Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport #35

ASIA PACIFIC INBOUND
Hotel & Tourism
SMARTreport #35
2017 Summer Edition 37
Matthew Cooper
General Manager,
JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square, Seoul
Recently receiving TripAdvisor’s Readers’ Choice #1 hotel in
Seoul award, the JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square – Seoul
continues to strive in order to stand out among the top
properties in the region. We asked GM Matthew Cooper how
he sees the market evolving in Seoul today…
Seoul has always been seen as
a place that can support uberluxury.
The challenge that I have
seen over the past three years
used to wash their clothes
in the stream out the front
here. Then shopping centres
opened, then the JW Marriott,
global stage. The film has had
11-million views since January
19 th . The PR value is huge!
What would you say sets this
property apart in Seoul? What
are your top three “USPs”?
The first thing is the service
people experience. Because of
its size, I am able to treat it as
STAYING AHEAD
OF THE GAME IN SEOUL
Exclusive Interview - Matthew Cooper – General Manager
- JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square – Seoul
in Korea and Seoul is that just
because it was uber-luxury or
cool 16 years ago, doesn’t make
it cool and uber-luxury now.
People are far more discerning
and critical now. Another trend is
that areas that the idea of what
constitutes luxury is changing.
Everybody talks about Gangnam
style, but twenty years ago,
Gangnam was nothing; it was
just farms. It’s the same with this
area – Dongdeamun – it was
traditionally an area where the
older generation lived. People
the Dongdaemun Design Plaza
opened, and all of a sudden
luxury and fashion had come to
the city.
Please tell us more about the
production of “Two Bellmen
Three” - the film that was shot
here, and how this is going to
help in your promotion.
At the launch party one of
the things that impressed me
the most was the fact that
the Korean actors were so
proud to present Seoul on this
if this place was my home, and
also the associates’ home – and
that means they welcome people
as they would to their home. The
second thing is its location. It
could be compared to the meatpacking
district of New York.
And the third thing is the F&B,
which goes above and beyond,
and keeps growing every year.
The hotel is three years old, and
is always busy. It still has a feeling
of crispness about it, and despite
the fact this is a busy part of the
city, it’s a haven of serenity
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