Hotels canceling year-end, New Year's events amid pandemic

The Westin Chosun Seoul sets up a big screen to livestream the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra's New Year's Concert for guests having dinner at the hotel on Jan. 1, 2019. The hotel has decided not to hold the annual event on Jan. 1 2021 due to concerns over COVID-19 infections. / Courtesy of The Westin Chosun Seoul

By Jun Ji-hye

The year-end period has been the traditional peak season for luxury hotels to hold concerts, parties and other events to celebrate the holidays. But an increasing number of hotels have decided not to hold New Year's celebrations this year due to concerns over possible transmission of COVID-19 amid the prolonged pandemic, according to hotel industry officials, Thursday.

As the country is battling a third wave of infections caused by continued sporadic outbreaks, the government has also prohibited hotels, party rooms and other guesthouses from hosting year-end parties, beginning from Dec. 1, in an effort to slow the spread of the virus among young people.

“Many hotels have canceled plans to hold events this winter such as the countdown to the New Year as precautions against the spread of COVID-19,” an official from a five-star hotel in Seoul's Gangnam-gu said on condition of anonymity. “Hotels' reputations will be severely damaged if those events result in the emergence of new virus cases.”

The Westin Chosun Seoul has decided not to hold its signature annual event, in which it broadcasts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra's New Year's Concert on Jan. 1, while guests have dinner at the hotel.

“We made that decision in the first half of the year after much internal discussion, mindful of concerns over the pandemic,” an official from The Westin Chosun Seoul said.

The Plaza Seoul, Autograph Collection, which had held classical music concerts at the end of every year, will not hold any this year. “Instead of holding large-scale events, we are focusing on releasing distinguished room packages,” an official from The Plaza Seoul said.

The InterContinental Seoul COEX has also decided not to hold its annual Christmas events, during which time it offers dinner courses and musical performances.

Hotels have also been hit by the government's enhanced social distancing rules that ban restaurants from serving food after 9 p.m., as their buffet restaurants have had to shorten their operating hours.

In addition, hotels have been forced to reduce the number of tables at their restaurants in accordance with the government's rules allowing one person per four square meters.

Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas had originally operated its buffet restaurant from 5:20 p.m. to 10 p.m., but the restaurant is only open from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. now.

The Westin Chosun Seoul's buffet restaurant operated from 5:20 p.m. to 9:50 p.m. on weekend, but this has been changed to a 5 p.m. start and a closing time of 8:50 p.m.

The Plaza Seoul's buffet restaurant has advanced its operating hours by 30 minutes and operated only about 60 percent of tables.

“As the number of tables has been reduced by 40 percent, our sales have decreased by 40 percent,” an official from The Plaza Seoul said. “Our restaurant is completely booked up in December but there are no group reservations of more than 10 people. Most reservations for year-end gatherings are for four people or fewer.”