'Kim Dongseon’s Bold Experiment' Hanwha Hotels & Resorts... Transformed into an ‘MZ Playground’

Hanwha Hotels & Resorts' 'bold experiments' are showing consecutive successes, capturing the hearts of 'MZ customers.'

Waterbomb Sokcho 2023 performance scene. [Photo by Hanwha Hotels & Resorts]

According to Hanwha Hotels & Resorts on the 27th, more than 15,000 spectators gathered at 'Waterbomb Sokcho 2023,' held on the 19th at Seorak Sorano in Sokcho, Gangwon Province. This was the first time the Waterbomb, a representative summer festival for the MZ generation, was held in a small city with a population under 100,000. A Hanwha Hotels & Resorts official said, "Through the Waterbomb festival, we not only attracted young customers but also greatly contributed to revitalizing the local economy," adding, "Considering the influx of tourists and employment effects, we expect an economic impact of about 10 billion KRW or more in the region."

The newly attempted 'collaboration with popular YouTube channels' this year is also producing concrete results. Earlier in March, a discount promotion conducted with the YouTube channel 'Nego Wang' sold out The Plaza within an hour. The proportion of customers in their 20s and 30s also increased noticeably. Recently, seven out of ten new web members of The Plaza were found to be in their 20s and 30s.

The resorts are showing a similar trend. Among the 230,000 new members who joined H-LIVE Club, Hanwha Resort's membership service, in the first half of this year (January to June), more than half were in their 20s and 30s, a 20 percentage point increase compared to the same period last year. During the same period, the resort stay rate also increased by 15 percentage points.

They are also expanding 'themed spaces' that consider the preferences of young customers who favor distinctive places. Since last year, Seorak Sorano has been operating a 'Night Spa' using lighting along with natural decorations such as cherry blossoms and maple trees during nighttime hours. As a result, the number of night spa users, which was only 5,000 in 2019, greatly increased to 55,000 last year. In the second half of the year, new rooms targeting young customers, such as music-themed rooms, will be created.

The Plaza Oyster Bar 'Oyster Bay'
[Photo by Hanwha Hotels & Resorts]

Changes at the luxury hotel 'The Plaza' are also noteworthy. In May, The Plaza opened a specialized oyster bar on the basement first floor. As the first oyster bar in a luxury hotel, it actively reflected the recent demand from young people who prefer differentiated casual dining. A representative from The Plaza said, "Currently, more than half of the oyster bar visitors are office workers in their 20s and 30s," adding, "Unlike the past, which mainly focused on business customers, many young customers are visiting after the F&B reorganization."

Hanwha Hotels & Resorts plans to transform hotels and resorts into more 'young and fun spaces' based on various results confirmed through diverse experiments. Kim Dong-seon, the division head leading the change, said, "We will continue to implement various bold changes so that new customers can continuously flow in, not limited to existing business customers and family-centered hotels and resorts."

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