CLEVELAND— Vantage Hospitality Group’s Lexington by Vantage brand continues to grow in South Korea with new-construction projects set for Seogwipo and Jeju City on the island province of Jeju. Both properties are full-service hotels in the mid- to upper-mid-tier segments, and will carry Vantage’s Value Hotel Worldwide brand, as Lexington Hotels are known in South Korea.
Vantage Hospitality, which has a worldwide portfolio of more than 1,200 properties, entered into a master license agreement with Service Legend Inc. in 2012 to introduce the Value Inn Worldwide and Value Hotel Worldwide brands to South Korea. The first Value Hotel Worldwide, a 20-floor, 300-room property in Suwon, opened in November 2013, while a 307-room project in Sejong City is expected to be completed in 2016. All four of the Lexington Hotels in South Korea also are managed by Service Legend.
Located off the southern coast of South Korea, Jeju Island is a popular vacation spot for domestic Korean tourists and visitors from other Northeast Asia locales, as it is a short flight from Seoul, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Shenyang and Tianjin. The volcanic island is known for its natural beauty, hiking, golfing, beaches and theme parks, and hosted World Cup soccer games in 2002.
The 225-room Value Hotel Worldwide in Seogwipo, which is expected to open this December, will include nine floors of guestrooms and suites, and features an indoor swimming pool, spa, fitness center, restaurant, café and banquet facilities.
The 357-room property in Jeju City, which is scheduled to open in late 2016, will include 18 floors of guestrooms and feature a fitness center, sauna, restaurant, café, banquet hall and sky lounge. The city is the capital of Jeju Island and is located just seven minutes from the airport.
“Jeju Island is one of the most popular leisure destinations in Asia, so we are very pleased that the continued development of our Lexington brand will take place there. Jeju is also the most wanted M.I.C.E. (meetings, incentives, conferences & exhibitions) destination in South Korea, so these multipurpose hotels will also appeal to that crucial segment,” said Bill Hanley, Vantage’s group president of international development.