Koryo Hotel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (December 2011)
Koryo Hotel
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl 고려호텔
Hancha 高麗호텔
McCune–Reischauer Koryŏ Hot'el
Revised Romanization Goryeo Hotel

The Koryo Hotel is the second largest operating hotel in North Korea.[1] The twin-towered building is 143 metres (469 ft) tall and contains 43 stories.[2][3][4] Erected in 1985[4][5] under the close scrutiny of Kim Il-sung, it was intended to "showcase the glory and strength of the DPRK." The hotel's extravagance is exemplified by its entryway, which consists of a 9-metre (30 ft) wide jade dragon's mouth[1] that leads into an expansive lobby dominated by a mosaic of North Korean cultural symbols.[1] The mosaic tiles make use of a wide variety of precious metals[6] and gemstones underneath low-dispersion glass panes, which are replaced biannually to preserve the mosaic's luster.

The hotel is rated three stars by western standards.[7] North Korea rates it as five stars.[1] The Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs describes it as "Deluxe" and the "best international hotel in Pyongyang".[8]

Contents

[edit] Location

The hotel is situated along the Taedong river in Chung-kuyok, central Pyongyang.[9]

[edit] Accommodations

The lobby of Koryo Hotel

The hotel offers 500 rooms[10] although only about 50 rooms are occupied at any one time,[11][12][13] usually by business people from China, Africa, and the Middle East[14] and UN staff.[15] The Washington Times claims most of the hotel's foreign guests are international arms dealers.[16] The hotel does achieve full or near capacity every April 15 with delegations invited to celebrate Kim Il Sung's birthday.[17]

It would appear the US State Department has been using a guest room in the hotel since 2007 as a de facto office by a single employee to handle administrative affairs.[18]

[edit] Rooms and rates

According to the World Health Organization,[19] the rates are:

  • single, upper story room: US$112
  • double, upper story room: US$121
  • single, lower story room: US$102
  • double, lower story room: US$112

Rooms, services, food, and other goods within the hotel appear to be priced in dollars.[20]

In room TVs carry three channels.[21] Guests report power outages and recommend packing your own flashlight.[13] [22] Rooms are equipped with a mini-bar and are checked each day by a team of three people, of which one person inventories, the second recounts and a third supervises the pair.[13]

[edit] Amenities

Amenities include a hard currency gift shop, gym, a swimming pool,[6] a revolving restaurant on the 45th floor,[15] a circular bar on the 44th floor[14] and two movie theaters (one 200 seat cinema and one 70 seat cinema).[4] The hotel also features a billiards room[4] on the second floor[23] and a casino in the basement. The casino offers blackjack, roulette, and slot machines.[24] The casino is staffed by Chinese workers.[25] Amenities do not include the use of internet.[26]

[edit] Restaurants

Each tower is actually topped by a revolving restaurant, however only one is open.[12] One can order steak ("the best steak in town") at the restaurant.[23] The revolving restaurant apparently had a 9 pm closing time but in recent years the closing time has been extended or relaxed based on the quality of the guests' tipping.[27] Aside from the single open revolving restaurant, the hotel has four other restaurants including a Japanese restaurant and a Korean BBQ restaurant.[4]

The restaurants are run by Japanese expatriates and are run as private businesses but must pay a fee to the state.[28]

[edit] Guest liberty

By some reports guests are prevented by guards from leaving the hotel.[29][30] However, others report the ability to wander off the hotel grounds.[31][32] If one can wander off the grounds, the hotel is a few blocks from the city's restaurant district and the Pyongyang Railroad Station.[23]

[edit] Older Koryo Hotel

The Koryo Hotel replaced an older hotel of the same name, but in a different location. For a time after 1946 the leader of North Korea's Democratic Party Cho Man-sik was kept under house arrest in the older Koryo Hotel.[33][34] When United Nations forces threatened to overrun Pyongyang in October 1950, it is thought he was executed.[35]

