Hotel King (2014)

I've been watching Hotel king since the very first episode and, even though I really enjoyed it during the beginning, I really have to say this is the worst drama I watched till now, right after 'The Prime minister and I'. It was not for the cast, which played with an interesting chemistry, but for the whole lengh and super confusing and complex plot of the drama. The first 10 episodes, the plot is good to follow and you it's quite thrilling, but then there's being added a lot extra conspiracies and, if you don't have the time to diligently watch every episode after it came out, you will soon get confused with the whole story and the many characters, kind of like in the drama 'Three Days' or the book 'Under the dome' by Stephen King, which I'm reading these days. After a while, it is just everyone against everyone and it gets really tiring to watch it, as well as the many, too long and too wrong placed romantical scenes.
But Even though I am complaining right now, there were also some parts I really enjoyed. For example the staff interactions. These were definitely the most enjoyable scenes for me, the staff playfully surpressing each other, yet being there for each other and making me laugh. Also, Lee Da Hae's character was interesting. I really didn't like her at first but in the end, she and Lee Dong Wook had a really good on-screen chemistry, which I really enjoyed.
Overall, the best about this drama was, for me, the cast. The number of episodes could have been also 20 or 24, but not 32, which is way too many episodes for such a complex drama.

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I do love it so much, my first drama ever, Hotel King.

This was my first Korean drama that I've ever watched. It's too much for a start, maybe for those who are newbies, even though it is a very good choice if you wish to fall in love with Korean dramas and series. I keep remembering that time, I mean just two and half years ago it has occurred. I keep it in my mind as the first contact with a beautiful world, as a total pleasure, as an unique journey and memorable experience.

As the hype up of a revelation, this drama is all about struggling, infamous secrets and vendettas. Sometimes this play seems tremendous, but mainly it is sharp, tough, worrisome and sadder than anything in this world out. At first it could be a tangled puzzle, but after watching the revealing episode you'll have a complete insight.

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I almost dropped this drama early on, but I stuck with a few more episodes and it got really good ep.7-26 - to be honest I didn't care much for ep.1-5 & 27-32 - I really wish this drama would have been made into a 20 episode drama instead of a 32 episode one.... I could have done without all the hotel staff shenanigans and I could have done without the circles game - let's break up, I love you lets stay together round and round - besides that I felt quite a few episodes were just filler episodes that drug on and made me bored.... I rated it a 8 b/c episode 7-26 most of the time was pretty good - besides a few annoying things....
It's definitely NOT one of the best dramas of 2014 for me anyways - but it was decent...
Cast: Lee Dong Wook (Jae Wan) - yes he was my favorite even from episode 1 - there were a couple things I didn't like (his coward side) but overall I understood him. Lee Da Hae (Mo Ne) - to be honest I hated her up until almost episode 7 - and from then on I like and didn't like her off and on - (Roman Lee) - probably the best part of the drama is when he came on the scene - I really liked him ;) I didn't care for anyone else except a tach for the 2 young lovebirds who worked at the hotel...
Music: Pretty good but nothing I would really listen to outside of this drama....
Re-watch value: probably Not going to happen....
-------on a side note------- LDW looks SO much better in casual clothing with his bangs down than he does in a suit with his bangs up. and I wish (don't get mad at me for saying this) LDH didn't have the nose job - it really bugged me throughout the drama...

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Well i watched this drama only for Actor Lee Dong-wook ( i become his fan after watched his Expectional Thriller Strangers from Hell) soo i give it try ,He act good in this drama but want to say Dong-wook now improved a lot in 2019 his acting skill, in this drama his acting was good as serious face,expressionless face r when he cry r sad but in start few episode when he act (very angry r aggrassive) then he act bit weak but over all his acting was good also
Direction was good,Story was interesting,Acting was good by all cast beside ( one men side Character male Act funny but he done very over acting) story have lot of great unexpected Twist & turn (story have some Flaws) but overall drama was sooo good if drama was not this much long as 32 episodes then can be much better & interesting

