Editor’s Note
This article highlights the launch of new membership tiers for Korea’s SELECTIV hotel program, offering travelers access to luxury accommodations at competitive rates this season.
KT Estate has newly launched the ‘Sapphire E’ package for the Sofitel Ambassador Seoul, a specialized offering under the ‘Sapphire’ staycation membership of its integrated hotel membership program, SELECTIV.
With the arrival of full-fledged autumn, the Seokchon Lake area is once again becoming a hot topic. While Seokchon Lake attracts crowds throughout the year, it sees a particularly high influx of visitors during spring and autumn. This is because spring offers the spectacle of pure white cherry blossoms, while autumn presents the breathtaking scenery of the lake harmonized with vibrant fall foliage.
The ‘Songridan-gil’ street, created between Seokchon Station and Songpa Naru Station, is another reason people visit Seokchon Lake. Known as one of Seoul’s top dating spots, Songridan-gil is filled with Instagrammable shops adored by the MZ generation. Additionally, Songpa District has announced plans to name the relatively weaker commercial area west of Seokchon Station as ‘Hosudan-gil’ and develop new alleys, aiming to transform it into a key landmark within Seoul.
As foot traffic to Seokchon Lake increases, the hotel industry is also thriving. According to industry sources, hotels like the ‘Sofitel Ambassador Seoul’, which offer views of Seokchon Lake from their rooms, are experiencing a surge in reservation inquiries for the autumn season.
Hotels are also busy welcoming autumn customers with various promotions. The ‘Sofitel Ambassador Seoul’ is offering a special autumn experience with its ‘Tasty French Autumn’ room package, which includes a ‘Tour de France’ French gourmet tour course by Ferme de Paris and complimentary room upgrades for customers visiting Seokchon Lake.
Amidst this, a ‘Hotel Membership’ that allows access to the Sofitel Ambassador Seoul at a reasonable price has been launched, drawing consumer attention.
SELECTIV, the hotel membership launched by KT Group’s real estate specialist company, KT Estate (CEO Choi Nam-cheol), introduced a new specialized ‘Sapphire E’ package for the ‘Sofitel Ambassador Seoul’ in September, which is the most preferred hotel among SELECTIV’s partners. Key benefits include two luxury room vouchers and two 30% discount vouchers for suites at Sofitel Ambassador Seoul. Additionally, meal discount vouchers for the restaurants ‘Ferme de Paris’ and ‘Mio’ are available.
SELECTIV is Korea’s only integrated hotel membership, offering various benefits at major hotels including ‘Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun’, ‘Andaz Seoul Gangnam’, and ‘Le Méridien Seoul Myeongdong’, in addition to ‘Sofitel Ambassador Seoul’.
The membership consists of one free membership type (Topaz) and four paid membership types (Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Diamond). The paid memberships are categorized to allow selection based on individual lifestyles.
Depending on the membership tier, benefits include up to 30% off rooms, 15% off food and beverages, and 25% off the Novotel Dongdaemun buffet. A coupon pack worth 130% of the annual fee is also provided.
The Ruby membership (annual fee 300,000 KRW), focused on dining, includes coupons for various food and beverage benefits such as meal vouchers, afternoon tea vouchers, and house cake exchange vouchers.
The ‘Staycation-type’ Sapphire membership (annual fee 700,000 KRW) is primarily composed of two room vouchers and hotel dining vouchers.
The ‘Lifestyle-type’ Emerald membership (annual fee 1.2 million KRW) includes premium services for those who enjoy upscale staycations or parties. It provides Club/Suite room vouchers, Novotel buffet meal vouchers, and spa vouchers.
Finally, the top-tier ‘Luxury-type’ Diamond membership (annual fee 3 million KRW) allows selection from various benefits for hotel VVIPs, including two upper-tier suite vouchers, meal vouchers worth 400,000 KRW, a 30% discount on Sofitel suites, and a VIP whiskey set at the Sofitel bar. Paid memberships can be purchased and used through the SELECTIV membership app and are valid for one year.
Meanwhile, SELECTIV is running a ‘Friend Referral Promotion’ event for paid membership holders. Until October 31st, if a member refers a friend (up to 3 people), both the referrer and the referred friend will each receive one food and beverage voucher worth 50,000 KRW for use at hotels.
Detailed information about SELECTIV membership and limited-time promotions can be found on the SELECTIV official website.