A Jeju pension where ocean views meet corporate hospitality. Work in Jeju's dual-property model combines employee perks with public bookings—café, photo-ready decks, and rooms that scale for groups.
Property type: Pension
Address: 176 Hangyeong Haean-ro, Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju-si, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province
Room types: Family Room, Couple Room, Duplex Room, Roof Room, Bunk Room
Amenities: Café, yard, BBQ area, outdoor deck, photo spots
Nearby attractions: Sinchang Coastal Road, Chagwi-do, Wa-do, wind turbines, Jeolbu Rock, etc.
Q Hello! Please introduce yourself and the property.
Jung-eun) Hi! We're CEO Kim Jung-eun and Manager Kim Young-beom from Work in Jeju, the team behind Sloth's Afternoon. Work in Jeju runs two properties: Jeju Sloth's Dream, a standalone pension, and Jeju Sloth's Afternoon, which combines a café with pension stays. Both opened in September 2018 and we've been operating them since.
Sloth's Afternoon faces the ocean along the coastal road, so you get ocean views from pretty much anywhere in the building. The first floor has a yard and a cozy café. Upstairs we have eight rooms total: three doubles, two family rooms for four, and three single bunk-style rooms. The place is spacious — we can host 18 to 22 guests max — so it works really well for small corporate retreats or group bookings.
Q You also run Sloth's Dream in addition to Sloth's Afternoon!
Jung-eun) Work in Jeju is basically a subsidiary of our parent company in Seoul — a software firm with around 600 employees. Think of us as the Jeju branch.
One reason we opened these properties was employee benefits. We wanted our Seoul colleagues to have an affordable place to stay when they visit Jeju. Sloth's Dream in particular doubles as lodging for business partners — a high-quality space where they can relax. So it's a mix: regular travelers plus corporate use.
Q The name and the sloth character logo are adorable. What's the story there?
Jung-eun) When we were naming the property, we considered English names or something trendy and modern. But Manager Kim's nickname is "Sloth," so we joked, "Now the Seoul sloth is a Jeju sloth!" It clicked immediately. If he hadn't had that nickname, we'd never have thought of it. (laughs)
And it fits. People think of Jeju as a place to unwind and do nothing — which aligns with our vibe and our team's personalities. The name got a great reaction from headquarters too.
"Sloth's Dream" captures the fantasy Seoul office workers have: a lawn, a space that feels like home, somewhere your family could live. "Sloth's Afternoon" is about sipping tea, gazing at the ocean, and lounging through the afternoon.
Manager Kim, who has a design background, created the sloth character himself. His nickname came from sleeping through class. Now he's the busiest person here, so the "sloth" label doesn't fit anymore. (laughs)
Young-beom) I wanted the logo to feel relaxed, not active. Lazy, lying down, maybe even a little annoyed-looking — peak sloth energy. People really responded to it. We thought about making blocks or other merch, but the quantities didn't work out. Maybe stickers or promo goods down the line.
Q What was the hardest part about opening the property?
Jung-eun) We knew nothing going in — so everything was hard. For example, when you outsource construction or remodeling, the initial design can change, or it doesn't turn out how you imagined.
If you're planning to open a property, get a baseline understanding of the process. Business permits are tedious too — lots of red tape.
We bought an existing pension-café building and remodeled it with a younger aesthetic. But no building is perfect. We're still making improvements. When we noticed guests using laptops didn't have enough outlets, we drilled holes and wired more sockets. We installed outdoor awnings so people could escape the sun.
We started with the basics and kept adding things based on guest feedback — one piece at a time.
Q You adopted three stray cats as your property family. Tell us about them!
Jung-eun) When we started remodeling, there were stray cats wandering around. We fed them once, and they didn't leave — like they owned the place. Every time we came to work they'd greet us and ask for food. They were affectionate. I don't know much about cats, but I thought they were aloof. These three are the opposite — they love people.