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At first it took me few days to start this drama due to summary... Sister and brother thing pinched me a little but then I thought about Lee dong wool and I realized he is a gentleman and in all his dramas he maintained dignity and never go over board to show his acting skills like others... I guess I made best decision to watch this drama... Acting and plot compliment each other... Both the main lead are amazing... Intensity of dong made me crazy... He cried, he was heart broken, he was evil, he was a bad guy but still he managed to blew my mind away... How it feels when your parents are your enemies and you know that your life is on risk due to them and how it feels when a parent realized in their ignorance they almost killed the child they wanted to alive for so long and waited for their whole life.... It is not easy to handle such situation but dong's expressions and his dialogue delivery made you feel at ease even after such chaos... He loved a woman who suffered hell due to him but she never gave up on him even after when he decided to left her alone... A promise that they made once kept them together and a string that attach to their heart gave them courage... A mother's hatred to love and a guy's rage to passion is all we need... When a woman decides to love him and ready to sacrifice all for him, he took all the responsibility to protect that woman... A drama that you can watch once a year every year....

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[There is one spoiler in this review that is clearly marked.]

As much as I adore Lee Dong Wook and Lee Da Hae, especially together – this series did, at times, feel like a chore to get through. I watched it once around the time it came out, and had a favorable impression of it overall, but I forgot most of it and felt it was time to watch it again. At the time, I'd only seen a handful of k-dramas, and by this point, I've seen dozens more. Perhaps that has had an impact on my perception/expectations, because I didn't have nearly so positive an impression of it this time.

I watched this drama both times because of the main actors, and really... I feel like that's the only reason I would actually recommend it to anyone. If you loved their dynamic in "My Girl," then it's more likely that you'd find this drama worth watching. When Mo Ne and Jae Wan are on good terms, they are a sweet, cute couple – and for mostly the same reason that made the main characters from "My Girl" so cute together. They compliment each other well.

Although her stereotypical "bratty, entitled rich girl" behavior is a bit grating in the beginning, Mo Ne's positive qualities gradually become more apparent as she is humbled by hardships and betrayals. She is exceptionally compassionate, loving, and forgiving. Moreover, she has an enduring childlike, joyful quality that helps balance out the overly stoic and deeply wounded Jae Wan. Likewise, it is because of Jae Wan (and their mutual friend/assistant, Soo An) that Mo Ne learns to be more structured and responsible so that she can rightfully take over her deceased father's hotel.

The main problem with this drama is length and redundancy. The main characters repeatedly make the same mistakes – namely, trusting people they have very good reason not to trust – and their relationship fluctuates between hot and cold so many times that it just becomes tiresome. There are also a couple of supporting characters with one-sided crushes on the main characters who are a bit tedious to watch because their unresolved feelings never seemed to get fully resolved, and thirty two episodes of that is just a bit much. I would have liked to see them really move on before the drama ended, but at least in the case of the male character who has feelings for Mo Ne, he never pushes them onto her or expects anything from her. That is pretty rare in dramaland, so it's quite refreshing to see. (Alas, the second female lead, while often otherwise likable, does not act so reasonably when it comes to her feelings for Jae Wan.)

On the positive side, the relationships between the older main characters and younger main characters (Jae Wan, Mo Ne, and Roman) are complex and interesting. Lee Duk Hwa (Lee Joong Goo) and Kim Hae Sook (Baek Mi Nyeo) portray their characters quite well, in my opinion – especially Kim Hae Sook, whose character undergoes many dramatic changes throughout the drama. Although it is dramatized, the abusive relationship between Joong Goo and Jae Wan feels authentic in the way that they both love and hate each other, and they both feel bound to one another in spite of how toxic they are for one another. Even after Jae Wan discovers the extent of Joong Goo's deception, he isn't able to stop caring about him completely, and there isn't ever really a miraculous recovery from the years of abuse he has endured. It is implied in the last episode that he still has a long way to go in terms of healing emotionally from everything he's been through, and although I wouldn't say the drama is very realistic overall, I did appreciate at least that much being realistic. (I've seen too many instances of PTSD being completely, instantly overcome by the power of love. It's become a pet peeve of mine.)

The supporting characters who worked at the hotel were usually quite fun to watch and provided much needed comic relief. There are also some side romances among them, but unfortunately that aspect of their role in the story was not as enjoyable.

