Hotel interior/exterior (general)

The lobby of this hotel appears as the one of ‘The Nakwon Hotel’ in Curtain Call (커튼콜/Keoteunkol) (KBS2, 2022) — as seen from episode 1 onward.

This is parts of ‘Royal Hotel’ where Eun Seon-woo (Jung Il-woo) chases after an informant and Don Se-ra (Kwon Yu-ri/Yuri of Girls’ Generation) works part-time (and also gets involved in the chase) in episode 1 of Good Job (Gutjap/굿잡) (ENA, 2022).

This is the hotel where Lee Gon (Lee Min-ho), the King of the Kingdom of Corea stays when he visits the parallel world of the Republic of Korea in The King: Eternal Monarch (더킹:영원의 군주) (SBS, 2020). It appears as the Royal Infinity Hotel, obviously appealing to a King who is also a mathematician. As is fitting for a King, he stays in the most expensive suite, the Grand Deluxe Pool Villa. He also stays here in episode 1 (he alludes to this) and has to sell all of the diamond buttons from his jacket to pay for the accommodation! We see the inside of his villa in episode 7 (around 1 hr mark) and episode 8 (at 22 minutes) when he is hurrying around the interior to get a (sponsored) coffee.

This is seen as ‘V2 Grand Hotel’ where Yoon Ji-soo (Lee Bo-young) plays the piano part-time in When My Love Blooms/The Most Beautiful Moment in Life (화양연화 – 삶이 꽃이 되는 순간) (tvN, 2020). In episode 3, Han Jae-hyun (Yoo Ji-tae) runs into Ji-soo outside the hotel.

This is seen as the hotel ‘Royal Pacific’, where Goo Chan-sung (Yeo Jin-goo) works at in episode 1 of Hotel Del Luna (호텔 델루나) (tvN, 2019).

This is where the art auction in Shanghai takes place, attended by both Sung Deok-mi (Park Min-young) and Ryan Gold (Kim Jae-wook) in episode 1 of Her Private Life (그녀의 사생활) (tvN, 2019).

The interior of this hotel appears as the hotel that Cha Hyung-seok (Park Hoon) and his wife Lee Soo-jin (Lee Si-won) reside at in Grenada, Spain, in episode 3-4 of Memories of the Alhambra (알함브라 궁전의 추억) (tvN, 2018-19).

This is appears as Wonsung Hotel in episode 1 of Player/The Player (플레이어) (OCN, 2018), in which a money launderer secretly hid his stash in a room on the 28th floor. Conman Kang Ha-ri (Song Seung-heon) poses as a security guard and manages to snake his way into this hiding spot, after scaring away a part-timer (special cameo by Yoo Seung-ho) who was guarding the entrance. This eventually led to the last person in the launderer’s team being caught by the prosecution, lead by Jang In-kyu (Kim Won-hae).

This is where Cheon Soo-ho (Kim Jung-hyun) resides in Time (시간) (MBC, 2018) in episodes 1-9. Whereas the lobby and a room of this hotel appears as the lobby of the hotel/apartment complex where he lives, the pool that is supposed to be part of his apartment were filmed at Park Hyatt Busan [파크 하얏트 부산].

On the day of graduation in episode 1 of The Great Seducer/Tempted (위대한 유혹자) (MBC, 2018), Choi Soo-ji (Mun Ka-young) meets her boyfriend at the Italian restaurant La Scala, by passing through the entry of Chinese restaurant Imperial Treasure and he breaks up with her in front of his friends. In episode 2, we see Eun Tae-hee (Joy from Red Velvet) passing through the lobby of this resort heading to the 2018 Myeongjeong Foundation event where she gets a scholarship. It is also at this event that Kwon Shi-hyun’s (Woo Do-hwan) dad and Soo-ji’s mother announce their engagement (the exterior of this place is filmed here).

The ‘Korea Broadcasting Awards 2017’ that Go Hye-Ran (Kim Nam-Joo) gets awarded at for her work take place here in episode 1 of Misty (미스티) (JTBC, 2018).

Lee Byung-soo (Choi Byung-mo) stays here overnight to be in time to meet clients the next morning in episode 12 of Avengers Social Club (부암동 복수자들) (tvN, 2017). But, of course, the Buam-dong Avengers Social Club makes sure that he doesn’t wake up in time, and he is humiliated in front of his father the next day.

The Gangsu Group party in episode 1 of Revolutionary Love (변혁의 사랑) (tvN, 2017) takes place here. Byun Hyuk (Choi Si-won) comes too late and his furious father and takes out his rage on Kwon Je-hoon (Gong Myung) with nothing less than a baseball bat.

