Hotel Lotte in South Korea: Heritage & Brands
Hotel Lotte in South Korea: Heritage & Brands
Discover HOTEL LOTTE’s full story — its history, brand, and legacy. As one of South Korea’s top three hotel groups, HOTEL LOTTE represents the pinnacle of hospitality. This article was written entirely by a local Korean expert.
1. The birth of HOTEL LOTTE
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| Signiel Seoul is housed in Lotte World Tower, one of Seoul’s most iconic landmarks. |
HOTEL LOTTE Co., Ltd. Overview
HOTEL LOTTE Co., Ltd. is an affiliate of the LOTTE Group (004990.KS ▼￦28,050) in South Korea. The company operates four main business units: the Hotel Division, the Resort Division, the Duty-Free Division, and the World Division. Externally, it is known as LOTTE HOTELS & RESORTS, following the branding used on its official website.
For reference, LOTTE Group has established separate subsidiaries in both Japan and Korea. LOTTE Korea was ranked as the sixth-largest conglomerate in South Korea by the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) in 2025.
Founder Shin Kyuk-ho: Early Life
LOTTE Group founder Shin Kyuk-ho was born on November 3, 1921, in a modest farmhouse in Ulsan, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. After graduating from an agricultural high school, he moved to Busan in search of new opportunities. There, he worked a variety of jobs and nurtured his dream of becoming an entrepreneur.
In 1942, at the age of 21, he left for Japan with only ¥120 in capital. During the day, he delivered milk and newspapers, and at night he studied at Waseda University. During World War II, many young Japanese were forcibly drafted into the military, but he avoided conscription because he was a college student.
Early Business Ventures in Japan
In 1944, during his third year in Japan, Shin was working at a pawnshop when the owner lent him ¥50,000 in capital to start a factory producing industrial cutting fluid. His first factory was destroyed by U.S. bombing, and the second one, funded again through a loan, was also bombed. Both ventures failed.
On August 15, 1945, Japan’s surrender ended World War II. Instead of returning to Korea, he remained in Japan to start a new business and repay his loans.
LOTTE Brand Origins
In 1946, Shin leveraged his chemistry training to produce laundry and washing soaps using a small-scale industrial process. His business thrived during a time when daily necessities were scarce in Japan, which allowed him to expand into the cosmetics industry.
The LOTTE brand was introduced for his cosmetics, inspired by Charlotte, the heroine of Goethe’s novel The Sorrows of Young Werther. After repaying his loans, he established the Hikari Special Chemical Research Institute, where he developed a new type of chewing gum.
In 1948, he founded LOTTE Company, and by 1950, with gum sales soaring, he opened a new factory in Shinjuku, Tokyo. This marked the beginning of LOTTE Group in Japan. The Shinjuku plant attracted many Koreans, forming what is now Shinjuku’s Shin-Okubo Korea Town.
By 1953, LOTTE Japan had captured 70% of the Japanese gum market. Profits fueled expansion into advertising, real estate, and food service ventures, culminating in the creation of Lotte Wellfood Co., Ltd. in 1967, which laid the foundation for LOTTE Group in Korea.
Entry into the Hotel Industry
In 1970, during a large-scale crackdown on illegal food by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, iron powder was found in chewing gum produced by Lotte Wellfood Co., Ltd. Using this incident as an opportunity, the Korean government encouraged Shin to enter the hotel business in Seoul.
In 1973, he founded HOTEL LOTTE Co., Ltd. in Korea and acquired the Bando Hotel in 1974. Originally built in 1936 under Japanese colonial rule, the Bando Hotel was a 111-room business hotel. Shin demolished the old structure and purchased surrounding land to develop a complex with new hotels and department stores.
After six years of construction, Lotte Hotel Seoul, the first property of HOTEL LOTTE Co., Ltd., opened in 1979.
Legacy and Recognition
By 1988, Forbes named Shin Kyuk-ho the fourth richest person in the world, with a fortune of $8 billion.
Below is a table summarizing HOTEL LOTTE Co., Ltd.’s hotel operations since its founding.
2. History of HOTEL LOTTE
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1973.05.05 | Establishment of Hotel Lotte Co., Ltd. |
| 1979.03.10 | Opening of LOTTE Hotel Seoul |
| 1988.09.16 | Opening of LOTTE Hotel World |
| 2000.04.25 | Opening of LOTTE Hotel Jeju |
| 2002.02.28 | Opening of LOTTE Hotel Ulsan |
| 2009.04.10 | Opening of LOTTE City Hotel Mapo |
| 2010.09.13 | Opening of LOTTE Hotel Moscow |
| 2011.12.08 | Opening of LOTTE City Hotel Gimpo Airport |
| 2014.02.25 | Opening of LOTTE City Hotel Jeju |
| 2014.03.20 | Opening of LOTTE City Hotel Daejeon |
| 2014.06.30 | Opening of LOTTE Hotel Guam |
| 2014.07.23 | Opening of LOTTE City Hotel Guro |
| 2014.09.02 | Opening of LOTTE Hotel Hanoi |
| 2015.06.30 | Opening of LOTTE City Hotel Ulsan |
| 2016.01.06 | Opening of LOTTE City Hotel Myeongdong |
| 2016.01.12 | Opening of L7 Myeongdong |
| 2017.04.03 | Opening of SIGNIEL Seoul |
| 2017.07.20 | Opening of LOTTE Resort Sokcho |
| 2017.09.08 | Opening of LOTTE Hotel Yangon |
| 2017.09.15 | Opening of LOTTE Hotel St. Petersburg |
| 2017.12.16 | Opening of LOTTE Arai Resort |
| 2017.12.30 | Opening of L7 Gangnam |
| 2018.01.31 | Opening of L7 Hongdae |
| 2018.07.19 | Opening of LOTTE Hotel Vladivostok |
| 2018.11.02 | Opening of LOTTE Hotel Samara |
| 2020.06.17 | Opening of SIGNIEL Busan |
| 2020.09.24 | Opening of LOTTE Hotel Seattle |
| 2023.01.01 | Operation of L7 Chicago |
| 2023.07.28 | Operation of L7 West Lake Hanoi |
| 2024.06.20 | Opening of LOTTE Hotel L7 Haeundae |
3. HOTEL LOTTE's brand
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| Hotel LOTTE Brand Portfolio |
3-1. SIGNIEL
Signiel is HOTEL LOTTE’s premier luxury brand. The name combines “Signature” and “LOTTE.” Currently, there are two Signiel hotels in South Korea.
The Signiel brand currently operates two hotels in South Korea.
3-2. LOTTE HOTELS
LOTTE HOTELS is the core brand of HOTEL LOTTE and represents its premium business segment. Although positioned one step below the Signiel brand, all LOTTE HOTELS properties are classified as five-star hotels.
The LOTTE Hotels brand currently operates five properties in South Korea and a total of 16 worldwide, including locations in Russia, the United States, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Japan. One additional hotel is set to open in South Korea, and another in China soon.
3-3. LOTTE City Hotels
LOTTE City Hotels is HOTEL LOTTE’s business hotel brand, launched in 2009.
The LOTTE City Hotels brand operates a total of nine hotels worldwide: seven in South Korea, one in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and one in Tokyo, Japan.
3-4. L7 Hotels by Lotte
L7 is HOTEL LOTTE’s lifestyle hotel brand, launched in 2016. While its price range is similar to LOTTE City Hotels, L7 offers a more sensual and personalized style.
The L7 brand currently operates six hotels: four in South Korea, one in Hanoi, Vietnam, and one in Chicago, USA. Another hotel is set to open soon in South Korea.
✅ Discover the L7 Hotels by LOTTE in South Korea
3-5. LOTTE Resort
LOTTE Resorts is a resort management company under Hotel LOTTE, a subsidiary of the LOTTE Group. It currently operates four resorts — three in South Korea and one in Japan — and a new location is under construction in Ulsan, South Korea.
4. Suggested Reading
Across its properties, Hotel Lotte delivers exceptional dining options, ranging from traditional Korean cuisine to international gourmet offerings. Travelers can enjoy immersive culinary journeys at every hotel.
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