[SPOILER] There's one more thing I'd like to cover, but it's really impossible to do without getting into spoiler territory, so consider this your warning if you haven't watched this drama and intend to do so. Early in the series, Jae Wan is led to believe that Mo Ne is his biological sister. Many people were freaking out about their relationship in the Viki comments; for many episodes, questions such as “is this really incest?” and “but are they really siblings???” were frequently asked. And really, it depends on how you look at it, I think. They aren't biologically related, but when Jae Wan finally caves and initiates a romantic relationship with Mo Ne, he does so believing that they are siblings.

This is kind of addressed but mostly swept under the rug towards the end of the drama. Mo Ne is shocked to discover that when he first confessed to her, he thought she was his sister. When she brings it up to him, she makes light of it and then moves on – which, like many of her choices, seems just a bit too unrealistic. (If you found out that someone you love and trust had hidden such an important fact that would have likely influenced your decision to be in a relationship with them, I'd think you'd feel pretty hurt and betrayed at the very least...) [/SPOILER]

So, tl;dr...

Main relationship is very cute when it's good, but it sometimes feels tedious because of its many ups-and-downs

There are aspects of the plot that are interesting, but it is ultimately exasperating because of its repetitiveness; this could have probably been resolved by significantly trimming it down

The acting is mostly good, although sometimes too over the top

The OST is reasonably good, but not outstanding

The "incest" subplot may be too squicky for some viewers

Conclusion: A time consuming drama that is sometimes cute, sometimes funny, sometimes intriguing – but far more often frustrating. If you like one or both of the main two actors, it may be worth watching – but otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it. There are better dramas to spend your time on.

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Buon drama, un po' troppo in stile soap-opera

Avevo Hotel King in lista già da tempo, praticamente da quando ho visto King the Land - primo kdrama per me e da allora nella mia top five - ed ero andata alla ricerca di qualcosa di simile. Dopo varie peripezie finalmente sono riuscita a vederlo e...un po' ci siamo, ma un po' anche no. Il setting è simile, abbiamo a che fare con un grande hotel, il protagonista è il direttore generale e la protagonista è inserita nel contesto (qui è l'erede del proprietario, nell'altro drama una dipendente). I toni di Hotel King sono decisamente più cupi, ho apprezzato in modo particolare l'inizio e lo spaccato dell'infanzia del protagonista. Tra l'altro è stata una bella sorpresa scoprirlo interpretato da Lee Dong Wook, attore che all'epoca non conoscevo ma che nel frattempo ho imparato ad apprezzare grazie ad altri suoi lavori. Qui lo troviamo giovane, determinato, brillante e affascinante. La protagonista strappa una valutazione positiva, ma non eccellente. Come coppia non li ho però trovati altrettanto apprezzabili, non so se per mancanza di chimica tra i due o se per colpa di una sceneggiatura che misurava le scene romantiche col contagocce (il primo bacio arriva dopo ben 11 episodi, e ce ne vogliono praticamente altrettanti prima del secondo). Ci vuole una buona dose di pazienza, insomma. Perchè il principale difetto di questo drama è la sua durata: 32 episodi sono tanti, troppi. Soprattutto se non c'è così tanto da dire e con il rischio di tirare per le lunghe quanto messo sul piatto. Questo ci porta al secondo errore, che ne è una diretta conseguenza: messe le basi iniziali del tema della vendetta, come li riempiamo 32 episodi? Rispolverando lo stile delle soap opera occidentali degli anni '90, ovviamente! Quindi una sfilza di bugie dalle gambe lunghe che fanno scorrere gli episodi quasi a rallentatore, dove nessuno è chi crede o dice di essere e tutti credono a turno a ciò che viene loro propinato. Indi per cui il protagonista pensa di essere il figlio di un altro, e quindi il fratello dell'ereditiera, salvo poi scoprire di non avere legami di sangue con lei e non sapere di chi essere figlio, per poi scoprire nuovamente di essere biologicamente legato al mostro che l'ha cresciuto, incontrare il "fratello" che aveva perduto da bambino e non riconoscerlo, crederlo figlio di una donna che in realtà è la propria madre, a sua volta creduta morta praticamente da tutti. Un melodramma infinito, puramente di carattere riempitivo. Avrei gradito la metà degli episodi e la metà delle menzogne, magari con un ritmo in generale più accattivante, come lo era all'inizio. Una menzione per il cattivo di turno, il vero padre biologico del protagonista, interpretato da un attore che ho visto anche in altri drama e che ho sempre apprezzato (vedasi Suspicious Partner). Resta comunque una serie che si lascia tranquillamente vedere, vuoi per il cast, vuoi per le riprese e il montaggio, tutti elementi di notevole qualità.

