Kim Rahn is the managing editor of The Korea Times. Since joining the company in 2003, she has covered various beats including the presidential office, Seoul city government, the Bank of Korea and the tourism industry. In 2014, she won the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) award for her coverage of the ordeals of migrant women in Korea.
Best hotel Lotte Hotel making headway overseas
By Kim Rahn
Lotte Hotel Seoul maximizes guest satisfaction based on stylish, state-of-the-art facilities created by world-renowned design firms and caring services that are unsurpassable by other hotels.
The flagship hotel of Lotte Hotel Group has taken Korea’s hospitality industry to a higher level, being fairly recognized even in the international arena.
Located in the heart of Seoul, Lotte Hotel Seoul is adjacent to government and public offices, businesses, historic landmarks and major shopping districts, arguably being the primary hospitality choice for VIPs visiting Korea.
The hotel has 1,120 guestrooms, 14 banquet halls and conference rooms that have been upgraded to offer a high-tech e-business environment. Ten stylish restaurants and a bar, reborn under new concepts in recent years, are also craved by both local and foreign guests.
The main building was renovated between 2007 and 2009. Four world-renowned design firms _ SOM, Wilson & Associates, HBA and Babey Moulton _ collaborated for the first time in the room renovation to present distinguished interior designs.
Four separate design concepts have been created, from modern chic to traditional beauty, from luxury to simplicity. The rooms and suites now cater to every taste and style of guests from business travelers to trendy female guests.
The royal suites, unrivaled in design, size and rate, have accommodated many foreign dignitaries, gaining accolades. They offer spacious living and conference rooms, secretary’s bedroom, personal dry sauna, Jacuzzi and other state-of-the-art facilities. Safety is ensured with a security system.
Worldwide award-winning hotel
Lotte Hotel Seoul is a local brand but has gained growing credibility among foreign guests. It has been recognized for its excellence by travel- and hospitality-related organizations and media around the world. The hotel has been selected as the official hotel for numerous international events for the last three decades.
As a result, U.S. travel magazine Global Traveler selected Lotte Hotel Seoul as the “Best Individual Hotel in Asia” for three consecutive years from 2006 to 2008.
The world’s largest online booking website, Expedia.com, also named Lotte Hotel Seoul the best luxury hotel in Seoul. The hotel was also awarded both the “Best Business Hotel in Seoul” by Business Traveller and the “Best City Hotel in Seoul” at the Travel Trade Gazette (TTG) Travel Awards for two consecutive years in 2010 and 2011.
International Hotel Awards, hotel industry’s most prestigious award, called Lotte Hotel as the “Best Hotel in Korea” in Asia Pacific Hotel Awards 2011.
The hotel’s French restaurant, Pierre Gagnaire a Seoul, the only restaurant run by a three-Michelin starred chef in Korea, was selected as “Korea’s Best Restaurant” in the Miele Guide 2011/2012 edition. It was ranked eighth in the guide’s top 20 restaurants in Asia.
The hotel’s two other restaurants, Mugunghwa for Korean and Momoyama for Japanese, were also included in Korea’s top five restaurants along with Pierre Gagnaire a Seoul.
Going global
Lotte Hotel, often called “Korea’s representative hotel,” has gained fame through its long experience in hospitality, which goes alongside the development of Korea’s tourism industry.
Lotte Hotel continues the heritage of Bando Hotel, the nation’s first commercial hotel set up in 1936.
They first Lotte Hotel brand, Lotte Hotel Seoul, opened in 1979. The hotel group now operates five luxury hotels in major cities across the nation, with the four others being Lotte Hotel World in eastern Seoul, Lotte Hotel Busan, Lotte Hotel Jeju and Lotte Hotel Ulsan.
The company made forays into the business hotel segment by launching Lotte City Hotel Mapo in 2009 and recently opened the second chain, Lotte City Hotel Gimpo Airport. It plans to expand the business hotel chain in Jeju and Seocho, southern Seoul.
New super-luxury six-star business hotels are scheduled to open as well in Jamsil Lotte World II Complex, just across the Lotte Hotel World, and Busan Lotte Town.
The nation’s largest hotel group is now taking the next step to become a leading global hotel brand, opening th
e six-star Lotte Hotel Moscow. Luxury and business hotels are set to open in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2013 and Shenyang, China in 2014.