Eden Paradise Hotel in Icheon blends resort-style gardens with banquet spaces and themed glass houses. Director Kang shares how ONDA streamlined their multi-channel bookings and cut admin work in half.
Property Type: Hotel
Address: 449-81 Seoicheon-ro, Majang-myeon, Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
Room Types: Superior Double, Superior Twin, Family Twin, Residential Suite, Executive Suite, Deluxe
Amenities: Banquet hall, meeting rooms, restaurant, gardens, library café, glass houses, etc.
Nearby Attractions: Icheon Termeden, Cerapia, Lotte Premium Outlets, Deokpyeong Dinosaur Park, Starlight Garden Woo Joo, and more
Q Tell us about the property and yourself.
Hello, I'm Director Kang Hee-seok, General Manager of Eden Paradise Hotel. Our motto is "True rest and recovery in a lush garden," and we provide a healing retreat for all our guests. Eden Paradise opened about three years ago—spring 2017—so as a fairly new hotel, we work hard to maintain top-tier quality.
We have 72 rooms across various configurations: Family Twins for families, Deluxe Twins for couples, and more. The Deluxe Twin rooms especially feature a beautiful terrace where you can sip wine under the moonlight.
The entire Eden Paradise property spans about 40,000 square meters, with the garden alone taking up roughly 10,000 square meters. Beyond that, we've got theme-specific facilities: seminar rooms, a grand auditorium, meeting rooms, banquet halls—and glass houses like the Crystal, Moon, and Angel House for private events.
Our on-site restaurant, "Every Morning in the World," serves breakfast buffet in the morning, Italian lunch, and can even cater Korean dinner menus for special events. Below the main hotel building, you'll find Alex the Coffee (popular with younger guests) and Teahouse Eden (a specialty tea café), so you can explore coffee and tea culture in their own distinct spaces.
Q We heard you've been with Eden Paradise since day one.
That's right. I joined the team during the launch phase, and the hotel's motto—"True rest and healing in a lush garden"—really resonated with me. I felt that if the hotel environment was designed for guests to heal, the work environment for staff would be just as inspiring. That's why I'm still here, working alongside the entire team.
Sure, I've had opportunities at more famous hotels, but Eden Paradise is genuinely beautiful—and it's Korea's first garden hotel. Being part of something "first" was irresistible.
The garden everyone loves (myself included) is divided into Chef's Garden, Kitchen Garden, Square Garden, and a lawn that hosts outdoor weddings and concerts. Each corner has its own vibe, and at night, the lighting makes everything feel magical.
Q The architecture and scenery are Instagram-famous—feels like a hidden Spanish village. Why did you go with that style?
The architecture and interior design are actually the work of renowned Korean architect Choi Si-young. We're not design experts, so we simply told him we wanted a nature-friendly retreat space that reflects Korean values. He traveled all over Europe, studied countless designs, and ultimately decided Spanish architecture suited this site best. Look closely and you'll notice each building block has a different color and character.
The library, teahouse, and other Instagrammable spots—Choi handled both exterior and interior design. Most properties separate the two, but we wanted cohesion and clarity of vision, so we entrusted everything to one designer. The result? A space people genuinely love.
Q Your property is huge, but the gardens really stand out. Tell us more about Eden Garden's different themes.
I touched on this earlier, but Eden Paradise's gardens have multiple themes—each with its own mood. The nighttime lighting is especially stunning: the garden and property lights blend with moonlight and starlight in a carefully orchestrated glow.
Another signature feature: over 90% of our rooms have garden views. You can experience that beautiful light from your room.
My personal favorite? Kitchen Garden. Our staff grow organic vegetables there, and each season we harvest fresh produce for salads and other dishes in the restaurant. Guests really appreciate the farm-to-table approach—it's one of our proudest offerings.
Running a farm inside a hotel wasn't easy at first, but our entire team rallied around the idea of "working together"—a principle from the book Gung Ho, which is required reading for new hires. (Laughs)
Q "True rest" is your motto, so rooms feel more spacious than typical hotels.
Our top sellers through ONDA are the Deluxe and Residential Suite. But all our rooms are designed with healing in mind—whether you're here with friends, family, or a partner. Guests often tell us they slept really well. Our rooms are also larger than average.
Our core audience? Families, couples—and corporate groups. We've got strong seminar and training facilities, so companies often book us for workshops and offsites.