This hotel & resort appears both as Ilsan Palace Hotel and Bundang Grand Hotel — a filming location for Ahn Joong-hee’s (Lee Joon) drama in episode 30 of Father Is Strange (아버지가 이상해) (KBS2, 2017), which Byun Mi-young (Jung So-min) brings him to. Joong-hee’s make-up for a make-out scene isn’t to the drama director’s wishes, so he asks Mi-young to kiss Joong-hee to make the make-up more believable. Of course, a very awkward situation for Mi-young and especially Joong-hee who already struggles with a crush on his ‘sister’.

Also seen in episode 15 of High Class (Haikeullaeseu/하이클래스) (tvN, 2021); Dali and Cocky Prince/Dal-ri and Gamja-tang (달리와 감자탕) (KBS2, 2021); episode 2 of Vincenzo (빈센조)(Netflix/tvN, 2021); in episode 2 of About Time (멈추고 싶은 순간: 어바웃타임) (tvN, 2018).

The Asung High School student moms get-together to celebrate the birthday of No Jung-a (Jin Kyung) is held at this location in episode 1 of Melancholia (멜랑꼴리아) (tvN, 2021). It’s also here that Min Hee-seung (Baek Ji-won) has a close run-in with Yoo Hye-mi (Pyeon Jung-su) before the get-together commenced.

The T&T Mobile shareholders meeting at which Do Min-ik (Kim Young-kwang) director position’s is voted takes place in this room in episodes 10-12 of The Secret Life of My Secretary/I Loved You From The Beginning/How to Train My Blind Boss (초면에 사랑합니다) (SBS, 2019), attended by Veronica Park (Kim Jae-kyung). Min-ik pulls Jung Gal-hee (Jin Ki-joo) into a voting booth and they end up voting together.

This is where Hannam Bank’s VIP event takes place that match-makes with the best tutors for the high school students of their clients in episode 1 of SKY Castle (SKY 캐슬) (JTBC, 2018-19) at which Han Seo-jin (Yum Jung-ah) and No Seung-hye (Yoon Se-ah) take part. The meeting with the tutor Kim Joo-young (Kim Seo-hyung), to which the two mothers are invited, then takes place in one of the hotel’s rooms.

In episode 2 of Player/The Player (플레이어) (OCN, 2018), this is where Hyunjin Group’s Foundation launch is held, and where the team exposes the family of their wrongdoings.

After the golf game, both No Jung-a (Jin Kyung) and No Yeon-woo (Oh Hye-won) have a conversation in the private bath of this spa in episode 4 of Melancholia (멜랑꼴리아) (tvN, 2021).

In episode 11 of Why Secretary Kim/What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim (김비서가 왜 그럴까) (tvN, 2018), Kim Mi-so (Park Min-young) comes to the spa at Yumyung’s Illusion Hotel with her colleagues Kim Ji-ah (Pyo Ye-jin) and Bong Se-ra (Hwang Bo-ra) for a moment of relaxation together, on the premise of seeking feedback on the spa’s services. But this was actually Lee Young-joon’s (Park Seo-joon) way of giving Mi-so the special treatment, without it seeming to be so.

This appears as the hotel’s new amusement park that Jang Man-wol (IU/Lee Ji-eun) briefly visits with Ji Hyun-joong (P.O of Block B/Pyo Ji-hoon) in episode 8 of Hotel Del Luna (호텔 델루나) (tvN, 2019) to order him to prepare it for one special guest. This guest is Lee Mi-ra (Park Yoo-na) who is led to this amusement park later in the episode by Man-wol and confronted by Man-wol with her sad and lonely childhood until Koo Chan-sung (Yeo Jin-goo) comes to save her.

NCT Dream’s ‘무대로 (Déjà Vu; 舞代路)’ teaser image and track video  (1:28-1:35) was also filmed here.

This is seen as the exterior of the club ‘Cartel’ in episode 1 of Military Prosecutor Doberman (군검사 도베르만) (tvN, 2022). In episode 2, Do Bae-man (Ahn Bo-hyun) comes here in the daytime to find out more information from the staff.

This is part of hotel ‘Royal Pacific’, where Koo Chan-sung (Yeo Jin-goo) works at and he passes through here when running away from a ghost that holds a deep grudge in episode 2 of Hotel Del Luna (호텔 델루나) (tvN, 2019).

