As the end-of-the-year season approaches, restaurants and hotels in Koreatown are reaping the benefits of an increase in holiday gatherings.
According to the Korea Daily’s research, major restaurants, hotels, and banquet halls in Koreatown are seeing a surge in bookings from Korean-American organizations, as well as alumni associations, and businesses. Weekend reservations for hotel banquet halls and private rooms at restaurants are nearly booked through the end of December. Restaurant industry insiders said bookings for holiday gatherings are nearing pre-pandemic levels.
The One Banquet Hall at the Aroma Center, Oxford Palace Hotel, and Garden Suite Hotel, among other popular gathering spots in Koreatown, are reporting a surge in inquiries.
“We’ve seen a big jump in bookings compared to last year,” said Jason Kim, general manager of the Oxford Palace Hotel. He added that Korean-American organizations typically book the next year’s gathering immediately after the previous year’s gathering event, so by the end of October, the venue is almost fully booked.
Paul Bae, manager of The One Banquet Hall, said, “Most of our clients want to book large events with more than 100 people in estimated attendance,” adding, “We were already 90 percent booked three months in advance.”
“Some hotels have seen a 30% increase in business compared to last year,” an official at a Koreatown hotel added. Hong Yeon, which recently announced the opening of a new business in the former Yong Gung’s place, said, “The number of reservations has dramatically increased just over the year.”
This year, small gatherings of less than 10 people are also said to be especially popular.
“There are many customers who are organizing small gatherings among close friends rather than large groups,” said Hye Ran Kim of Jook Hyang, adding, ”It is difficult to make weekend reservations until the second week of December, and only weekday reservations are available.”
The restaurant industry is also introducing special menus for gatherings. Yong Su San, which used to serve mostly individual dishes, said its new buffet is proving popular among customers, and while weekend reservations are nearly booked out, weekdays are still available.
Shin Beijing has also introduced a new banquet menu for holiday gatherings, priced at $280 for 10 people. “It consists of seven dishes that a lot of customers like, and it’s reasonably priced,” said Young Kim, a manager at Shin Beijing, adding that reservations are often hard to come by on weekdays, let alone weekends.
“Even though the economy hasn’t improved much, the booking situation for year-end gatherings is much better than last year,” industry insiders said, adding that despite the economic downturn, many are still willing to get together for a “year-end celebration”.
BY WONHEE CHO, HOONSIK WOO [woo.hoonsik@koreadaily.com]
