Hotels in Korea

I'm not sure that this constitutes as an I Love Korea post - but I do think that owning a hotel in Korea would be a profitable endeavor.  I may post more pictures later, but I'm not sure the next time we will be staying in a Korean style hotel!

A little information about accommodations:  

Many hotels have western style rooms which include a bed.  But most hotels, pensions, and motels we've stayed in are typically without.  For this reason, the cost of running a hotel seems cheap compared to back home.  Koreans just require a lot less when they aren't staying at home.  And most all of the places we've stayed have had a very nice and helpful owner/managers for most of your needs. 

This is a swanky ski resort we just visited during the off season.  There were still plenty of people around, but we got a kickin room with a kitchenette.  Many times, it's just a square room and a TV.
I love that most everywhere you have to take off your shoes.  This eliminates all the mud, water, and misc crap that you can drag into your home.  In fact, I was teaching a storybook to my kids, and a picture in the book showed a little kid playing in his bedroom.  One of my students asked why he was wearing shoes in the house!  It was so funny - and when I told her why, she looked incredulous.
"But, it gets dirty!"
It does indeed.  I used to hate taking my shoes off at other people's houses.  But I have reformed my ways and now I am a true believer. 

 Most places have house shoes if you want to wear them, and of course, the rooms are heated with floor heaters which makes things nice and cozy.
Most all rooms will have a small closet or a wardrobe which include your bedding.  Fancier places have floor mats and blankets, but most places just have a heavy and or light blanket.  Most pillows are hard so your head is propped up when you're rolling around on the floor.

This is a swanky bathroom that includes a tub.  Please note: no shower curtain.  There is a drain in the floor, and the shower head is lower so you can grab it while you're sitting in the tub.   Many times the tubs come without a stopper - so it's more like a sitting shower.  There are shower shoes, and the towels you are given are hand towel size.  Don't ask me how, but now I'm used to using just a hand towel when I get out of the shower.  Okay, you got me.  I usually use more than one of them!  hahahaha!  Most places supply shampoo, conditioner, soap, body scrub towelette and toothpaste.  These are usually normal size - not travel size.  You can't take them with you!

We actually had a table and chairs, AND a small loveseat!  We were in a resort, and the room was for 8 people!  We had a living room area which is rare.

 This is one of the bedrooms.  It had a basic vanity that contained gel, q-tips, lotion, a brush and comb.  The doors slide shut, and you could fit around 5 or 6 people in here if needed.

The kitchenette had a sink, small fridge, and basic table settings.  Soup is a staple at Korean meals, so there are a lot of bowls and plates for side items.

Utensils include only scissors for cutting all things, ladles and a spatula.  There is one small knife, and always a rice cooker.

 Most places, including my apartment, do not have ovens as most dishes are cooked on the stove top.  Flatware in the small plastic box includes spoons and chopsticks.  Maybe a rice spatula is floating around as well.

Again, most places are just a room, blankets, vanity, and a shower head/toilet.  This was more of a pension style resort room.  There were restaurants around the area, but Korean breakfast, lunch, and dinner are very much the same meal ingredients.  So most people are expected to cook in the rooms verses going out for every meal.

To think of it in a business sense, if I could market this style of motel in the states, my start up costs would be NOTHING! hahahahahaha!  Of course, I haven't looked into this seriously........YET!