Hotels Share Interesting Stories Over G-20 Summit Period

The domestic hotel industry was one of the main players who contributed to Seoul’s successful hosting of the G-20 summit. Eleven top-class hotels in Seoul had their share of interesting stories throughout the event.

The Ritz-Carlton Seoul said it was impressed over how Germany handled its business in a systematic and meticulous manner. The hotel and a German Embassy official in Seoul exchanged nearly 200 e-mail messages on summit preparations.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero showed his love of jogging by going out to run as soon as he arrived at the hotel Thursday. He also jogged with his entourage the following dawn.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who stayed at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul, impressed her staff with her simple lifestyle. At dawn Friday, she put on a coral-colored lipstick by ordering a “business makeup with a natural style” from the hotel’s beauty shop.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who stayed at the Millennium Seoul Hilton, enjoyed the top-notch French wine Joseph Drouhin Pouilly-Fuissé and the Italian wine Amarone.

At the Imperial Palace Hotel in southern Seoul, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is said to have been so impressed by the beauty of the traditional Korean attire hanbok, he had a spontaneous photo shoot with a hotel employee wearing a hanbok.

Since 1992, Chinese leaders have been staying at the Shilla Hotel in eastern Seoul, and the Korean hotel industry has two theories on why.

First, the hotel’s fortress-like location is good for keeping out protesters such as those from Falun Gong. Second, the Chinese apparently like the Shilla’s Oriental atmosphere since U.S. presidents tend to stay at the Seoul Grand Hyatt under the “Buy America” policy.

Shilla laid out the red carpet for Chinese President Hu Jintao but never does so for other state guests. The hotel also expanded the sale of luxury brands such as Kiton and Brioni at its stores.

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