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Grand Hilton Seoul Munchner Zwietracht, a renowned German band, will perform at the Grand Hilton Seoul for the hotel's Oktoberfest celebration on Sept. 4 and 5. The band will headline the festival, which features unlimited draft beer, fun games, a selection of German foods and great prizes. Tickets cost 100,000 won, with special discounts available for parties of more than 50 people. For more information, call (02) 2287-7456. Novotel Ambassador Gangnam The Novotel Ambassador Gangnam celebrated the opening of subway line No. 9, the Shin-Nonhyun station of which is located within a five-minute walk from the hotel. On July 30, the hotel prepared a 9-meter-long sandwich resembling a subway train, along with coffee for 90 people and offered it free of charge to guests, pedestrians and drivers in front of the hotel. The Novotel also features a special celebration package through Aug. 31. The ``Lucky Gold No. 9'' package, at 99,999 won, is available for the first nine guests who book through the Web site and includes various gifts, such as free trip ticket to Paris. For

Aug 6, 2009

Hotels Diversifying Beds and Pillows

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Major hotels are upgrading and diversifying beds and pillows to meet the growing demands of sophisticated guests. Hotels are all about beds. Their main function is to provide guests with comfortable rooms for sleep. ``Someone asked me, `What do you think is the most important thing in this hotel?' It's the bed. I never leave the bed after entering the room,'' a hotel promoter said. ``We find many guests using only the bathtubs and beds. They are too tired to search for anything else,'' she added. Therefore, hotels are striving to equip themselves with the best beds and pillows to attract more guests. The Korea Times looked into some of the best. Beds Become Identity Beds in the Westin Chosun and the JW Marriott have their own names. Westin Chosun features one called the ``Heavenly Bed.'' The Westin has invested $30 million in their beds after a survey showed 63 percent of 600 businessmen named beds as the most important factor in selecting a hotel to stay at. The Westin joined hands with Simmons to install beds with 900 coil

Aug 6, 2009

Enjoy Dotori Muk at Hansoban

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Traditional restaurant Hansoban is all about ``dotori muk,'' or acorn starch jelly. Strange as it may sound, this light brown jiggling recipe is more than a dessert here in Korea; it is an actual meal, all by itself. Dotori muk is made with acorns, which are low in calories, easy to digest and easy to mix with other ingredients. Koreans have enjoyed acorn jelly for a long time, either as a simple snack or a properly prepared side dish. The acorns are first cleansed in water three to five times, and then soaked in clean water for three days. Then the delicate acorns are ground up and filtered. The ground acorns are boiled and finally left until they become firm. Hansoban offers various dishes using the jelly, or ``muk,'' including ``mukbap,'' or acorn jelly with rice and warm soup, the ``muksabal,'' acorn jelly served in an icy cold brisket broth, and various pancakes. We ordered mukbap (6,000 won) and the ``dotori haemulpajeon,'' or seafood acorn jelly pancake (8,000 won). The mukbap came in a large bowl with various toppings: tw

Aug 6, 2009

Mt. Baekdu ― Most Famous and Sacred Korean Mountain

By Oleg Kiriyanov Contributing writer It would be difficult to find a Korean (either from the South or the North) who hasn't heard of Baekdu Mountain. It is regarded as the most sacred peak of the Korean Peninsula, and Koreans believe it to be the location of the nation's origin. Frankly speaking, Baekdu Mountain was bound to be famous ― at the very least because it's the highest peak in Korea. The 2,744-meter high mountain is actually situated on the border of China and North Korea, with two thirds of it in North Korean territory. It is among the 10 most famous mountains of China. But for Koreans, it will always be Mountain Number 1. Its Korean name means ``white-headed mountain.'' In China it is known as the ``perpetually white mountain,'' or "Changbaishan." It looks white throughout the year despite not always being covered with snow due to the abundant pumice on its slopes. Though the greater portion of the mountain belongs to North Korea, most tourists, for reasons understandable, visit from the Chinese side. Those lucky enough to see Mt. Baekdu from both coun

Jul 30, 2009

Sheraton Incheon in Songdo Opens Saturday

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter Just days before its grand opening, staffers were busy bringing plants into the lobby of a new hotel, and a man was putting the final touches on preparations for the guests. The 40-year-old man, Alain Rigodin, general manager of the brand-new Sheraton Incheon Hotel in the Songdo International Business District (IBD), said, ``I can't wait to meet our guests and get feedback from them.'' Rigodin arrived in Korea about a year ago to lead preparations for the opening of the first luxury hotel in the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ). The general managers are typically the last of a hotel's crew to be recruited, but in this case, Rigodin was the first to arrive. According to him, there were ``no roads or trees'' when he first arrived in the new town. ``I had to be able to envision and I needed a lot of imagination,'' said Rigodin. The area was developed rapidly and now Sheraton Incheon Hotel awaits its opening Saturday. The opening-specialist began his career in the hospitality business as a chef. His specialties covered everything from pastr

