Chosun Hotel Garden Seoul
Hotels in Korea use a different hotel rating system than in other countries. The system in Korea is called the Mugugnhwa Flower (National Flower of Korea) system and is based out of 5 Mugunghwa flowers. 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. Hotels are given points based on numerous things. Below is a general list of requirements that the hotels will need to meet in order to get the points and in turn the Mugunghwa rating system. The more points the hotel scores the higher the rating.
1. Entrance, lobby, corridor segments (120 points)
2. Rooms Division (130 points)
3. Restaurant and Kitchen Division (160 points)
4. Division of Facilities Management and Operations (160 points)
5. Jongsawon welfare and tourism sector’s contribution (80 points)
6. Parking Division (70 points)
7. Construction and Equipment Division (100 points)
8. Electricity and Telecommunications sector (80)
9. Fire Protection and Safety Division (100 points)
A total of 700 points. Any hotel that gets 630 points or more will get the prestigious 5 Mugunghwa rating similar to 5 stars. Currently in Seoul there are 19 hotels with the 5 Mugunghwa rating.
In Korea while looking for hotels and booking rooms you will notice many different types of fancy names for the rooms. The most basic type is usually the standard. The next one up are the deluxe rooms and super deluxe. There are many other different names such as luxury room, superior rooms, presidential rooms, executive rooms, the list goes on and on. The best way to find out what the room is like is to check the website for pictures and find out information like room size and amenities. Another type of room available is the traditional Korean bedroom with heated floor. The room is also called an ondol room. This is a great way to experience Korean culture when staying in Korea. However there is no bed in this room. You must sleep on a futon.
To find hotels in Korea, do a quick google search. There are tons of sites available for booking hotels in Korea. The best site I have found is http://www.hotelnjoy.com/main/main/ They have many great discounts, are based in Korea and the website is available in English, Korean, Japanese and Chinese. They even have an iphone app.
