Accommodation is a big problem outside Seoul in partcular and all over Korea in general.
To address this issue of lack of quality, affordable- priced hotel rooms, particularly outside Seoul, the Korea International Tourism Organization (KNTO) has launched “Benikea,” standing for “Best Night in Korea.” This new association of hotels brings quality accommodations with franchise level consistency to budget conscious travelers.
The number of foreign tourists in Korea is soaring
as Korean movies and singing groups attract
fans from Japan and especially China. In 2011,
there were 9.79 million inbound visitors compared
to 6.45 million in 2007.
Recognizing the demand and business opportunity,
foreign hotel operators moved in. US hotel
chain Best Western opened Best Western
New Seoul in 2001 and subsequently expanded to nine hotels with a total of 1,878 rooms. Ibis,
from Europe, opened Ibis Ambassador Seoul in
2003, added more hotels in the capital, and expanded
to Suwon and Busan. Toyoko Inn operates
six hotels with 1,775 rooms, four in Busan
and one each in Seoul and Daejeon. It plans to
expand to 60 hotels in Korea in 10 years.
After the Ibis Ambassador Myeongdong (three
stars) opened in 2006, the impact of foreign hotel
chains in the mid-tier market became highly
visible. After three years, the hotel, located in
the heart of a major shopping district, had a 96 percent occupancy rate. Moreover, its revenue
per available room (RevPAR) was ₩110,000,
much higher than local three star hotels
(₩66,000). By then, Korean tourism officials
were ready to become directly involved in the
hotel industry.
The Korea Tourism Organization does not operate
the hotels per se. Rather, it provides support
services and consulting to help hotels
achieve and maintain KTO standards of excellence.
Getting under the Benikea umbrella 
is
difficult. Even a high-class hotel has to go
through a rigorous checklist to be included. Hotels under the Benikea umbrella are found in
all parts of Korea, including Gyeonggi Province,
Gangwon Province, Incheon, Daegu, Jeju,
and Seoul, making themselves easily accessible
to tourists. Two-thirds of the hotels are outside
of Seoul, which helps promote tourism in those
areas.
is
difficult. Even a high-class hotel has to go
through a rigorous checklist to be included. Hotels under the Benikea umbrella are found in
all parts of Korea, including Gyeonggi Province,
Gangwon Province, Incheon, Daegu, Jeju,
and Seoul, making themselves easily accessible
to tourists. Two-thirds of the hotels are outside
of Seoul, which helps promote tourism in those
areas.
To encourage reservations on the Benikea website,
Benikea frequently offers special online
deals to Korean and foreign individuals.
It is a good choice if you are planning to stay in a hotel during a trip to Korea. Price are very economical than usual. Services are good. Consider looking at the BENIKEA website HERE. You can reach them 24 hours by calling at : 82-2-1330 . It is very easy to follow and enjoy your trip to Seoul.
Source: KTO, Samsung Research Center
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