The Ascott offers guests health hotline

The hotel that has three branches in Korea has joined hands with telehealth counseling company International SOS to offer health-related help so that overnight guests don't need to look for outside help during their stay at the hotel.

One of the assistance centers International SOS runs to provide medical advice to those who need it during their stay at hotels affiliated with the Ascott. [THE ASCOTT]

The hotel that has three branches in Korea has joined hands with telehealth counseling company International SOS to offer health-related help so that overnight guests don’t need to look for outside help during their stay at the hotel whether that’s a local one close to home or an international one.

If a guest originally from Singapore is staying overnight in Seoul and wants to continue getting travel updates on situations in Singapore or any other destination they have to head to next, they can simply reach out to the front desk. They will then be connected with a health expert at 27 assistance centers affiliated with International SOS who will be give guests medical advice and assistance, not just related to the pandemic, but for other chronic illnesses or mental health issues.

“With the need for social distancing and uncertainties from travel restrictions, our guests are able to have immediate access to these services from the comfort of their rooms,” said Kevin Goh, Ascott’s Chief Executive Officer.

Such service is now available at almost 200 properties The Ascott is affiliated with in 86 different cities as part of the Ascott Cares program which the hotel brand has unveiled in response to the global fight against Covid-19.

Supported by the global service available for any guest, local branches continue to unveil staycation packages to satiate people's desire to travel, while also providing information on other Ascott properties worldwide.

Somerset Palace Seoul, a serviced residence with kitchen has been particularly popular with guests who want a home away from home. The simple kitchen enables guests to prepare their own meals. The hotel provides packages that come with a bottle of wine and some snacks or a take-out food coupon from the restaurant in its building so that guests can spend as much time in their own room.

Somerset Central Bundang in Gyeonggi offers a “Work in Residence” program to better cater to those who need to work away from the office but need the comfort of a private space. Somerset Jeju Shinhwa World offers a variety of options with large rooms so that families can travel together for leisure.

To make it easy for Koreans to explore the options provided by the Ascott across the world, the hotel chain plans to add a Korean language option onto its mobile application, DiscoverASR, in the fourth quarter of this year. It will also add French in addition to the three language it currently provides which are English, Chinese and Japanese. For more information about Ascott-affiliated hotels in Korea and worldwide, go to discoverasr.com.

BY LEE SUN-MIN [summerlee@joongang.co.kr]