Nine Tree Insadong

Location & getting around — a temple in front, Insadong out the back

The hotel is on Insadong-gil in Jongno-gu. Jogyesa Temple is 120m away, Anguk Station 280m, Jonggak Station 500m, Cheonggyecheon 730m, Changgyeonggung 1.3km and Myeongdong 1.4km. Gimpo Airport is 16.1km and Incheon 49km (both straight-line).

It scores 9.5 on location across 26,513 reviews — the largest sample of any Seoul hotel covered here. Reviews list the walking radius at length: Myeongdong, Insadong, Bukchon Hanok Village, Gyeongbokgung, Gwanghwamun, Cheonggyecheon, Namdaemun and Jongno all within reach, with guests describing walking tours of Insadong, Samcheong-dong and Bukchon.

A back passage runs into Insadong. Reviews mention leaving through it, with a 24-hour convenience store on the way. Coming in from the Insadong side means changing lifts twice, though guests note there was no waiting.

Anguk Station is 280m — line 3, which puts Gyeongbokgung and Bukchon one ride away — and Jonggak Station at 500m adds line 1 on foot.

Rooms & occupancy — unusually well set up for a group

The hotel has 301 rooms. Check-in is 3pm and check-out is noon.

The type list leans towards larger parties — Family Twin, Family Kids Room, Family Kids Suite, Family Twin Suite, Quad Suite, Standard Triple, Panoramic View Suite, Deluxe Jogyesa View Double (high floor), Deluxe Twin, Standard Twin, and an accessible Double Room.

Two washbasins and two toilets

One review is specific. Three people over three nights: a living area, two washbasins and two toilets, a microwave and a sink — described as ideal for a group. That is not a common configuration in central Seoul.

A Jogyesa view is its own room type, which only works because the temple is 120m away. One review describes the high-floor temple view as better than expected.

What to factor in

Free child stays cover ages 1–2 only. For a hotel with a dedicated Family Kids Room that is a narrow band, so enter ages and occupancy before comparing totals.

Room comments run positive: nothing to fault in cleanliness, rooms larger and more comfortable than at comparable properties, and good wifi. Water pressure is described as not strong, though the same review adds it is not a problem. Another guest reports slow shower drainage that was fixed the same evening.

Facilities — what the building itself holds

The facility list covers a restaurant, bar and lounge, gym, business centre, laundry and parking.

What reviews return to is the retail inside the building — a convenience store and a drugstore, both named as useful. Luggage lockers get a specific mention.

The 24-hour fitness centre is listed as free.

Breakfast is a buffet described as fresh, with a cup-ramyeon and bibimbap corner beside the Western spread that overseas guests were enjoying. The one complaint: the breakfast room felt warmer than the check-in lobby.

Several reviews mention that the lobby makes the stay feel more expensive than it is, and that both front-desk and breakfast staff were consistently friendly.

Overall the hotel scores 8.9 with a location rating of 9.5 across 26,513 reviews, and 9.3 from domestic guests.

Compared & alternatives — Jongno sorts by what is outside the door

The three Jongno properties sit 280–370m from a subway station, so the station decides nothing. What you meet on stepping outside does.

Hotel	Outside the door	Nearest station	To Myeongdong	Overall
Nine Tree Insadong	Jogyesa Temple 120m	Anguk 280m	1.4km	8.9
Koreana Hotel	Cheonggyecheon 170m	Gwanghwamun 370m	900m	8.7
Hotel Atrium Seoul Jongno	Gwangjang Market 220m	Jongno 5-ga 350m	1.7km	8.3

Insadong, Bukchon and Gyeongbokgung point here; Gwanghwamun, Deoksugung and City Hall point to Koreana; Gwangjang Market and Jongmyo point to Atrium. All three are within a kilometre or two of each other, but the direction you walk in the evening changes.

All three also list rooms for larger parties — a Jongno trait. Here it is the Quad Suite and Family Kids Suite; Koreana has a Quadruple and a Family Bunk Room; Atrium a Junior Suite for four adults.

For shopping-led trips, Myeongdong — L7 Myeongdong is 110m from the station. City-wide comparisons are in Where to Stay in Seoul.

Bottom line — the largest sample on the list

26,513 reviews is itself information. It means these conditions have been confirmed repeatedly rather than by one stay, and within that a 9.5 location score and 9.3 from domestic guests. Jogyesa at 120m, Anguk Station at 280m, and a passage out the back into Insadong — for a walking trip there is little here to go wrong.

It fits a group particularly well. Two washbasins and two toilets in one unit, a Quad Suite and a dedicated Family Kids Room are uncommon in central Seoul.

Factor in the free-child band (ages 1–2) and the water pressure. Both are conditions rather than preferences — with children, run the total first.