Despite its rather staid name, the Imperial Palace Boutique Hotel (not to be confused with its nonboutique, five-star cousin in Gangnam) has a fresh and fun design, from the green vinyl swings in the lobby to the colorful pop-art murals in the white-and-glass guest rooms. On the ground floor, a Japanese restaurant serves rice and noodle dishes next to a Godiva chocolate shop, and the hotel can arrange for a halal breakfast to be delivered to your room. Guests have access to a gym, but may prefer sweating it out on the dance floor at the downstairs Club Made. The hotel is smack in the midst of Itaewon’s trendy bars and restaurants and a few minutes’ walk from the Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art and contemporary art scene of
Seoul.
