Shinsegae Chosun Hotel Targets Busan and Jeju with 'Grand Chosun'

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Shinsegae Chosun Hotel is targeting Busan and Jeju through a new brand.

Shinsegae Chosun Hotel announced on the 11th that it has finalized ‘Grand Josun’ as the new hotel brand to be launched in 2020.

‘Grand Josun’ is Shinsegae Chosun Hotel’s new 5-star hotel brand that continues the tradition of the existing Chosun Hotel while providing a world-class hotel experience through innovation. It will be applied respectively in Busan and Jeju, the representative tourist cities in Korea, and introduced to customers as ‘Grand Josun Busan’ and ‘Grand Josun Jeju’ hotels.

Through the opening of the new hotel brand ‘Grand Josun,’ Shinsegae Chosun Hotel plans not only to expand its scale but also to discover new growth engines for its development as a global hotel brand.

◆ ‘Grand Josun’ embodying 100 years of ‘Chosun Hotel’ heritage = Shinsegae Chosun Hotel has embraced the legacy of ‘Chosun Hotel,’ Korea’s oldest hotel brand that has been with customers for over 100 years, while consolidating and reinventing its capabilities and experience to create the BI (brand identity) of ‘Grand Josun’ as a new stepping stone for Shinsegae Chosun Hotel.

The new BI reflects the determination to open a full-fledged era of an independent brand hotel and to make a global leap. The name ‘Grand Josun’ combines ‘Grand,’ meaning the ‘upper upscale’ grandeur of a 5-star hotel, with ‘Josun,’ preserving the Korean pronunciation and continuing the tradition of Chosun Hotel.

Shinsegae Chosun Hotel explained that under the brand slogan ‘Journey to Delightful Moments’ of ‘Grand Josun,’ it aims to explore the true essence of a hotel and provide genuine hotel impressions through proactive and warm services that create precious memories of life during customers’ stays.

As a newly introduced 5-star hotel brand, ‘Grand Josun’ is specialized with facilities and programs that allow customers to fully recharge their lives and focus on creating valuable experiences. It offers indoor and outdoor activity programs that keep guests entertained throughout their stay, as well as selected food and beverage (F&B) experiences freely enjoyed within the hotel, promising unforgettable enjoyment for customers.

Perspective view of the Grand Josun Busan Hotel scheduled to open in August this year. (Photo by Shinsegae Josun Hotel)

◆ ‘Grand Josun Busan’ in August, ‘Grand Josun Jeju’ in December = The first to be introduced is the ‘Grand Josun Busan’ hotel in Haeundae, Busan. The plan is to complete remodeling of the existing ‘Novotel Ambassador Busan’ and reopen it as a luxury hotel with a total of 330 rooms around August this year.

‘Grand Josun Jeju’ is scheduled to open in December this year. Located in the Jungmun Resort area of Jeju, ‘Grand Josun Jeju’ is undergoing remodeling of the existing ‘Kensington Hotel Jeju’ along with the construction of 50 additional suite rooms, operating as a luxury hotel with a total of 271 rooms.

Both ‘Grand Josun’ hotels in Busan and Jeju are differentiated by kid-themed content to offer relaxation for family-targeted customers, including dedicated kids’ floors, specialized themed kids’ rooms, and significantly enhanced family room types, available both inside and outside the hotels.

In addition, the hotels focus on creating new spaces such as public facilities like the lobby and lounge that sensibly interpret the heritage of Chosun Hotel, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and fitness and sauna wellness facilities emphasizing views, and food and beverage outlets that carry on the authenticity of Chosun Hotel to deliver gourmet enjoyment.

To achieve this, both ‘Grand Josun’ Busan and Jeju hotels have entrusted design and planning to Umbert & Poyet, a globally recognized design firm. As a leading designer for the millennial generation based in France and Monaco, their excellent understanding of urban and resort areas, exotic interpretations, and distinctive modernity will combine to present timeless spaces.

Perspective view of the Grand Josun Jeju Hotel scheduled to open in December this year. (Photo by Shinsegae Josun Hotel)

◆ Organizational restructuring for the success of the ‘Grand Josun’ project = Shinsegae Chosun Hotel has established a new Hotel Headquarters directly under the CEO and actively recruited external experts with specialized skills. It also newly hired a person in charge of new business to thoroughly prepare for the upcoming hotel openings through organizational restructuring.

The company plans to consolidate the previously scattered functional organizations within existing business sites into the headquarters organization, moving away from individual site operations to strengthen synergy by hotel brand and enable growth in scale through integrated management by focusing all company capabilities.

Shinsegae Chosun Hotel plans to develop new brands focusing on the essence and innovation of the hospitality industry, establish world-class hotel standards, provide differentiated services and content, and expand its hotel business.

Han Chaeyang, CEO of Shinsegae Chosun Hotel, stated, “We have finalized ‘Grand Josun’ as a brand for a new leap forward for Shinsegae Chosun Hotel and will open it within this year in Busan and Jeju, Korea’s representative tourist cities. We will focus our capabilities to explore and upgrade the authenticity of the existing ‘Chosun Hotel’ and ensure that the newly introduced spaces become valuable platforms for customers and a successful brand launch.”