Also seen in Taxi Driver 2/Taxi Driver Season 2 (모범택시2) (SBS, 2023); in episode 10 of My Liberation Notes/My Liberation Diary (나의 해방일지/나의 解放日誌) (JTBC, 2022); in episode 10 of Rookie Cops/Our Police Course (Neowa Naui Gyungchalsueob/너와 나의 경찰수업) (Star/Disney+, 2022).

The Golden Night party held by La Bella magazine takes place here with Deborah (Yoo In-na) as the main guest and speaker in episode 4 of Bo-ra! Deborah/True to Love (보라! 데보라) (ENA, 2023). Still depressed about her break-up, she tries to drink herself into the mood … which doesn’t help with her stage performance.

Kim Sang-gu (Jung Man-sik) invites Cha Min-joon (Yoon Hyun-min) to a private get together (having rented out this whole live music lounge — in episode 6 of Get Revenge/Revenge/The Goddess of Revenge (Boksuhaera/복수해라) (TV Chosun, 2020-21).

Seo In-woo (Park Sung-hoon) comes to this jazz lounge with Yook Dong-sik (Yoon Si-yoon) in episode 4 of Psychopath Diary (싸이코패스 다이어리) (tvN, 2019-20). Dong-sik gets stopped at the entrance, but In-woo waves him in.

This is where Yoon Ji-soo (Lee Bo-young) plays the piano part-time, as seen in episode 1 of When My Love Blooms/The Most Beautiful Moment in Life (화양연화 – 삶이 꽃이 되는 순간) (tvN, 2020). When Han Jae-hyun (Yoo Ji-tae) comes here for a meeting, he hears the theme song of the movie ‘Love Letter’ and tries to figure out who the pianist is.

The exterior of this venue appears as the club that JJ (Hwang Chan-sung /Chansung of 2PM) opens in episode 1 of So I Married An Anti-Fan (그래서 나는 안티팬과 결혼했다) (Naver TV, 2021). He invites Who-joon (Choi Tae-Joon) over for publicity and Wonder Woman magazine reporters Lee Geun-young (Choi Soo-young) and Ko Soo-hwan (Kim Min-gue) come to cover the event. This is also the first time that Gun-young and Who-joon meet; a meeting that does not take off on the best note.

Part of this building makes up ‘Hera Palace’, the exclusive apartment complex in the center of Penthouse S1/The Penthouse: War in Life Season 1 (펜트하우스) (SBS, 2020-21) — as seen in episode 1.

— XO, Kitty (2023, Netflix) – Rubik and Chroma

— Single’s Inferno (솔로지옥) (Netflix, 2021-22)

— Wonho’s ohhoho Youtube Channel – First Hotel Staycation Vlog (2022)

Paradise City Hotel & Resort [파라다이스시티] is located in Incheon’s neighborhood Unseo [Unseo-dong/운서동], in the Jung District [Jung-gu/중구]; a neighbor to Grand Hyatt Incheon [그랜드 하얏트 인천], and also just a 15-minute walk to/from Incheon International Airport (ICN) [인천국제공항].

The resort, opened in 2017, comprises a hotel, restaurants, a casino, a shopping area and art galleries. The conference room seen most in K-Dramaland is the hotel’s Emerald Room. ‘The Spa at Paradise’ seen in Why Secretary Kim, is an aesthetic spa and an anti-aging clinic that opened in 2018.  Paradise City Wonderbox [파라다이스시티 원더박스] is a two-storey indoor amusement park that opened in 2019.

The horse seen in Father Is Strange (2017) is an art piece by Damien Hirst and the other sculpture in the lobby is by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. The armchair sculpture seen in When My Love Blooms is the 4.5m x 4.5m ‘Paradise Proust’ chair, the largest ever built by the late Italian designer Alessandro Mendini, who had made a visit to the hotel to inaugurate the art piece 2 years before his passing.

This hotel is featured as a recommended hotel in the 2022 Forbes Travel Guide.

Address
186 Yeongjonghaeannam-ro 321beon-gil, Jung-gu, Incheon, South Korea
인천광역시 중구 영종해안남로321번길 186
(운서동 2874)
Geolocation: 37.437623, 126.455970

Getting here
Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 Station [인천공항 1터미널역], AREX / Incheon Airport Maglev, Exit 1, 2 or 3

— submitted by Marion KDL, updated by Mich KDL; last updated 28/05/2023
— Photos taken by © Angel, November 2018 and Thom Musni, September 2019

— Why Secretary Kim added by Toni
— The King: Eternal Monarch added by sarahms
— NCT DREAM — Deja Vu added by Chelle