The area gets strong winds, so we built a little cat house. Now they live here full-time. They rub against us and act cute. Guests love them. Some even mail us cat food. One visitor who'd rescued strays grabbed our hands and said, "Please take good care of them."
Young-beom) We named them after the property: Jeju, Sloth, and Afternoon. (laughs) We post photos of them on Instagram — turns out it's great storytelling and basically free marketing.
Q Who are your main guests, and how do they book?
Jung-eun) The age range is wide. Family rooms attract parents with kids, usually in their 40s. Couples in their 20s and 30s take the doubles. Solo travelers — young backpackers or people in their 50s hiking Olle trails — book the single rooms. We don't skew toward one demographic. Family rooms stay nearly full because they sleep up to six.
Most bookings come through Naver. We also get reservations via our website, real-time booking widget, and ONDA's GDS. No matter the channel, we're grateful people find us.
Q What do you focus on to drive bookings? Any sales tactics?
Jung-eun) Cleanliness first. I used to avoid pensions because I'd had bad experiences — dirty rooms, the sense that you only get quality if you pay top dollar. Running a property changed my perspective. Sure, we can't buy the absolute best linens for every room. But we use slightly pricier detergent that actually removes stains. We dust corners no one sees. Our prices aren't the lowest, but we've done well since opening in the off-season — I think it's because the place is clean relative to the price. Also, we're quiet. People who want a calm ocean view appreciate that.
Young-beom) Since most bookings happen online, how you present the property visually matters. And guests are price-sensitive — even a few thousand won makes a difference. We've been testing since the soft launch. Sloth's Dream gets a lot of families with kids, so we've made the kids' areas more playful. We remodeled Sloth's Afternoon's café to feel cozier and more rustic. We experimented with weekend pricing, then went back to flat rates. We run 5–10% discount events periodically. We adjust base occupancy. Nothing fancy — just iterating until we find what works.
Q Advice for people opening properties in Jeju?
Jung-eun) Prepare mentally, especially if you've never run a property before. You take bookings on weekends. You're on call 365 days. There are no set days off. You need to understand the business and adjust your lifestyle around it. If hospitality is your main gig, ask yourself: can you still find purpose even when your life revolves around the property? If so, you'll enjoy it and make money.
Also, hospitality rewards hustle. The more you put in, the more you get out. Can you enjoy working without days off? Some guesthouse owners throw parties and hang out with guests — they love it. Your format matters: party guesthouse vs. family pension — your rhythm and adaptation will differ. Don't just jump in with a budget and location. Define your category from day one.
Young-beom) It's physically demanding. Most people don't deep-clean their own bathroom daily. But guests notice cleanliness the second they walk in. If you skip it because it's tedious, you lose customers — like a restaurant with bad food. One missed day compounds. If you're in it for the long haul, commit to consistent cleaning.
Q How did you start using ONDA, and how's it been?
Jung-eun) While prepping the launch, I was searching for payment and reservation systems and found ONDA. I called and the rep was proactive, young-feeling. Other platforms felt closed off. ONDA seemed more open and communicative. That's why we signed up.
Young-beom) The mobile app is a lifesaver. I can manage rooms anywhere without being stuck at a desk. One minor complaint: images sometimes get cropped weird on mobile — they don't auto-scale well vertically or horizontally. Otherwise the payment flow is simple and intuitive. Clean interface, easy to use.
Q Any hidden gems or local restaurants near the property?
Jung-eun) Not many restaurants around here. We used to pack lunch or buy takeout. Then we discovered two places: Hangyeong Garden, which does great mackerel set meals, and Geumjamae Sikdang, which just opened in Sinchang and is already buzzing among locals. They serve banchan-heavy set meals with stir-fries and fish — delicious.
Also, there's a geological preservation area nearby with trail courses. Chagwi-do right in front is famous for fishing. There's a pier — kids have caught 20 mackerel in one trip. Suwolbong Peak is Olle Trail Course 12 — people say it's a must-visit. Walk a bit further and you'll find a lighthouse — perfect sunset spot. Our guests love sitting on the rocks there watching the sun go down.