[edit] Koryo Hotel in South Korea

There is also a Koryo Hotel in Bucheon, South Korea.[36] Bucheon is satellite city of Seoul (located roughly half way between Seoul and Incheon). It is popular with corporate travelers as it is one of the few hotels in the area which are not by the hour "love hotels." Some larger companies in the area have travel agreements with this hotel, which is undergoing an expansion and renovation.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d "North Korea Travel Guides". HotelChatter. http://www.hotelchatter.com/country/kr/. Retrieved 2012-02-21. 
  2. ^ "Koryo Hotel, Pyongyang". SkyscraperPage.com. http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=1367. Retrieved 2012-02-21. 
  3. ^ North Korea through the looking glass by Kong Dan Oh, Ralph C. Hassig, page 117
  4. ^ a b c d e "Welcome To Info on Koryo Hotel, Pyongyang, North Korea - Travel, Tourism, Hotels, Tours & Holidays". Northkorea1on1.com. http://www.northkorea1on1.com/attractions.cfm?aid=pyokoryohtl. Retrieved 2012-02-21. 
  5. ^ "Koryo Hotel (1985) | Structurae" (in (German)). En.structurae.de. http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0010577. Retrieved 2012-02-21. 
  6. ^ a b "Hotels In North Korea, Hotels In Pyongyang". Countriesandcapitals.com. http://www.countriesandcapitals.com/north-korea/hotels-pyongyang.html. Retrieved 2012-02-21. 
  7. ^ "Koryo Tours - tour tips". Koryogroup.com. http://www.koryogroup.com/tips/index.html. Retrieved 2012-02-21. 
  8. ^ "Doing Business Abroad - Canadian Trade Commissioner Service - Faire des Affaires à l'Étranger - Service des Délégués Commerciaux du Canada". Infoexport.gc.ca. 2007-02-20. http://www.infoexport.gc.ca/ie-en/DisplayDocument.jsp?did=69303. Retrieved 2012-02-21. 
  9. ^ Virtual Tourist
  10. ^ "Indiv.tour prices and hotels in North Korea". Koreakonsult.com. http://www.koreakonsult.com/indiv-hotell%202008_eng.html. Retrieved 2012-02-21. 
  11. ^ ""You have no choice of..." P'yongyang Hotel Tip by ColmNugent". Members.virtualtourist.com. http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tp/2cb95. Retrieved 2012-02-21. 
  12. ^ a b "Too much Paradise, by train through North Korea". Gluckman.com. http://www.gluckman.com/NKtrain.html. Retrieved 2012-02-21. 
  13. ^ a b c Eye on Korea By James V. Young, William Whitney Stueck, page 146
  14. ^ a b "April 16, 2002". NucNews. http://nucnews.net/nucnews/2002nn/0204nn/020416nn.htm. Retrieved 2012-02-21. 
  15. ^ a b North korea. "Koryo Hotel - city centre - Lonely Planet Hotels & Hostels". Hotels.lonelyplanet.com. http://hotels.lonelyplanet.com/hotel/Pyongyang-Koryo-Hotel-P1000611615.html. Retrieved 2012-02-21. 
  16. ^ "Past news". Kcna.co.jp. http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2002/200205/news05/20.htm. Retrieved 2012-02-21. 
  17. ^ Korea Briefing By David R. McCann, Asia Society, page 100
  18. ^ U.S. denies North Korea diplomatic ties report
  19. ^ http://www.searo.who.int/LinkFiles/Meetings_visitors_info.pdf
  20. ^ "North Korean Refugees: Mews Media Items SNKR". Snkr.org. http://www.snkr.org/stories/news/news.html. Retrieved 2012-02-21. 
  21. ^ Trip adviser
  22. ^ virtualtourist.com
  23. ^ a b c Korea Briefing By David R. McCann, Asia Society, page 98
  24. ^ Image proporting to be slot machines in the hotel
  25. ^ [1][dead link]
  26. ^ http://www.korea-dprk.com/kfa2011/kfa-biz-feb-2011.htm
  27. ^ "First Laser Warriors Airborne Laser ABL Laser Weapons North Korea Directed Energy Missile Defense Agency". Jonathandamien.com. 2010-02-11. http://www.jonathandamien.com/. Retrieved 2012-02-21. 
  28. ^ Eye on Korea By James V. Young, William Whitney Stueck, page 148
  29. ^ http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g294444-d306459-Reviews-Koryo_Hotel-Pyongyang.html
  30. ^ North Korea through the looking glass by By Kong Dan Oh, Ralph C. Hassig, page 130
  31. ^ "Report –". Baks.org.uk. http://www.baks.org.uk/NK_Report_Sep_2005.html. Retrieved 2012-02-21. 
  32. ^ Reilly, Justine (2006-07-06). "Hot spot | Travel | guardian.co.uk". Blogs.guardian.co.uk. http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/travelog/2006/07/hot_spot_1.html. Retrieved 2012-02-21. 
  33. ^ The Unfinished War By Bong Lee, page 40
  34. ^ From Pusan to Panmunjom By Paik Sun Yup, p.82
  35. ^ The North Korean Revolution, 1945-1950 By Jerrold M. Post, Charles K. Armstrong
  36. ^ http://www.koryohotel.co.kr/en/

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 39°0′31.47″N 125°44′9.92″E / 39.0087417°N 125.7360889°E / 39.0087417; 125.7360889

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Koryo_Hotel&oldid=478117014"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages