(image: Hotel Shilla Co.)
SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Korea Bizwire) – So-called “hotel long stays,” in which people stay at hotels for more than six days, are becoming a new trend in South Korea.
“Living in Hotel,” an online hotel reservation platform, reported a 247-percent increase in the value of transaction payments related to long-stay reservations made through the website between January and July this year compared to the same period last year.
The number of monthly active users also jumped by 162 percent.
During that period, each hotel guest stayed for an average of 32 days, spending about 2 million won (US$1,530) for a one-month stay.
Sorted by hotel rating, transactions were concentrated primarily at 3 and 4-star hotels.
In response, the hotel industry is stepping up to expand a variety of long-stay packages.
The Grand Mercure Ambassador saw a 70-percent increase in the number of long stays over 30 days in early June compared to last year.
“We believe this long-stay trend will continue until early next year,” said an official at Seoul Dragon City, a hotel complex in Seoul.
Dears Myeongdong, a hotel with 111 guestrooms that opened in February last year in the shopping district of Myeongdong, offers shared kitchens, a laundromat and conference rooms exclusively for long-stay guests.
Roughly two-thirds of the guests at Dears Myeongdong book stays of over 30 days.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