Jul 30, 2009

Hotel Lobby

Millennium Seoul Hilton Millennium Seoul Hilton's Italian restaurant, Il Ponte, offers cuisines of Piemonte, a northwestern Italian region, from Aug. 1 to 31. Piemonte cuisine is inspired by staples such as rice, maize and potatoes, as well as white truffle, gorgonzola cheese and Barolo wine. The price ranges from 21,000 to 34,000 won. For more information, call (02) 317-3270. JW Marriott Seoul JW Marriott Seoul celebrates the opening of subway line No. 9, which passes near the hotel in southern Seoul and gives guests easier access to Incheon and Gimpo airports and the financial hub of Yeouido. Two promotions are presented from Aug. 1 to Sept. 30. The ``999 Event'' at Bar Rouge offers Cass beer at 999 won per mug from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. every Saturday. For more information, call (02) 6282-6763. A dinner buffet at Marriott Cafe will be presented at 37,900 won every Wednesday. For more information, call (02) 6282-6731. Grand Hyatt Seoul The Spa Grand Hyatt Seoul offers two promotions until the end of August. A 60-minute leg therapy facilitates the circula

Jul 30, 2009

Sweet Chicken at Manna Teriyaki

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Teriyaki is often associated with Japanese cuisine, but the technique of grilling dishes in a sweet soy sauce has become popular everywhere. At the Manna Teriyaki restaurant in Haebangchon, Itaewon, the recipe for the sweet teriyaki sauce is not from Japan. It's actually from a popular chicken teriyaki chain based in Seattle, Washington. The restaurant has a fairly extensive menu of different teriyaki dishes. You can sample teriyaki-style chicken, beef, spicy chicken, chicken salad, pork, chicken katsu, beef short rib, tofu, tuna and shrimp. Since we wanted to try different dishes, we opted for the combination meal menu. We chose the chicken and shrimp (8,900 won) and chicken and egg roll sets (8,900 won). Each dish comes with rice, salad and pickled radish. The chicken teriyaki and shrimp dish was served with a sizable serving of sliced chicken strips, a skewer of grilled shrimp, two scoops of rice and vegetables. The chicken was tasty and flavorful, helped by the sweet teriyaki sauce, which is drizzled liberally on the c

Jul 30, 2009

Spotlight on Women Artists at Incheon Biennale

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Incheon is already known for its international airport, its seaport, Chinatown and the Pentaport rock festival, but the port city also wants to become a contemporary art and cultural hub of Korea. For the entire month of August, Incheon is the site for a unique contemporary art biennale that shines the spotlight on women artists. Nearly 300 artists from 40 countries are participating in the second Incheon Women Artists' Biennale (IWAB), which opens Saturday. It is only timely and relevant to have a contemporary art biennale focusing on women artists. The international art world has always been criticized for being sexist and male-dominated, and Korea is no exception. Yang Eun-hee, commissioner of the Main Exhibition at the biennale, said there is a big disparity between the number of male and female artists shown in art institutions and museums in Korea. ``In the Korean art world, the museums' major collections have less than 20 percent, or even 10 percent, of artworks by female artists,'' Yang told The Korea Times. ``I also

Jul 30, 2009

Hotel Lobby

W Seoul-Walkerhill W Seoul-Walkerhill presents a special dinner gathering with Ken Hom, star host of documentary ``Noodle Road'' and world-class chef, at Namu restaurant on July 31. Hom, the notable Chinese-American chef, is the author of some 20 cookbooks on Asian cuisine. He currently manages his franchise brand ``Ken Hom Wok'' in Paris. He will offer his own six-course dinner with selected wine. Guests can also meet him personally during a cocktail reception. The event is priced at 120,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2022-0222. Park Hyatt Seoul Cornerstone at Park Hyatt Seoul offers a new weekend brunch from August. It presents freshly cooked dishes from the open kitchen and serves meat and seafood dishes as the main course. Every Wednesday is Ladies Day, and female guests ordering the lunch menu will get a gift bag containing products from Jurlique, the natural luxury skincare brand. The weekend brunch is priced at 68,000 won and Ladies Day menu 42,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2016-1234. Grand InterContinental Grand InterContinental

Jul 23, 2009

Local Hotels Become Art Galleries

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter If you think art is something limited to galleries and museums, you may want to visit a hotel lobby. This is the newest trend ― hotels hanging or installing art to spice up their interiors and enhance their image. So if you're staying in a hotel and don't have the time to visit a gallery downtown, or just don't feel like going out in the hot summer weather, simply ask your concierge to show you around the hotel and point out the finer points of the art. From Miro to Kim Ki-chang The Shilla Seoul features a variety of pieces from world-renowned artists, including Juan Miro's "Samurai," Armand's "Violin" and Antoni Tapies' unnamed paintings. Many of the works are simply hung on the wall along the way to the restaurants and rooms and of the large building, so it is quite natural that simply some walk past, oblivious to their value. Foreign artists aren't the only ones at Silla Seoul. In fact, there are more domestic names featured, including both indoor and outdoor art. The painting "Cheongroksansu" (clear and green mountains and rive

Jul 23, 2009
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