Novotel provides familiar, sophisticated hospitality

By Bae Ji-sook

Staff reporter

What all travelers around the world want from a hotel is the same: good service, facilities and prices.

These all count at the Novotel Ambassador Gangnam in southern Seoul. “We have mainly Francophones visiting because they are familiar with our brand. Then there are people from other European countries as well as Japan, China and others who believe in our service and our hospitality. We are now planning to reach out to broader demographics with our efficiency and coziness,” Jerome Stubert, general manager of the hotel said.

The hotel has its two feet firmly on the ground in the business-travelers’ hotel segment in Seoul, where tens of thousands of foreigners visit each year. The hotel keeps everything quite simple. The furniture is all standard and everything is minimal, but it is in the right order.

Rooms aren’t too large or flashy but are well equipped. This doesn’t mean that the hotel is just a modest inn.

The Japanese restaurant Shunmi attracts even the most delicate gourmands to the sushi stand while a private wine room is for rich businessmen who want both display and discretion. The lobby cafe serves one of the best brunches in southern Seoul and its banquet halls are filled with weddings and feasts.

“I think we can satisfy both guests who want comfort and those who want luxury,” Stubert said. He still inspects every part of the hotel with his managers regularly and asks them about improvements.

What really stands out at the hotel is its intimate service. Those who revisit are welcomed and their names are remembered. Recently they held a birthday party for a long term guest from Japan. “We lit the candles and sang Happy Birthday for him. We truly felt like a family,” said Stubert. Staff keep in touch with their guests even if they have checked out.

Asked whether it is French-style hospitality, he laughed. “It’s both yes and no. We are based on the Accord’s service manual, but at the same time have absorbed some unique requests we have found in the Korean market,” he said.

“Over the past several years, I have witnessed the change in how Koreans perceive high end hotel services and how they have raised the bar for service in the industry. The things we have are partly the traditions we have kept, and some parts, things we are seeking for improvement,” he said.

With more hotels scheduled to open in Seoul, Novotel Gangnam is also gearing up to keep up with the latest trend and is preparing to join the five-star hotels.

It is scheduled a renovation for its lobby cafe and several more facilities by the end of the year. “I am hoping the hotel will become more of a passionate, sophisticated place for people from all around the world. Wait and see,” he smiled.