Hanwha Hotels & Resorts said on the 19th it will fully remodel the luxury hotel The Plaza in Sogong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, and reopen it as a "seven-star high-end hotel." Construction will run for about three years starting early next year, and The Plaza will suspend operations as of Sept. 30. It will be the first large-scale remodeling in 16 years since 2010, and this year marks the 50th anniversary of its opening.
The core of the remodeling is to expand top-tier rooms, create premium business spaces, attract world-class fine dining, strengthen cultural and artistic content, and expand public rest areas. With the aim of continuing the heritage built over half a century, the exterior will retain its original design from the early years.
Guest rooms will shift from mainly deluxe to top-tier suites, with in-room workspaces added. Reflecting the needs of guests with heavy meeting demand, the club lounge will be elevated in class and significantly expanded in space. In food and beverage (F&B), the plan is to attract Michelin-star-level fine dining and build a gourmet platform together with the nearby The Plaza Dining. The hotel is also seeking to join The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW), a coalition of luxury independent hotels that includes the Ritz Paris.
An exclusive rooftop elevator will be installed on the hotel's outer wall to open the rooftop garden to the public. The rooftop garden will be developed as an observatory with views of Seoul City Hall, Gwanghwamun, Gyeongbok Palace, Deoksu Palace, and the Blue House.
The project is part of the integrated development of Seoul's Sogong Districts 1, 2 and 3. Three buildings nearing 30 years since completion—The Plaza in District 1, the Hanwha Building in District 2, and the Hanwha Finance Plaza in District 3—will be refurbished while maintaining their existing frames. A Hanwha Hotels & Resorts official said, "We have obtained a building permit, and follow-up procedures such as the building dismantling review are underway," adding, "In consultation with local governments, we plan to complete construction in 2029."
The Plaza's remodeling aligns with Hanwha Group's high-end strategy in its Life Solutions institutional sector. The premium resort ANTO on the slopes of Bukhansan Mountain recently opened the poolside dining venue Bueno Beach Club, and the Galleria Luxury Hall is pushing ahead with reconstruction led by architect Thomas Heatherwick.