Hotels transforming into travel guides
Sheep graze on Daegwallyeong Samyang Ranch. / Courtesy of the Seamarq Hotel
By Kang Seung-woo
Local hotels are stepping up to promote neighboring tourist attractions, offering various outdoor activities as well as comfy lodging.
Seamarq Hotel in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, runs a program featuring the East Sea and a famous highlands farm, while the Paradise Hotel Busan also provides opportunities to experience the port city's day and night life.
Haevichi Hotel Jeju also gives travel consultations on the island's oreum formations, parasitic volcanoes formed by eruptions of Mt. Halla.
The Seamarq, which recently gained recognition during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in February for hosting the media center, has launched the Travel and Life Balance package enabling guests to enjoy “ho-cance” and outdoor activities at the same time. Ho-cance is a “Konglish” combination of two words _ hotel and the French for vacation, “vacance.”
The travel package features a tour of Daegwallyeong Samyang Ranch _ a large green pasture spread out on a plateau in the mountains of PyeongChang. The ranch is accessible via a 50-minute car ride.
In addition, the Seamarq offers a minibar containing various drinks such as beer and carbonated water allowing its guests to enjoy them on the picturesque farm.
Also, guests of the package program can enjoy the “beach on a cloud” fifth-floor infinity pool deck.
The package is available until Aug. 31.
Paradise Hotel Busan, the only Korean hotel that made the top 10 family-friendly hotel list in the world by booking website Hotels.com last year, runs a leisure and entertainment organizer program.
Under the program that runs until April 30, guests can visit Gukje Market, a culture village, Songdo Beach and a cherry blossom tour in the port city.
Haevichi takes advantage of its location facing out to sea with oreum formations behind it.
The hotel consults guests on adjacent parasitic volcanoes and sometimes brings them there via some programs.