"Even If Expensive, Year-End Hotel Buffet"... '760,000 Won for Family of Four', Reservation Battle Begins

Major Luxury Hotels Including 'Seoul's Top 3 Buffets' Raise Buffet Prices in December
'Christmas Dinner' 180,000~190,000 KRW... 200,000 KRW Expected at Some Undecided Locations
High Inflation Leads to One or Two Significant Buffet Price Hikes This Year
Despite High Prices, Reservations Fill Quickly as Demand Surges "Dining According to Season Atmosphere and Preferences"

Seong Jang-hoon (42), who lives in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, was shocked while looking for a hotel buffet to have a meal with his family at the end of this year. When he calculated the cost for dinner for four adults and two children around Christmas, it came to 930,000 won, nearly 1 million won. Despite the high price, he was determined to make a reservation since it was a rare opportunity for the whole family to dine together, but even this was not easy. Most luxury hotels that started accepting December reservations earlier this month had already filled their major time slots such as Christmas Eve. Mr. Jeong said, "I was surprised once by the price, and again by how difficult it was to make a reservation despite the high price," adding, "It seems that people flock to hotel buffets because they want to spend special time with their families during Christmas and year-end, enjoying the Christmas atmosphere while having meals tailored to their tastes."

As the year-end approaches, major luxury hotels in Seoul, including the so-called "Seoul's Big Three Buffets"?Lotte, Shilla, and Chosun Hotels?have simultaneously raised buffet prices. This year, the dinner price per adult has approached 200,000 won. While special year-end menus have been added in December each year with temporary price increases, this year, amid high inflation and rising raw material costs, hotels had already raised buffet prices once or twice, making Christmas season prices relatively more expensive.

Lotte Hotel Seoul's La Seine raised the adult buffet price to 190,000 won for both lunch and dinner from the evening of December 23 to 25. This is a 26.7% increase compared to the regular dinner price of 150,000 won. Outside this period in December, the adult dinner (weekend lunch) price is 180,000 won. The weekday lunch price also increased from 135,000 won in November to 160,000 won in December. The Parkview at Seoul Shilla Hotel charges 185,000 won for adult dinner from December 12 to 31, a 19.4% increase from 155,000 won in November. From December 1 to 11, the price is 175,000 won, up 12.9%. The lunch price rose to 145,000 won on weekends in November and 155,000 won in December. The Westin Chosun Seoul's Aria, which announced a December price increase, is expected to set prices at a similar level. Chosun Palace Constance, the top brand among Chosun Hotels, currently charges 165,000 won for dinner, and it is expected that prices will rise to around 200,000 won during the Christmas season.

The Parkview at Seoul Shilla Hotel (Photo by Seoul Shilla Hotel website).

December buffet price increases have become an open secret in the hotel industry, as group reservations for year-end parties surge and demand for special meals with family, lovers, and friends around Christmas and year-end rises sharply. Typically, luxury hotels raise buffet prices in December to introduce special menus during the busy year-end and New Year party season. This year, hotels have prepared special year-end menus such as lobster and tomahawk steak, and offered unlimited wine and champagne. A hotel official explained, "Because of this, prices were inevitably set higher than usual." However, the reason the perceived price increase feels especially high this year is that raw material costs have soared amid high inflation since early this year, causing buffet prices to rise once or twice already. Since the increases were based on the previous price of around 150,000 won, prices have now approached 200,000 won per person. Last year, the Christmas peak prices for these buffets were 159,000 won for La Seine and The Parkview, and 150,000 won for Aria.

Despite the sharp price increases, reservations for desired dates such as Saturday Christmas Eve have already become difficult. Most major hotels have completed their November dinner reservations, and inquiries surged after December reservations opened earlier this month, with most first seating reservations for Saturday evenings already filled. It is analyzed that this phenomenon occurs because consumers who want to enjoy a variety of abundant meals at year-end increase beyond the usual hotel buffet demand, and due to consumption polarization, there is a strong tendency to approach "expensive meals that become even more expensive during the season" without much burden.

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