"A hotel buffet restaurant was a perfect place to celebrate special occasions like my wedding anniversary and the birthdays of family members," Park said. "But they have increased the price too high that I can't go there as often as before. If the price increase was near 10,000 won ($7.72), I wouldn't complain that much but, the price has been hiked by nearly 20,000 won at most of the hotels. That is 40,000 won for two people."
While food companies and restaurants here are attempting to cut the prices of menu items to fight consumer inflation, luxury hotels have stealthily raised buffet course prices.
Lotte Hotels & Resorts is at the forefront of this pattern.
Its newly-renovated branch's buffet restaurant chain La Seine in southern Seoul recently raised buffet course prices by as much as 41.5 percent.
The breakfast price for an adult at Le Seine jumped the most, raising some 75,000 won, starting from August. The price of dinner buffets on weekends and holidays also soared 38.5 percent to 180,000 won. If a four-member family dines out at Lotte Hotel on the weekend, it would cost them over 500,000 won.
Still, most of the reservations for weekend lunches and dinners in August are already sold out.
"In the case of our Le Seine buffet course, we added tenderloin steak to the menu to strengthen our Dinner Live Station and free beverages such as iced latte and tea," a Lotte Hotel official said. "The recent price increase of food ingredients has also been reflected in our price hike."
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| Josun Palace's buffet restaurant Constans / Courtesy of Josun Hotels & Resorts |
Other major luxury hotels have also raised prices for their buffet restaurants.
In May, Grand Walkerhill Seoul increased dinner course prices from 143,000 won to 159,000 won for an adult and so did Josun Palace from 165,000 won to 185,000 won.
In March, The Westin Josun Seoul and Seoul Silla Hotel raised dinner buffet prices by 10 percent and 19.4 percent, respectively, at their restaurants.
