May 2019 Property 02. The Gallery Pension, Jeju

TL;DR

How The Gallery Pension turned 13,000 pyeong of forest into a forest-gallery hybrid that hosts small weddings and stays fresh after 8 years.

Property type: Pension

Address: 1717-24 Namjo-ro, Jocheon-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province

Room types: Classic (studio/duplex/family), Modern (duplex/studio/family)

Facilities: BBQ (outdoor/private), spa (outdoor/private), pool (outdoor/private), café, forest, canola flower field, etc.

Nearby attractions: Eco Land, Geomunoreum, Seonnyeo and Woodcutter, Sangumburi, Saryeoni Forest Trail, Seopjikoji, etc.

Q Hello! Tell us about yourself and the property.

Hi, I'm Bae Eun-jeong, owner of The Gallery Pension in Jeju. We opened the Classic building over eight years ago. The Modern wing was added four to five years back. This summer we're opening nine more rooms in the Picasso wing and near Woljeong-ri.

Right now we have 10 Classic and 12 Modern rooms across four buildings — 22 rooms total. The Hugh House is a standalone family suite for larger groups. Our grounds cover roughly 13,000 pyeong (about 43,000 sqm), including the forest.

Technically we're closer to resort scale, but I wanted a quieter, more natural vibe than packed-in rooms. That's why we went with the pension model.

I handle all the landscaping myself. Watching guests light up makes it worth it. This year, once the canola blooms fade from the café parking lot and the Modern wing courtyard, I'll plant cornflowers to fill the forest with pink and purple.

Q The forest setting is striking. You're known for small weddings too, right?

Pension wasn't the original plan — I was going to do something golf-related because there are so many courses around. But I love connecting with younger travelers, so I pivoted to building a pension with outdoor spas nestled in the forest. Back then, Jeju properties with outdoor spas were almost nonexistent. People who love nature came to soak in the forest views, and it caught on. Still steady today. Plus, nearby spots like Saryeoni Forest draw younger crowds.

We only started small weddings recently. Friends had joked for years that the place would be perfect for a ceremony, but I didn't know the wedding business. Last year, a guest who fell in love with the grounds asked if we'd host their small wedding. A wedding planner approached us about collaboration, and we said yes. Since last April, we've done three ceremonies in April alone, with more booked. Families love that they can hold the wedding and stay overnight.

Q Every room in Classic and Modern looks different — design, layout, everything.

I was new to hospitality back then, so I got ambitious. When I first walked this land — forest, garden, everything — it looked like a painting. I wanted to try everything, so I gave each room a different style. Each one's a personal project. Guests get to experience something unique in every space. That's why we called it The Gallery.

Of course, having all these different room types created operational headaches. (Laughs) Sometimes multiple guests wanted the same room type on the same day. Other times people wanted to switch after booking. Explaining the differences and recommending the right fit took forever, and conversions dragged. If I had to advise new operators: minimize your room variations. Seriously.

Q You've survived Jeju's brutal lodging market for years. What's the secret?

First: we're not your typical pension. The scale, the layout — there's a lot of choice. Want romantic? Classic Sage room. Cozy forest vibes? Dongbaek room. Clean white gallery aesthetic? Modern wing. There's a room for every taste. Plus BBQ areas, terraces — guests rave about it in reviews on portals and booking sites.

Second: I hate standing still. We've been evolving constantly for nearly a decade. I'm always tweaking something. Interiors have trends, just like fashion. I can't change the building exterior, but swapping bedding, adding a new plant — those small changes make returning guests feel like they're somewhere new.

We're mid-remodel right now. Older rooms are getting refreshed. The Modern wing's getting a fresh coat of paint over scratches — guests arriving in May will think it's brand-new.

Q What's your favorite part of The Gallery?

Too many to name, but if I had to pick one: the café. Floor-to-ceiling glass. Rain or shine, the atmosphere shifts and it's gorgeous either way. I poured myself into the guest rooms, but I can't visit them daily — they're occupied. The café, though? I'm there every day.

I work there in the mornings, knit (my hobby), listen to music, sip coffee, watch the forest. It's my happy place. I designed the interior, the landscaping, painted it myself — so much love in that space.

