Top Domestic Hotels Engage in 'Luxury Battle' with Independent Brands in Busan

Korea's Leading Shinsegae Chosun & Lotte Hotel
Competing with Independent Brands in the 'City of Leisure' Busan
Foundation for Fostering Global Brands

From the left, Shilla Stay's 'Grand Josun Busan', Lotte Hotel's 'Signiel Busan'

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] The curtain rises on the luxury hotel war in Busan this August. Korea's leading hotel companies, Shinsegae Chosun Hotel and Lotte Hotel, are set to face off head-to-head with their own brands in Busan, the country's representative 'resort city.'

According to the hotel industry on the 11th, Shinsegae Chosun Hotel will unveil its own brand hotel, 'Grand Chosun Busan,' around August after completing the remodeling of 'Novotel Ambassador Busan' in Haeundae, Busan. It will be reborn as a 5-star luxury hotel with a total of 330 rooms, featuring indoor and outdoor swimming pools and fitness facilities.

To attract family customers, various kids-themed contents such as a kids-only floor, themed rooms, and family-type room types will be introduced. The common areas, including the lobby and lounge, sensibly reinterpret the heritage of Chosun Hotel, emphasizing the views. The focus is on creating new spaces with wellness facilities such as indoor and outdoor swimming pools, fitness, sauna, and dining establishments where guests can enjoy gourmet food.

The new hotel, Grand Chosun Busan, is also drawing industry attention as the first hotel of Shinsegae Chosun Hotel's own global brand 'Grand Chosun.' It signifies inheriting the tradition and service of Chosun Hotel, which boasts the longest hotel history in Korea spanning nearly 100 years, and from the initial launch preparations, overseas expansion was considered. Along with the Jeju branch scheduled to open in December, it will be developed into a global luxury hotel brand.

To this end, Shinsegae Chosun Hotel has been reorganizing its structure for the successful opening of the Grand Chosun project. It established a new hotel headquarters directly under CEO Han Chae-yang and unified the previously scattered functional organizations within existing business sites into the headquarters.

As a result, a direct competition with Lotte Hotel's 'Signiel Busan,' which will open first in Haeundae, Busan in June, has become inevitable. Signiel Busan is Lotte Hotel's 6-star hotel brand with a total of 260 rooms. It is located on floors 3 to 19 of the LCT Landmark Tower in Haeundae, Busan. This aligns with the recent trend of 'destination hotels,' where travelers visit specific hotels as their travel purpose. 'Hilton Busan' located in Gijang, Busan, and Shinsegae Chosun Hotel's existing 'Westin Chosun Hotel Busan' near Dongbaek Island have also established themselves as representative hotels in the region. In particular, Busan is receiving love calls from the hotel industry as it is not only a leading domestic resort but also emerging as a new affluent area.

A Shinsegae Chosun Hotel official explained, "Currently, we plan to focus on newly opening domestic hotels and keep the possibility of overseas expansion open later," adding, "A global hotel brand was necessary to increase recognition not only among domestic customers but also overseas customers."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.