Hanwha Hotel, Resort, Waterpark, and Aquarium Introduce Contactless Services

Post-Corona... Providing Safe Rest

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] Hanwha Hotels & Resorts announced on the 7th that it is preparing for the post-COVID-19 era by introducing and operating contactless services across all business sectors, including luxury hotels, resorts, water parks, and aquariums.

The contactless services provided by Hanwha Hotels & Resorts aim to offer a safe and comfortable rest. Representative examples include ▲drive-thru products featuring hotel restaurant menus ▲introduction of kiosks ▲contactless disinfection activities ▲one-on-one video call-based contactless service training.

The luxury hotel The Plaza is selling drive-thru products designed to allow customers to conveniently enjoy chefs' signature menus at offices and homes. Since its first launch in May, sales have increased by 5% compared to the same period last year. The products consist of signature menus from the 44-year-old traditional Chinese restaurant Dowon and Seven Square, one of Korea's top three hotel buffets, with chefs preparing the dishes to match the pickup time. Orders can be placed at least one day in advance by phone or through Naver reservations, and pickups are available at the hotel's back gate.

At Hanwha Resort Seorak Sorano, visitors' temperature checks are conducted via a drive-thru method. This is a measure to check the health of other guests while recommending that only one representative guest check in at the lobby for safety. Seorak Waterpia operates at 50% capacity for visitors and outdoor facilities such as sunbeds during the summer peak season to ensure safe social distancing. When riding water slides and other attractions, accompanying family members are encouraged to ride together, and seating is arranged to maintain distance. Transparent acrylic partitions have been installed at ticket booths, payment counters, and rental shops, and entry logs are maintained through QR codes, along with the installation of thermal cameras.

Hanwha Aqua Planet has enhanced kiosk functions to strengthen contactless services. Food court kiosks inside the aquarium will notify customers via KakaoTalk AlimTalk about food preparation and completion status to eliminate waiting lines on-site. All kiosks will also include card company and telecom discounts as well as easy payment options to improve convenience. The contactless educational content ecosystem briefing is conducted online, and customers who complete missions on a first-come, first-served basis are offered opportunities to participate in aqua candle-making experiences.

Service training for hotel employees is also being expanded through one-on-one video call-based contactless methods. Starting last year to improve the timeliness and efficiency of training beyond traditional group face-to-face sessions, contactless video service training has continued even after COVID-19.

A company official stated, “The hotel & leisure service industry is currently experiencing significant changes in many areas that cannot be explained solely by previously accumulated data and experience since the outbreak of COVID-19. As a leading hotel & leisure service company in Korea, we will do our best to gain an advantage in the upcoming post-COVID-19 era through new activities and strategies, including contactless services.”