Non-guests visit too, after Eco Land or Saryeoni Forest. We set up photo spots like the flower swing in the forest — it's become an Instagram thing.

We originally only decorated the arch with flowers for weddings, but now couples come for self-directed shoots so often that I'm thinking of leaving the flowers up year-round. They can grab coffee, relax, and shoot in the forest without spending a fortune.

Q You're nearly 10 years in. Share a cleaning tip.

After almost a decade, I've developed an eye. When I visit other hotels, I spot tissue lint, water stains, dust on the headboard. So I'm meticulous about our own standards.

Top priorities: bedding, bathrooms, windows. We're a forest pension — if the glass has streaks, it ruins the nature view and kills the vibe. Windows and frames get cleaned more often than anywhere else. Duplex rooms are tough to reach daily, but we schedule regular deep cleans with ladders.

With so many rooms, I can't walk around giving verbal notes, and staff shifts are staggered so meetings are rare. I run a staff group chat and post corrections the moment I spot something.

Q What's the #1 thing to watch out for when running a property?

Fire and guest safety, hands down. Because we're surrounded by forest, we're extra vigilant about insects and moths in rooms. For BBQs, we always remind guests to douse the coals with water when they're done. On windy days, we don't offer BBQ at all — a stray ember could ignite the forest.

We have fire extinguishers and alarms everywhere. After the Gangwon-do fire, the city did inspections and we tightened protocols even further. Safety comes first — across rooms, gardens, forest, café, everything. With ongoing remodeling, we're extra careful with both staff and guest safety.

Q What do you want guests to remember about The Gallery?

I lived in Japan for a few years, and I love how they preserve century-old hot spring inns and traditional buildings. They're not flashy or modern, but they feel like Japan. That authenticity beats sleek new construction any day.

Korean hospitality is trend-obsessed, so it's hard to pull off. But I hope The Gallery becomes a place that doesn't chase fads — somewhere timeless. This property is the story of my life, from my 30s to now. I don't want to tarnish that story, so I give it my all. Yes, it's hard. But nothing worthwhile is easy.

I love pretty things and decorating, so changing and tweaking the space keeps it fresh for me too. The Gallery has camellia, canola, cherry blossoms — so many flowers and plant species. As I've gotten older, I've grown to love plants more, and I've been weaving them into the interiors. Guests say the greenery in rooms and the café helps them unwind, so I've seen firsthand how powerful plants are.

Lately I've been planting seeds instead of buying seedlings. Watching them grow is exciting. Even when we remodel, I can't tear out the garden or forest — they're permanent. Ten years from now, I want The Gallery to be an even more beautiful forest pension with my own curated garden and spotless rooms.

Q You're a power user of ONDA! How did you discover us, and how's it been?

I used to have a dedicated reservations manager, but after six years, they left. I had to take over bookings myself. The industry had completely changed — it used to be travel agencies feeding us reservations, but suddenly everything was direct and digital. Instead of hiring someone new, I decided to look for a booking management service. That's when I found Magazine ON.

I loved the insights in the magazine, and it made me curious about ONDA. I scheduled a meeting and flew to Seoul. The team said they could handle everything I needed. That's how we started, and the trust has only grown.

The auto-SMS feature in ONDA Pension Plus is convenient, and the real-time booking widget on our homepage works great. My only wish: even more booking channels integrated, so we can manage room blocking seamlessly from one dashboard.

Q Finally, any hidden gems or local eats near the property?

Gyorae-ri, where we're located, has been famous among Jeju locals for summer health food since way back. Free-range chicken shabu-shabu is the signature dish. Unlike other areas where you just get baeksuk (boiled chicken), here you get chicken breast shabu-shabu first, then baeksuk, then kalguksu noodles and mung bean porridge — full course. These restaurants line the road from our area all the way to Sangumburi. I frequent one called Gugu Tojongtalk. Also recommend Gyorae Heukdwaeji for five-layer pork belly and pork shoulder.

For sightseeing, most guests hit Saryeoni Forest Trail. In summer, check out Let's Run Farm for poppy fields — flowers bloom there until September. Gasiri and Noksanro are famous for canola. Climbing the oreums (volcanic cones) gives you that full nature immersion. Lots of golf courses nearby too (Eco Land CC, etc.), so we get post-round stays.