Luxury hotels in Korea expand subscription service of its brand products

Walkherhill Hotels & Resorts had offered a subscription program where customers were delivered 2 kilograms of kimchi [Source : Walkherhill Hotels & Resorts]

High-end hotels in South Korea are enjoying a surge in online sales of private labels from meal kits to diffusers as more consumers wish to add luxury to their domestic spaces.

Walkerhill Hotels & Resorts announced recently that sales of major private-label brand (PB) products surged a whopping 900 percent in 2022 versus 2020. The hotel chain expected sales to gain even further amid high demand for its subscription-based system that provides consumers with products they want at a pre-scheduled date.

“An increasing number of consumers want to experience hotel luxury at home,” said an unnamed official from Walkerhill Hotels & Resorts. “We added various functions to the subscription-based system on our online mall after reviewing consumers’ spending patterns and online and non-face-to-face trend.”

Walkherhill Hotels & Resorts had offered a subscription program where customers were delivered 2 kilograms of kimchi, or fermented cabbage and most popular side dish on Korean table, twice a month. Under renewed online mall system, they can now choose the delivery day and time for when they wish to receive kimchi. The hotel chain operator has also diversified the types of kimchi from cabbage to watery kimchi made of sliced radishes that come in different sizes from 500 grams to 9 kilograms.

It also sells galbitang. [Source : Walkerhill Hotels & Resorts]

It also sells galbitang, or short rib soup, sold at its restaurant Myongwolgwan.

“Demand for kimchi is especially high among single- and two-person households that opt for taste and quality,” the official said.

Hotel Lotte Co. has also opened an online mall and has been selling PB products and launching subscription services since last year.

Sales of SIGNIEL Diffuser soared over 60 percent on an annual average from 2020. The hotel offers a subscription service that delivers the diffuser one every 10 weeks and six times in one year.

“The service was initially aimed at enhancing hotel service environment but we received many inquiries from customers which is why we release the PB product,” said an unnamed official from Hotel Lotte. “We are introducing products that allow customers to enjoy small luxury every day.”

Hotel Lotte also offers subscription service of its high-quality coffee beans blended by its own coffee masters. The beans are used to make coffee sold at the hotel lounges. They cost 20 percent cheaper than what is costs for individual purchases.

Hotel Lotte also offers subscription service of its high-quality coffee beans blended by its own coffee masters. [Source : Hotel Lotte]

Lotte Hotel World also offers a subscription program that offers consumers 25 take-away coffee coupons a year. They can choose from six different types of drinks including Americano.

Sales of bedding, its flagship PB product, soared by double digits on an annual average during Covid-19 years.

Glad Hotels and Resorts Co. has partnered with a wedding flower shop to provide subscription-based flower delivery service. The hotel provides seasonal flowers every other Wednesday, or twice per month, at a cost of 120,000 won ($97) per month.

It also sells diffusers, room sprays, and car air fresheners at its online mall, which has seen sales more than triple last year from a year ago. It plans to expand sales items to candles among others.

Paradise Hotel & Resort also sells diffusers, hand creams, and car air fresheners at its online mall.

Shinsegae Chosun Hotel offers a subscription service that delivers new indoor plants every week at a cost of 450,000 won per month. Sales of its home-meal kits including jjajangmyeon, or noodles in black bean sauce, surged 119 percent last year from a year ago.