Worth it for Instagram or just a rip-off? Hotel pool access fees in Korea spark controversy

That was the question one frustrated Reddit user posted recently — and it quickly turned into a debate. Some 40 comments poured in, with some users defending the policy, while others were absolutely baffled by it.

"Some high-end places charge for pool access because people only go there for the photos," one user wrote in the comment, earning 19 upvotes.

But many pushed back, with one commenter saying the hotels are "wring more cash out of you. ... spa should be free so anyone justifying this money grab is not used to staying at proper hotels. If you are not staying in the hotel naturally you need to pay for everything however if you are boarding at the hostelry..." Someone else wrote, "Because people here are willing to pay the extra. I'm finding hotels to be a terrible value in Korea in general."

This frustration isn't something only foreign travelers are finding controversial. Similar complaints have appeared on Korean online forums — including SLRClub, Naver Cafes and Quora — where many users described the fees as excessive and unfair.

The criticism is stronger because the hotels in question are often luxury properties — many of them five-star — where guests are already paying several hundred thousand won and over for a stay that lasts less than 10 hours. Five-star hotels are particularly costly in Korea compared to accommodations with fewer stars. According to Hotels.com, upgrading from a four-star to a five-star hotel in the country costs about 94 percent more, rising from an average of 188,000 won ($130) to 365,000 won. The same upgrade overseas increases prices by only around 36 percent.

Yet even after paying such high room rates, guests at some of these high-end hotels must still purchase a pool-inclusive package or pay an additional fee — sometimes over 100,000 won — to access the outdoor pool.

Access to their indoor pools is typically free, but these tend to be plain — often resembling fitness-center swimming pools with lanes rather than spaces for leisure or relaxation. Outdoor facilities, on the other hand, are often much larger and fancier, with some even featuring infinity pools, which makes them particularly desirable. As a result, guests who want to enjoy the more scenic, more entertaining outdoor pools have no choice but to pay extra on top of already premium accommodation costs.

The Shilla Seoul hotel, for example, charges hotel guests up to 125,000 won per adult during peak summer to access its outdoor Urban Island pool. IIf a family of four with two children under 13 were to book a weekday stay, a business deluxe room with two double king-sized beds starts at around 1.2 million won, according to the hotel’s website as of Wednesday. With pool access costing an additional 600,000 won during peak season, the total comes to nearly 1.8 million won for just one night.

At Grand Walkerhill Seoul hotel's "River Park," pool access costs around 90,000 won during peak season for hotel guests — nearly double the weekday price of 40,000 won when it first opened in 2019. The fee now rises to 150,000 won if combined with a buffet. The Mondrian Seoul Itaewon charges up to 80,000 won during busy season.

The pricing feels particularly unfair when compared to other branches under the same hotel brand that do not charge extra for pool use. For instance, Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul requires guests to pay up to 80,000 won to access the outdoor pool, whereas many other Banyan Tree properties include pool access as part of the stay. Pavilion Hotel Kuala Lumpur, managed by Bayan Tree and Banyan Tree Bangkok, for example, offers rooftop pool access as a complimentary amenity for overnight guests, while Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto provides free access to its indoor and outdoor natural hot spring baths.

The trend is not limited to the capital. Skybay Hotel Gyeongpo charges as much as 45,000 won for access to its infinity pool. Lotte Hotel in Busan charges hotel guests 40,000 won per adult to use its indoor and outdoor pools during its peak season.

And this trend of charging extra for outdoor pools is becoming increasingly common among newly opening luxury hotels. Shilla Monogram Gangneung, which opened in July, charges up to 45,000 won for a full-day pass, while Sono Calm Gyeongju, which recently underwent renovations and reopened last month, charges up to 50,000 won for pool and spa access during peak season to any visitor, but offers about a 50-percent discount for staying guests.

While many hotel outdoor pools offer discounted rates for staying guests, the costs remain high — especially for families of three or four, who are often the main users of these facilities.

Even some luxury hotels with only indoor pools have adopted more restrictive policies. At Sofitel Ambassador Seoul hotel, guests must book a pool time slot upon check-in, and these slots fill up quickly due to limited capacity. The Fairmont Ambassador Seoul also restricts pool use to one 90-minute session per stay.

This kind of pool-pricing system, however, "is very rare overseas," said Han Hee-sup, professor of the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Sejong University. "In other countries, pool access is generally included in the room rate." He attributed the difference to the Korean concept of "hocance," a term for hotel staycations.

In Korea, hotels are not just places to sleep — they are the destination itself. Guests come for the full experience: the pool, spa, brunch, rooftop bars, night views and photo spots.

This trend accelerated during and after Covid-19. With travel restrictions in place, people increasingly turned to hotels as a brief escape, and outdoor pools offered a more spacious alternative. The surge in demand — combined with quarantine and hygiene requirements at the time — pushed hotels to enhance pool management, strengthen safety measures and improve overall quality. These added operational costs influenced the move by leading many high-end hotels to introduce, or further expand, additional fees for pool use.

In vacation destinations like Southeast Asia or Waikiki, Hawaii, outdoor pools are typically free for staying guests. In Guam, hotels such as Dusit Thani, the Westin and Hotel Nikko — all of which have large, impressive outdoor pools (and even water slide in the case of Nikko) — do not charge guests extra.

Hotels often justify the fees by citing high operating and maintenance costs, including additional facilities such as snack bars and the need for more staff.

One hotel spokesperson in Seoul explained, "The pricing is also meant to control the number of guests so the pool doesn't become overcrowded." Another hotel representative in a regional city said, "We see the pool as a form of content, not just a facility. And because it’s content for guests to enjoy, it comes with a cost."

BY WOO JI-WON