Lotte Hotel Seoul. (Image : Yonhap)
SEOUL, April 12 (Korea Bizwire) - Hotel Lotte, one of the leading hotel chains in South Korea, said Tuesday it is ramping up efforts to tap deeper into overseas markets by striking deals to manage hotels in foreign countries.
Known for its top-notch management and service, Hotel Lotte currently runs a hotel in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent on commission and will seek to clinch deals to manage four more foreign hotels over the next two years, a company official said.
“Hotel Lotte has recently been flooded with inquiries from foreign hotel owners, especially from China, about possible deals on commissioned management,” he said.’
The official added that Hotel Lotte is aiming to bag deals by 2018 to manage hotels in Yangon, a former capital of Myanmar; Yantai and Shenyang in China; and Samara in Russia.
Hotel Lotte, the hotel arm of retail giant Lotte Group, has been recognized for its superb management know-how by successfully managing the 232-room hotel in Tashkent on commission, according to the official.
Commissioned by the National Bank of Foreign Economic Activity of Republic of Uzbekistan (NBU), Hotel Lotte has been running the Lotte City Hotel Tashkent Palace, formerly Tashkent Palace Hotel, since October 2013. One of the oldest hotels of the city, it was built in 1958 and completely reconstructed in 2013.
Seeing the need to upgrade its management style and service, NBU commissioned Hotel Lotte to manage the four-star hotel in its place at the recommendation of Uzbek President Islam Karimov.
Karimov reportedly made the recommendation after being impressed with the quality service and facilities of the Lotte Hotel Moscow where he stayed during his visit to Russia. The Uzbek president stayed at Hotel Lotte in Seoul during his seven visits to South Korea.
The Lotte City Hotel Tashkent Palace, which opened as a premium business hotel by simplifying services, has educated its staff on service, their duties and computers through a partnership with the Lotte Hotel Moscow.
A senior manager of the Lotte City Hotel Tashkent Palace said its revenue in dollar terms has risen more than five times since the start of Lotte’s commission management that has sharply upgraded the level of service quality, facilities and amenities.
Before the management deal, tourists were major customers, but the hotel has now emerged as a favorite among businessmen of diverse nationalities, the manager said.
Hotel Lotte said the company has been making efforts to provide customers with consistent services and facilities across the world under the slogan of “Touching you always.”
“Hotel Lotte plans to operate 50 hotels across the globe by 2020,” a company official said. “Hotel Lotte will not be simply content with increasing the number, but will do its best to make each the best regional hotel through differentiated facilities and services.”
(Yonhap)