I know it sounds unusual to book a hotel for corporate retreats, especially for large groups. That's where our Family Twin rooms shine. We have nine of them, each with two separate bedrooms, four single beds, and two full bathrooms (including a tub).
Seminars and training programs are budget-conscious, and the Family Twin is four guests per room—unbeatable value. Most hotels don't offer this layout.
The two bathrooms are clutch. Imagine four people trying to share one bathroom in the morning—chaos. With two, it's like getting a second room for free. Kind of a 1+1 deal. (Laughs)
Q You run one-day classes at Teahouse Eden regularly. How did that start, and how do guests respond?
Unlike most cafés, we keep our concepts pure: Teahouse Eden is tea only, Alex the Coffee is coffee only. Teahouse Eden sits inside a botanical garden vibe, so it's especially popular with women.
Tea has less caffeine than coffee, and guests started asking, "Can we learn about tea here?" So we launched one-day classes: tea, flower arranging, you name it.
Now, if you have a group of eight or more, we'll schedule a tea class. It includes tastings and is surprisingly affordable—great value for a unique hobby. We're the first and only hotel in Korea to offer a specialty tea class, so word-of-mouth brought us steady bookings. We run one to two sessions a month, and they fill up fast.
Q You recently won 1st place in Customer Satisfaction for Hotels. What's the secret?
We've been open about three years now. This award is the result of our entire staff working together—and our guests loving what we do.
The core values any hotel should deliver: customer value, service excellence, food quality, and sleeping value. Eden Paradise works hard to maintain quality across all four.
Going forward, we'll keep training our staff—from service teams to managers—and I'll lead by example to make sure every guest feels well cared for.
Q Eden Paradise does seminars, weddings, workshops—you're evolving constantly. What's the ultimate goal?
First, we want to be the #1 seminar and workshop brand in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Our property is large and beautiful, which is why we host a lot of outdoor weddings in the Concert Garden (lawn) across from Teahouse Eden. Natural weddings are trending, so we're leaning into that.
We also host corporate music concerts and large-scale workshops—our facilities can easily accommodate big groups.
But the most frequent events? Seminars and training programs. We've got the hardware—banquet halls, auditoriums, 12 breakout rooms—and we're building out the service side to match.
Another goal: to be known as the hotel with beautiful gardens, where starlight and moonlight meet, and where every staff member is genuinely kind. By our 10th anniversary, I hope Eden Paradise is remembered as (1) the garden hotel you have to visit in Seoul/Gyeonggi, and (2) a healing space for families.
Q How did you discover ONDA, and what's your experience been like?
We partnered with ONDA thanks to Ha-neui Lee, the account manager handling hotels. She actively connected us with new sales channels we hadn't explored before and built great bridges.
We just started selling through ONDA, so we're still finding our rhythm, but we're planning to launch new packages and products soon.
ONDA's biggest strength? Internal communication. The team collaborates seamlessly, which makes our work smoother. We're both still growing, so I'm hopeful that as rate standardization improves, revenue will climb for both sides. When that happens, I think we'll see real synergy.
Q Last question: any hidden gems or local restaurants you'd recommend near the hotel?
Within 15 minutes of Eden Paradise, you've got tons of attractions and great food.
Attractions: Icheon Termeden (water park), Lotte Premium Outlets (right across from us), Deokpyeong Dinosaur Park, Starlight Garden Woo Joo, and the Pig Museum (yes, a museum dedicated to pigs).
Icheon is famous for ceramics, so visit Cerapia (Seolbong Park) for hands-on pottery experiences and a museum tour. You can also hike nearby Dodram Mountain or try horseback riding at a local club. Many of these spots have strategic partnerships with us, so you can bundle stays with activities.
Restaurants: Icheon is rice country, so Korean set meals (hanjeongsik) are a must. Recommended spots: Dorak, Cheongmok, Jinmi Rice Set Meal, Geogung, Narannnim Icheon Rice, Dolsotbap Sigol Bapsang, Queen Seafood Kalguksu, and Grandma's House. If you have four or more people, Jinmi Rice Set Meal offers free round-trip shuttle service from the hotel—perfect if you're drinking.
Finally, Icheon is also known for pork farming, so the samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly) is amazing. There's a spot called Dodram Restaurant just a five-minute walk from the hotel—I highly recommend it.
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