a separate business in the basement charging 30,000 KRW per day. The hotel’s actual gym is tiny and poorly equipped.
Access to the better facility is restricted to limited hours around classes, which was not disclosed upfront.
No Soundproofing:
Despite being advertised as soundproofed, I could clearly hear staff vacuuming in adjacent rooms immediately after check-in.
Questionable "Premium" Room:
My room (supposedly a premium category) did not match the listing’s photography. The layout and views appeared intentionally misrepresented to suggest a more upscale experience.
Additional Issues with Hotels.com:
Platinum Status Ignored: I was charged for early check-in despite being a Platinum member entitled to this benefit.
Poor Customer Support: Hotels.com repeatedly dismissed my concerns, offering only trivial compensation (e.g., OneKeyCash) instead of addressing the hotel’s false advertising.