Seoul to open world's first hotel on bridge in July

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon takes a tour of the “Sky Suite Hangang Bridge,” on Tuesday. (Yonhap)

Seoul will open the first-ever hotel built on a bridge, connecting the northern and southern parts of the city, the city government announced Tuesday.

Named Sky Suite, the hotel is located on the northern end of the Hangang Bridge, where scenic views of the Han River can be enjoyed all day. The hotel is set to open to the public in July.

“With the opening of Sky Suite Hangang Bridge, the city is looking forward to sharing the charms of the Han River and Seoul with the world," said Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.

Sky Suite Hangang Bridge, was formerly used as the Nodeul Jiknyeo Cafe, but its operations were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been under renovation since last December and has been transformed into a 144-square-meter self-contained suite. The facility marks the world's first hotel on a bridge, the city government noted.

The accommodation features a living room, bedroom and bathroom to accommodate up to four guests. Airbnb designed the interior. The city stressed that five glass windows will provide guests with views of the Han River from every area of the suite.

The new cafe-turned-hotel on the Hangang Bridge will officially receive guests on July 16. A night’s stay will cost around 345,000 won ($253) to 500,000 won. Bookings can be made on Airbnb, starting July 1.

The new accommodation on the bridge is a part of Oh’s river city projects announced last month. Oh unveiled a series of plans to revitalize the Han River area, aiming to attract 10 million visitors annually to the Han River by 2030, a significant increase from the current annual usage of around 900,000 people.

Sky Suite Hangang Bridge (Seoul Metropolitan Government)

By Lee Jaeeun (jenn@heraldcorp.com)