SOUTH KOREA. Lotte Duty Free today celebrated the Grand Opening of its Star Lounge – at 1,339sq m the largest VIP space in the Korean travel retail industry – at the company’s downtown flagship store in Myeong-dong, Seoul.
Lotte Duty Free CEO Jang Sun-wook hosted the glitzy affair, dubbed ‘Illusion of Stars’. It was attended by 50 guests, including the head of Korea Customs and actor Lee Joon-gi.
Lee, together with boy band 2PM, later held a fan gathering with 200 foreign VIP customers. Leeteuk, a member of another popular Korean boy band Super Junior, also made a star appearance.
The spectacular ceremony included a digital magic show and a video introduction of the lounge.
“Star Lounge will become a new milestone in the Korean duty free industry,” said Jang.
The KW10 billion (US$9.3 million), 1,339sq m Star Lounge, first revealed by The Moodie Davitt Report in early April, is connected to the main store via an exclusive elevator to make shopping easy for VIP guests. The facility offers VIP customers a high-class experience, including brand launches and fashion shows. It embraces four separate spaces – LVVIP Global Lounge, LVVIP China Lounge, LVIP Global Lounge, LVIP China Lounge – allocated according to the customer’s membership level and nationality. Each lounge features VIP interpreting and personal shopping services.
Eun-hye Kim, the female chef of the Guylian Belgian Chocolate Café in Seoul – and winner of the World Chocolate Masters 2018 – held a Guylian chocolate manufacturing demonstration. Star Lounge includes a Guylian Chocolate Café, only the second such outlet in Korea from the Lotte-owned Belgian chocolate house. Three Michelin-starred Belgian chef Peter Goossens has created unique menus for the café.
To celebrate the opening, Lotte Duty Free is offering a series of shopping incentives, including a Star Lounge experience, day passes and gift certificates for the Guylian Chocolate Café
World-renowned Chinese artist Miao Xiaochun, leading French graphic artist and illustrator Jean Julien and Korea’s Lee Nam-lee are all presenting works under the theme of ‘Invitation to a holiday break’.
