Lotte Hotels & Resorts
A South Korean luxury hospitality brand operating hotels, business hotels, and resort properties under Lotte Group.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Lotte Hotels & Resorts is the hospitality business associated with Lotte Group and is operated through Lotte Hotel Co., Ltd. The company was established in May 1973 as part of Lotte’s expansion in South Korea beyond its original confectionery operations. Its principal business is accommodation, with a portfolio that has developed from large full-service luxury hotels into a broader mix of city hotels, resorts, convention facilities, restaurants, leisure amenities, and integrated hospitality complexes. The brand’s first major property was Lotte Hotel Seoul, which opened in 1979 in Seoul’s Jung District. The hotel established the company’s upscale positioning and became the starting point for a domestic chain. Subsequent openings extended the brand to major Korean urban and resort destinations, including Seoul’s Jamsil district, Busan, Jeju Island, and Ulsan. The properties have generally combined guest rooms with restaurants, banquet and conference facilities, fitness or leisure amenities, and connections to Lotte’s wider retail and entertainment businesses. A significant expansion of the portfolio took place with Lotte Hotel World, opened in 1988 as part of a large recreational and commercial complex. The development brought together a hotel, indoor and outdoor amusement attractions, shopping, sports facilities, cultural features, and other visitor services. This integrated-complex model reflected the broader structure of Lotte Group, whose businesses span retail, food, entertainment, construction, finance, and other sectors. The company later introduced the Lotte City Hotel format. Lotte City Hotel Mapo opened in Seoul in April 2009 and was positioned toward business travelers rather than solely toward the traditional luxury segment. The format broadened the group’s lodging offer with more city-oriented accommodation. Lotte City Hotel Gimpo Airport followed on December 8, 2011, within the Lotte Mall Gimpo Airport complex. Its facilities included guest rooms, a buffet restaurant, banquet and conference spaces, a fitness center, and coin-operated laundry services. Lotte Hotels & Resorts also pursued international expansion. Lotte Hotel Moscow opened in June 2010 and became the chain’s first overseas hotel. This marked a transition from a predominantly Korean hotel operator to a brand with an international presence. The company’s overseas activities have been associated with Lotte Group’s wider effort to extend its consumer and service businesses beyond South Korea. The brand’s positioning is centered on upscale and luxury hospitality, supplemented by business-oriented city accommodation and destination resorts. Its offer is differentiated not only by hotel service but also by access to Lotte’s broader ecosystem of department stores, shopping malls, entertainment venues, restaurants, and leisure facilities. As of the available reference material, Lotte Hotels & Resorts remains an active Lotte Group hospitality brand with a domestic Korean base and international operations. Detailed current property counts, executive leadership, ownership percentages, financial results, and a complete list of operating countries are not established by the supplied sources.
History
Lotte Hotels & Resorts was founded in May 1973 as the hotel and hospitality arm of Lotte Group. Lotte had originated in Japan and entered South Korea through the establishment of Lotte Confectionery in 1967. Over time, the group expanded into retail, food and beverages, hotels, fast food, finance, construction, chemicals, electronics, information technology, publishing, and entertainment. The hotel business therefore developed within a diversified corporate group rather than as an independent lodging company. The chain’s first major hotel, Lotte Hotel Seoul, opened in 1979 in Seoul’s Jung District. Its development established the brand’s luxury identity and provided a platform for domestic growth. The Seoul property included extensive guest accommodation and high-end facilities, including a large Royal Suite, while its direct connection to Lotte retail facilities illustrated the group’s preference for combining hospitality with shopping and other consumer services. In 1988, the company opened Lotte Hotel World in an integrated recreational complex. The project combined a hotel with indoor and outdoor amusement parks, an island connected by monorail, shopping malls, a Korean folk museum, sports facilities, and cinemas. This broadened the brand from conventional lodging toward destination-based leisure and helped connect hotel operations with Lotte’s entertainment and retail assets. Domestic geographic expansion continued with Lotte Hotel Busan in 1997. Busan, South Korea’s largest port city and its second-largest metropolitan area, gave the chain a significant presence outside Seoul. Lotte Hotel Jeju followed in 2000 on Jeju Island, a major Korean tourism destination known for its scenery, beaches, and temperate climate. Lotte Hotel Ulsan opened two years later, extending the chain into another important Korean city. The company diversified its accommodation formats in 2009 with the opening of Lotte City Hotel Mapo in Seoul. The City Hotel name signaled a stronger focus on business travelers and city-based stays. This move complemented rather than replaced the group’s luxury hotels. On December 8, 2011, Lotte City Hotel Gimpo Airport opened within the Lotte Mall Gimpo Airport complex. The eight-story property had 197 rooms and included dining, banquet, conference, fitness, and laundry facilities, demonstrating the practical, commercially connected character of the City Hotel format. International expansion began with Lotte Hotel Moscow, which opened in June 2010 as the chain’s first overseas hotel. The Moscow opening represented an important strategic shift, taking the brand beyond its established South Korean base. It also fit the wider international ambitions of Lotte Group, which had built businesses across multiple consumer and service categories. Across its development, Lotte Hotels & Resorts has maintained a portfolio architecture that includes luxury urban hotels, destination resorts, business-oriented city hotels, and properties integrated with shopping or entertainment complexes. The available reference material identifies South Korea as the core market and confirms Russia as an overseas market, while also describing the chain as having international operations. It does not provide a complete current property list, detailed ownership structure, financial statements, or current executive roster. Those areas require further verification before being added to the encyclopedia record.
