February 2, 2010

Big change in revisit plans – Veterans to stay at Lotte World Hotel

It’s adjacent to Korean ‘Disneyland-type’ park

There is good news and, perhaps for a few, bad, as they say… the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs has changed the hotel where revisiting veterans will stay during the 2010 commemoration period.

Instead of the venerable Grand Ambassador, which has put up visiting veterans for more than 25 years, the destination in metropolitan Seoul for all veterans is now the Lotte World Hotel It's a 550 room structure located adjacent to the Disneyland-like Lotte World amusement park.

The good is the theme park, if you like that sort of thing. Also, the hotel is connected to the Lotte Department store, a cultural museum and other touristy things. But Veterans will be kept quite busy and probably won't have much time to sample the local offerings.

We’re told a consideration in making the change was that the Lotte World Hotel has more spacious dining and banquet facilities.

Anyhow, when you get off the plane at Incheon International Airport, about 35 miles as the crow flies from the hotel, the Lotte World in the Jamsil suburb will be your new home. It is close to the Olympic Stadium dating from the 1988 Olympic games (XXIV Olympiad) and it is also not far from the headquarters tower of the Korean Veterans Association (of Korea).

This hotel played host to Veteran revisits about three years ago, when the Grand Ambassador had to give up the revisit business for a two-year period.

It’s a super luxury five-star hotel and many things are on the pricey side – but there’s a convenience store on the premise to stock up on refreshments for your room, as well as personal necessities, if needed.

The hotel has a good exercise room with lots of equipment for 80-year old Veteran athletes who want to make sure they stay in form.

Links to other organizations

Above article provided courtesy of the Korean War Veteran, koreavetnews@aol.com