Jeju Luxury Hotels Forget the 'Off-Season'... "No More Than Two 'Christmas Nightmares' at Year-End"

Grand Josun Jeju Guest Room.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] The Jeju luxury hotel industry, entering its second winter since the spread of COVID-19, remains on edge despite near-full reservation rates. There is growing anxiety that the "Christmas nightmare"?when sudden room reservation restrictions forced cancellations just before last year's peak season?might repeat itself.

According to the hotel industry on the 9th, major luxury hotels in Jeju Jungmun such as Jeju Shilla Hotel and Grand Chosun Jeju have reservation rates reaching 80-90% this month. Considering that Shilla Hotel has been self-regulating its occupancy rate around 80% due to COVID-19, this demand is close to full capacity. Lotte Hotel Jeju also stated, "With the increase in travel demand to Jeju, reservation inquiries are rising," adding, "Given the short time span from reservation to stay typical of domestic customers, we view the business situation positively." The Grand Hyatt Jeju, located in Jeju City, began operating all 1,600 rooms last month following the phased return to normal life (With COVID-19), and in December, it recorded an average of 800-900 room reservations, with a maximum of about 1,100.

Jeju is traditionally considered an off-season destination in winter compared to other seasons, but due to the surge of visitors choosing Jeju over overseas travel amid COVID-19, the distinction between peak and off-peak seasons has become meaningless. The types of travelers visiting Jeju have also diversified, including families making long-term reservations during winter vacation. A hotel official said, "Even in the period from early January until before the Lunar New Year holiday, the number of customers visiting for activities like Hallasan trekking has increased," adding, "Families with young children who are still cautious about overseas travel are expected to visit Jeju next year as well."

However, the recent sharp rise in COVID-19 cases and the spread of variant viruses remain variables. Last year’s sudden strengthening of quarantine measures, such as limiting room reservations to 50% during the year-end peak, caused significant confusion and disruption to the peak season business, so the industry is closely monitoring the government's additional social distancing measures, which may be announced as early as this weekend.

A Jeju hotel official said, "Even after the start of With COVID-19 last month, uncertainty about future conditions led us to plan packages centered on 'quiet year-end rest,' focusing on 'rest at the hotel' and 'dining in the room,'" adding, "We are making every effort to maintain quarantine measures and hope that sudden incidents like last year do not occur."