Mourning Period for Tragedy... Hotel Industry Joins "100% Refund, Free Postponement" Amid Event Cancellations

Luxury Hotels Allow Event Postponement Without Penalty Until 5-Day Mourning Period
Inquiries Surge Over Cancellation of Press Conferences and Corporate Events

Citizens waiting to pay their respects by offering flowers at the joint memorial altar for the victims of the Itaewon tragedy, set up at Seoul Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 31st. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] As the official mourning period for the Itaewon tragedy has been decided to last until the 5th, events held at hotels have also been canceled or postponed. The industry is participating in the mourning atmosphere by offering 100% refunds and postponements without penalties.

According to the hotel industry on the 2nd, luxury hotels where large-scale events are mainly held are providing 100% refunds for cancellations and waiving penalties for postponements until the 5th.

Hotel Lotte has decided to allow changes and cancellations of event reservations without fees or penalties until the 5th. A Hotel Lotte official stated, "Regarding banquet events held this week mainly at Lotte Hotel Seoul, requests from organizers to reduce the scale or change the dates are continuously coming in." Hotel Shilla currently has no cancellations but has allowed postponements without penalties.

In the case of Chosun Hotel & Resort, which has large banquet halls, several large-scale events were scheduled for this week. Chosun Hotel & Resort decided to postpone press conferences and brand launch events held at Chosun Palace and Westin Chosun without penalties.

Grand Hyatt Seoul also joined the effort. A Grand Hyatt Seoul official said, "We are receiving many inquiries from event organizers about postponements for events scheduled this week," adding, "We are assisting in rescheduling to dates in November or December."

Luxury hotels have taken similar measures. Andaz postponed corporate events scheduled for this week without incurring any costs. Mondrian Hotel is helping not only with event cancellations but also allowing room cancellations for guests scheduled to stay until the 5th without fees.

Global hotel chains, which mainly host international conferences and overseas business events, have seen relatively lower cancellation rates but have implemented the same measures. A COEX Intercontinental official said, "Most of the current reservations are for academic conferences and business events, so cancellations during the mourning period are fewer compared to other hotels." However, canceled events have been fully refunded, including deposits. JW Marriott and Four Seasons currently have no reservation changes but are monitoring the situation.

An industry official said, "November is the period when the year-end peak season officially begins, but there is a general atmosphere of participating in the national mourning period," adding, "We are considering measures for cancellations or postponements after the official mourning period."

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