Wyndham is leading hotel growth in Korea’s secondary cities with two new openings in Gangwon and Gunsan to meet the demand for accommodation in the country’s emerging tourism regions.
Wyndham’s strategic expansion in Asia sees Korea being underscored as a country of key focus for the group, as the government plans to invest KRW 25 trillion to enhance its tourism and transportation infrastructure. This includes a high-speed rail network linking Seoul to various provinces such as Gangwon to increase its accessibility and entice more travellers to secondary cities.
Ramada Gunsan and Ramada Gangwon Sokcho are franchise agreements with KG Development Corporation and Korea Asset Management respectively, and bring Wyndham’s total number of hotels in Korea to 18 and add 693 rooms to its portfolio. The group plans to operate 40 hotels by 2018 with hotels in Taebaek and Pyeong Taek in the construction pipeline.
David Wray, Vice President of Acquisitions and Development for Wyndham Hotel Group South East Asia and the Pacific Rim said, “We are at the forefront of hotel development in Korea and expanding our presence in line with the country’s larger strategy to drive both domestic and international travellers into secondary cities.”
“There is an absence of international full-service hotel chains in Gangwon and Gunsan; and our Ramada brand caters to this gap with quality accommodation at an affordable price, appealing to both domestic travellers and the surge in Chinese tourists who prefer to stay in mid-scale properties,” Mr Wray added.
The Gangwon province is a point of focus for the country as it gears up for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Through the Visit Korea 2016 – 2018 campaign, the government aims to attract 20 million foreign tourists a year through food, hospitality and cultural programs.
Ramada Gunsan
Set in front of the scenic Eunpa Lake, Ramada Gunsan features 137 guestrooms with standard rooms equipped with queen, twin, ondol or family twin-bedded configurations offering views of the surrounding mountains or Eunpa Lake. For larger families, the hotel offers three exclusive deluxe suites with a living area and bathroom with a glass-encased rainshower and bathtub.
Facilities include an all-day dining restaurant and a day spa, which provides an array of oil massage therapies. The hotel is also equipped with a grand ballroom, which is able to accommodate up to 120 delegates and six smaller breakout rooms. A communal open-plan business centre equipped with two computers is available for the modern business traveller together with photocopy and fax services.
The hotel is in close vicinity to some of the largest Korean offices such as Doosan Infracore, JY Heavy Industries and Daesang Corporation.
Gunsan is a city in North Jeolla Province, which is one of Korea’s leading high-tech manufacturing industrial cities. The city also has an international trade seaport on the midwest coast of the Korean Peninsula.
Ramada Gangwon Sokcho
Ramada Gangwon Sokcho consists of 556 rooms spanning across 20 floors, which includes 495 standard rooms and 61 suites, comfortably furnished with mini bars, flat screen televisions and a full suite of amenities. Hotel facilities include an all-day dining restaurant, a spa and sauna, a fitness centre, and a banquet hall for conference and events.
Located just across the Daepo Port, Ramada Gangwon Sokcho enjoys easy access to the Daepo fish market, which offers a variety of fresh seafood produce and local restaurants. Sokcho is also a popular gateway to Seoraksan National Park and home to a plethora of attractions including hot springs and golf courses.
