Press Release
Seoul, 30th May, 2016
Accor Ambassador expansion in South Korea continues
with signing of 27th hotel
Signs agreement to manage Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotel & Residences with KT
Estate, a subsidiary of the innovative telecommunications company KT Group
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The hotel, which will be KT Estate’s first international hotel in South Korea, will be managed by
Accor Ambassador Korea, the largest global hotel operator in the country.
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The top floors of the 528-room hotel will have a rooftop pool, two bars and other attractions,
ensuring its position as a new Seoul landmark.
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The “smart” hotel will be equipped with KT Group’s cutting-edge network and energy
management technology, making it the first of its kind in the country.
Accor Ambassador Korea announces plans to open Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotel
& Residences in 2018 in Seoul, South Korea, close to the popular Dongdaemun Shopping Town and
Dongdaemun Design Plaza. The hotel represents the 27th hotel signed by Accor Ambassador Korea,
which is expanding its network to 27 hotels and 7,500 rooms by the end of 2019 from the current 17
hotels and 4,300 rooms in Korea. The expansion further enhances its position as the largest
international operator of hotels in the country.
The hotel, which is part of the midscale Novotel brand known for its spacious modular guestrooms,
commitment to guest wellbeing, meeting facilities, children’s offerings and attentive service, will
feature 334 hotel rooms and 194 serviced residence units, the latter equipped with full
kitchenettes to meet the needs of leisure, business and family guests for both short- and long-term
stays. Guests will enjoy an array of facilities, including a restaurant, event space, fitness club and
sauna. The top floors will be the hotel’s main attraction with a sky lobby and bar, rooftop pool and
adjacent outdoor bar, creating a new landmark destination in the city for visitors and locals alike.
Maximising guest comfort and enjoyment, Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun will be a “smart”
hotel, equipped throughout with KT Group’s innovative infrastructure, including its Internet of
Things network technology featuring KT Giga Internet and WiFi at a high speed of 1Gbps, internet
protocol television, and widespread smartphone-based technology. It will have a centralised
energy-control system in the form of KT MEG (the KT Micro Energy Grid) and LED sensor controls,
making this the first hotel in South Korea where energy is so efficiently managed.
The hotel’s interior design will be undertaken by SODA (Thailand), the award-winning firm known
for its creation of N’Room, the new guest room concept for Novotel offering a universal, more
customizable design to better address the need of guests and individual hotels. SODA has previously
created designs for AccorHotels’ sister brands Sofitel and Pullman.
Mr. Patrick Basset, Chief Operating Officer of AccorHotels Upper Southeast and Northeast Asia,
said the management agreement comes at an auspicious time, particularly for AccorHotels, whose
global headquarters are in France. “This is a special year for South Korea and France, which are
celebrating the 130th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. The new hotel also reflects the
successful partnership between AccorHotels and Ambassador Hotel Group, which combine global
brands and standards with local expertise, enabling an unrivalled ‘glocal’ hotel-management
system that is ideal for the Korean market.”
Mr. Kwon Tae-wook, Chief Representative of Accor Ambassador Korea, said, “We are delighted
to partner with KT Estate on this large-scale hotel project development in Dongdaemun, Seoul. The
hotel will have a positive impact on tourism infrastructure and the local economy together with
Dongdaemun Shopping Town, Dongdaemun Design Plaza and Doota Duty Free Shop.”
AccorHotels, which is the largest and fastest growing international hotel group in Europe and Asia
Pacific, opened its first hotel in South Korea 26 years ago with Ambassador Group, a pioneer in the
local hospitality field. The two companies then formed the joint venture Accor Ambassador Korea,
which now manages hotels in six cities under the brands Pullman, Novotel, Mercure, ibis Styles, ibis,
and ibis Budget.
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ABOUT NOVOTEL
With Novotel, AccorHotels leaves guests free to enjoy their stay to the full. Novotel Hotels, Suites & Resorts provide a
multi-service offer for both business and leisure guests, with spacious, modular rooms, 24/7 catering offers with balanced
meals, meeting rooms, attentive and proactive staff, kid areas, a multi-purpose lobby and fitness centers. Through PLANET
21, AccorHotels’ sustainable development program, Novotel commits to Man and the Planet. Novotel has over 450 hotels
and resorts in 61 countries, ideally located in the heart of major international cities, business districts and tourist
destinations.
www.novotel.com
ABOUT ACCORHOTELS
AccorHotels is a Group united by a shared passion for hospitality and driven by a shared promise to make everyone Feel
Welcome. More than 180,000 women and men in 3,900 AccorHotels establishments look after thousands of guests every day
in 92 countries.
AccorHotels is the world’s leading hotel operator and offers its customers, partners and employees:
- its dual expertise as a hotel operator and franchisor (HotelServices) and a hotel owner and investor (HotelInvest);
- a large portfolio of internationally renowned brands covering the full spectrum, with luxury (Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery by
Sofitel, Grand Mercure, The Sebel), midscale (Novotel, Mercure, Mama Shelter, Adagio) economy (ibis, ibis Styles, ibis
budget, adagio access and hotelF1) establishments;
- a powerful marketplace and loyalty program Le Club AccorHotels
- almost half a century of commitment to corporate citizenship and solidarity with the PLANET 21 program.
Accor SA shares are listed on the Euronext Paris exchange (ISIN code: FR0000120404) and traded in the USA on the OTC
marketplace (Code: ACRFY)
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PRESS CONTACTS
Valerie Barrios
Director of Loyalty & Communications
AccorHotels Upper Southeast and Northeast Asia
[email protected]
+66 (0) 26 59 46 26
Insun Park
Marketing & Communications Manager
AccorHotels Korea
[email protected]
+82 (0) 2 2270 3440