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drama paket komplit

drama yang sangat direkomendasikan untuk orang yang dewasa, karena bukan hanya soal cinta tetapi juga bagaimana bertahan dalam dunia kerja. bagaimana bersikap dalam masa kritis, disiplin, tegar, dan tetap tidak melupakan hati nurani. dua orang yang saling mencintai dan saling mendukung untuk karir masing-masing. cerita ini menunjukkan bahwa manusia tidak ada yang sempurna, setiap manusia membutuhkan orang lain yang akan mengisi kekosongan dalam dirinya yaitu belahan jiwanya.mencintai orang lain juga berarti harus bisa menerima masa lalu orang tersebut sekalipun itu adalah hal yang kurang baik.cinta memang mampu memaafkan segala kesalahan dan menata masa depan yang lebih baik. selain itu aku acungkan jempol untuk adegan kiss nya yang lumayan intens, salut untuk akting pemainnya, terbawa suasana saat menonton nya.

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Lee Dong Wok and Lee Da Hae

First of all, this is my favorite drama showing about business rival , forbidden love and secret among the big Hotel , also the chemistry between the two main actors. If you are a fan of Lee Dong wook, you totally SHOULD NOT SKIP it. His acting is really worth watching. Although it’s a kind of heavy drama, Ah Mo Ne (lee da Hye) makes you laugh by her role. The conflict among them is very interesting and exciting. More than that, the love between the main leads make me amazed. All 32 eps is no long. In every single episode, I feel different feelings. I love it so much. Hope we can see this couple again on the screen.

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Its entertaining but then tiresome after a while

The actors did an amazing job but it was hard to form a connection with the characters, I felt like there always had to be drama and the pacing made it very monotonous. Plus the ending of the drama was very disappointing and seemed rushed. The drama didn't come to a conclusion. I think this drama would have been better if it didn't have 32 episodes and didn't have so much conflict between Hyun Woo and Mo Ne in the last episode.

But overall I would say that the chemistry between the two actors were very cute and the scenes between them are worth watching, especially if you love watching actual acting. The acting in this drama was superb. So its worth the watch

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Check-In for the brilliant Cast, Check-Out for the Plot

Let’s be real—the show rolls out the same tired plot we’ve seen a million times: the classic heir versus the illegitimate child in an epic struggle for inheritance. Honestly, I could hear the collective groan of K-drama fans everywhere as we trudge through this overused storyline. The opening had me intrigued, but somewhere between the predictable plot twists and lackluster drama,I found myself wishing for a quick escape halfway through


Speaking of the cast, they do have their charm. I’m a fan of Lee Dong Wook, Lee Da Hae, Lee Deok Hwa, and Kim Hae Sook. Lee Da Hae nailed the mischievous young heiress vibe, adding just the right amount of sass to her character. But let’s be honest—Lee Dong Wook stole the show. I mean, the man looked so dapper in his suits that you’d almost consider getting pregnant just from a glance! (I know you’re imagining it too!)


In the end, I have mixed feelings about this drama. If you have a high threshold for boring plots and clichés, go ahead and check in. Otherwise, you might find yourself longing for a better stay elsewhere!

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A Test of Patience with Classic Tropes

Hotel King proved to be quite the challenge to get through, with its extensive 32-episode run, each lasting an hour. The length of the episodes felt particularly taxing, making the viewing experience more of a commitment than a leisurely pastime. The drama itself leans heavily on old-school storytelling techniques and narratives, embodying many of the traditional themes and plotlines that have been seen time and again in the genre.

This adherence to classic drama tropes could have been a comforting throwback for some, but it ended up feeling rather repetitive and predictable, lacking the innovation or fresh takes that modern audiences might look for in a new series. While there's a certain charm to traditional stories, it struggled to infuse new life into its prolonged episodes, making it a difficult watch for those hoping for something more contemporary or briskly paced. Overall, it's a drama that may appeal to die-hard fans of classic K-dramas, but others might find it a test of patience.

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