Pet Friendly Hotel in Seoul

This summer, on top of skyrocketing Covid cases, we were also hit with a horrible heat wave. One thing to know about Seoul is that summer heat is always coupled with a miserable amount of humidity. It’s wet and always feels 10 degrees hotter than it actually is. It was at this point in time that our AC unit decided to die beyond the point of repair, leaving us in an unlivable apartment. A new AC unit wouldn’t arrive for 3 weeks, so after a few sticky sleepless nights, we opted for a staycation.

THE HOTEL

The Cappuccino Hotel is located in Gangnam, just north of Gangnam station and off the main Gangnam street. There were more than a few bars in the area and enough convenience stores to make sure we were properly stocked on snacks and booze during our stay. The food delivery options in the area covered most of Gangnam’s hotspots including Sinsa, Gangnam station and the Coex mall area (we took advantage of that too). Best of all, the hotel caters to the furry and fabulous!

FOOD

As part of our staycation, we were determined to spend as much time relaxing in the hotel as possible. While the hotel has a nice restaurant and a rooftop bar, neither allow for dogs. What is dog-friendly is the cafe on the lobby floor which has a decent selection of drinks and baked goods along with a puppuccino for Uyu.

Room service was typically priced for hotels, so we opted for delivery instead. We weren’t alone either. During our stay, we ran into at least five delivery drivers waiting for customers in the lobby.

Uyu, on the other, ordered off the Doggie Room Service menu. There were a few dry options, but we came for gourmet dog food and dammit, that’s what we were going to get. Uyu got the Tomato & Sweet Potato stew (8,000 KRW) which was prepared specially for canine companions. It was his first time having a tomato stew, but the chunks of sweet potato got him interested. Uyu liked what he had, but it was way too big for one 3 kg dog. It would’ve been nice if there was a smaller sized dish, but Uyu enjoyed what he got.

HOTEL AMENITIES & PERKS

The hotel had a small gym and laundry room on the 3rd floor. We peeked around and the amenities were pretty nice. There was also a lifestyle shop on the 1st floor when you first enter the hotel where you can purchase some hotel toiletries, as well as doggie toys, treats and clothes.

We were more interested in the outdoor patio by the cafe called The Bark Park. They had a small doggie obstacle course and some tables and lawn chairs for the hoomans, which were perfect for running Uyu tired, followed by short breaks on a small outdoor dog bed.

It was a nice spot to slow down and sip on coffee while tossing dog cookies and shooting short TikTok videos. Maybe next time, we’ll sip a brew or two with some ramen to complete the ambience.

OUR ROOM

The Bark King rooms are surprisingly small. There is a small fridge, standing shower, bed and sink. No closets, couches, chairs or space for much else. But the bed is soft and massive and the AC could freeze a small sun. We all wrapped ourselves up in their comfy bathrobes (including Uyu) and fell asleep in a crisp and cool room with a surprisingly nice view of the city. Some much need sleep was definitely had and then some.

Additionally, there’s a nice little doggy house with its own bed which can be easily accessed from the main bed in the room for wandering pups. A small water bowl and doggy food bowl rounded out the dog amenities in the room. In the bathroom, we had a small hinoki bath box which comes at a small extra charge.

VERDICT

We really enjoyed our stay and most importantly, Uyu really enjoyed his stay. Although we were on the floor with other pet owners, it was surprisingly quiet. The only time we could hear any light barking was when we were in the hallway.

The hotel and our room were very clean. If there were dogs staying in our room before, you would never know it. There were also signs and little perks that the hotel offers to encourage guests to be more eco friendly, which we thought was a nice touch.

I can definitely see us coming back the next time we need to recharge.