"200,000 Won Rooms Now 1.4 Million?" Price Surge Triggers Booking War... No Vacancies for Chuseok

Reservation Wars at Major Tourist Destinations as China's National Day Overlaps with Chuseok
Booking Remaining Rooms Now Costs Over 1 Million Won per Night
Accommodation Prices More Than Double Compared to Off-Season Weekends
Only Expensive Suite

With the Chuseok holiday stretching for up to ten days this year, accommodation prices at major tourist destinations have soared to unprecedented heights. It is not difficult to find places, ranging from luxury hotels to pensions, charging over 1 million won per night. This surge is driven by domestic travelers taking advantage of the long break and an influx of Chinese tourists visiting Korea for China's National Day holiday, as temporary visa-free entry has been granted to group tourists. Even so, at well-known accommodations, only the most expensive suites or less popular rooms with inferior views among the main room types are often available for booking.

Signiel Busan Infinity Pool. Provided by Lotte Hotel & Resorts

According to Triple, a hyper-personalized travel platform operated by Nol Universe, as of October 6, the middle of the holiday, a spa pension near Nami Island in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, is priced at 1.4 million won per night. This is a pool villa that can accommodate up to four people, and considering that the usual off-season weekend rate is around 200,000 won per night, the price is about seven times higher.

For all three days surrounding Chuseok, including the day itself, nightly rates easily exceed 1 million won. An industry insider commented, "Prices can rise sharply during peak demand seasons," but also noted, "When a property is fully booked, some operators set exceptionally high prices on online travel agency (OTA) platforms to keep their listings visible, even though additional reservations are restricted."

Even at luxury hotels with available rooms, it is common to see nightly rates exceeding 1 million won. At The Shilla Seoul, operated by Hotel Shilla, room rates during this period reach up to 1.3 million won. Even deluxe rooms, which normally cost around 600,000 won on weekends, are close to 1 million won. Lotte Hotel Seoul has set nightly rates between 610,000 won and 1.31 million won, marking a 1.5 to 2 times increase compared to usual weekend prices. Signiel Busan, operated by Lotte Hotel & Resorts in Busan, also has rooms available during the same period, with rates ranging from 950,000 won to 1.08 million won per night.

Inspire Entertainment Resort Room. Provided by Inspire

In the Gangwon region, the newly opened Shilla Monogram Gangneung Hotel, which began operations in July, has nightly rates ranging from 580,000 won to 920,000 won. Given that off-season weekend rates are around 300,000 won, this is two to three times more expensive. At St. John's Hotel Gangneung, another popular destination, nightly rates range from 350,000 won to 490,000 won, more than double the usual weekend price.

An industry insider explained, "Popular tourist destinations in Gangwon Province, where hotels and resorts are concentrated, have already sold out their Chuseok accommodations," adding, "Rooms still showing as available on online sites as the holiday approaches are typically either premium rooms with a hefty markup or rooms with limited views in less desirable locations that operators are trying to fill."

Additionally, hotels and resorts that operate foreigner-only casinos are almost fully booked during the Chuseok holiday, with the few available rooms priced around 1 million won per night. For example, at Paradise City on Yeongjong Island, Incheon, remaining rooms during the Chuseok holiday are priced between 1.12 million won and 1.35 million won, while at Inspire Entertainment Resort, rates range from 720,000 won to 1.01 million won.

At Grand Hyatt Jeju, located within the Jeju Dream Tower Complex Resort operated by Lotte Tour Development, most of the 1,600 rooms are booked, with the remaining rooms priced between 640,000 won and 730,000 won. Jeju Shinhwa World, a resort in Seogwipo that operates a casino and theme park, has also filled most of its 2,000 rooms, and booking a remaining room requires paying over 700,000 won per night.

An industry insider stated, "This year, the overlap of the Chuseok holiday and China's National Day holiday has increased the proportion of not only domestic but also Chinese and other foreign tourists," adding, "As a result, accommodations that could be booked for less than 300,000 won during the off-season have mostly seen their prices more than double."