- 2011
Lotte City Hotel Gimpo Airport opens
[1]The second City Hotel opens within the Lotte Mall Gimpo Airport complex on December 8.
- 2010
International expansion begins in Moscow
[1]Lotte Hotel Moscow opens as the chain's first overseas property.
- 2009
Lotte City Hotel Mapo opens
[1]The first identified City Hotel opens in Seoul, introducing a format aimed particularly at business travelers.
- 2002
Lotte Hotel Ulsan opens
[1]The chain extends its domestic footprint to Ulsan.
- 2000
Lotte Hotel Jeju opens
[1]The brand adds a resort-oriented property on Jeju Island, a major South Korean tourism destination.
- 1997
Lotte Hotel Busan opens
[1]The chain expands to Busan, its first major identified property outside the Seoul area.
- 1988
Lotte Hotel World opens
[1]The brand enters integrated leisure hospitality through a hotel and large recreational-commercial complex.
- 1979
Lotte Hotel Seoul opens
[1]The first major hotel in the chain opens in Seoul's Jung District and establishes the brand's luxury-hotel base.
- 1973
Hospitality business is founded
[1]Lotte Hotels & Resorts is established in May 1973 as part of Lotte Group's expansion into hospitality.
Products and positioning
Luxury hospitality with business-hotel, resort, convention, dining, and integrated leisure-complex offerings.
Luxury hotels · 1979
Lotte Hotels
The core Lotte Hotels portfolio consists of upscale and luxury urban properties serving leisure travelers, business guests, group events, and convention demand. The format is represented by properties such as Lotte Hotel Seoul, Lotte Hotel World, Lotte Hotel Busan, Lotte Hotel Jeju, Lotte Hotel Ulsan, and Lotte Hotel Moscow. Facilities may combine accommodation with restaurants, banquet rooms, conference services, fitness amenities, and links to Lotte retail or entertainment developments.
Business hotels · 2009
Lotte City Hotel
Lotte City Hotel is the group's city-oriented hotel format, designed to complement the luxury portfolio with practical accommodation for business travelers and short urban stays. Lotte City Hotel Mapo opened in 2009, followed by Lotte City Hotel Gimpo Airport in 2011. The Gimpo Airport property included rooms, buffet dining, banquet and conference facilities, a fitness center, and coin-operated laundry.
Resorts · 2000
Lotte Resorts
The resort side of the business serves destination and leisure travel, particularly in locations with tourism, scenery, and recreational appeal. The supplied reference material identifies Lotte Hotel Jeju as an important resort-oriented property on Jeju Island, where the brand operates in a market known for beaches, natural scenery, and domestic and regional tourism.
Brand decisions
2010
Expand internationally with Lotte Hotel MoscowStrategyBackground
After building a substantial domestic portfolio in South Korea, the company pursued an overseas presence.
Action taken
Lotte Hotel Moscow opened in June 2010 as the first overseas hotel in the chain.
Aftermath
The opening established the brand's international operating direction, although the supplied sources do not quantify its subsequent overseas growth.
2009
Introduce the City Hotel formatStrategyBackground
The existing portfolio was centered on luxury hotels, while the company also sought to serve business travelers in major urban locations.
Action taken
Lotte opened Lotte City Hotel Mapo in Seoul and used the City Hotel designation to distinguish the business-oriented format.
Aftermath
The format was extended with Lotte City Hotel Gimpo Airport in 2011.
Recent events
- 2011
Lotte City Hotel Gimpo Airport opens inside Lotte Mall complex[1]
Product launch
The second Lotte City Hotel opened on December 8, 2011, as part of the Lotte Mall Gimpo Airport complex in Seoul.
- 2010
Lotte Hotel Moscow becomes the first overseas chain hotel[1]
Product launch
The opening of Lotte Hotel Moscow marked the brand's first overseas chain property and its move toward international expansion.
- 2009
Lotte City Hotel Mapo introduces a business-hotel format[1]
Product launch
The opening of Lotte City Hotel Mapo extended the portfolio beyond traditional luxury hotels and targeted business travelers in Seoul.
- 1988
Lotte Hotel World expands the brand into an integrated leisure complex[1]
Product launch
Lotte Hotel World opened within a broad recreational and commercial development combining accommodation with amusement attractions, shopping, cultural facilities, and sports amenities.
- 1979
Lotte Hotel Seoul opens as the chain's first hotel[1]
Other
The opening of Lotte Hotel Seoul established the hotel chain's first major property and its initial luxury-hospitality base in South Korea.
Sources4 sources
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