A Pohang pension owner explains how he turned a three-story building into a vertically integrated guest experience—restaurant, rooms, rooftop pool, and café—then shifted to room service when juggling all four got too complex.
Property Type: Pension (resort-style lodging)
Address: 15-8, Yeonampogil 21beon-gil, Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
Room Types: Deluxe Room, Suite Room
Amenities: S Rooftop, S.Fiesta Restaurant, parking, ocean view, outdoor pool, café, spa
Nearby Attractions: Yeongildae Beach, Pohang Museum of Art, café street, Hwanho Park, Pohang Canal, etc.
Q. Tell us about yourself and the property.
Hello, I'm Lee Jung-hoon, owner of S.Fiesta in Pohang. We launched three years ago as a mixed-use space: second-floor restaurant, third-floor lodging, and fourth-floor rooftop café. The idea was that guests could stay, dine at the restaurant, swim in the outdoor pool, and relax with coffee and dessert on the rooftop—all in one place.
I opened everything initially, but now I have separate operators for the restaurant and rooftop café so I can focus entirely on running the pension. Back when I ran it all, pension guests got a 10% restaurant discount. Now we've dropped that in favor of room service. Guests still get a 10% rooftop café voucher, though.
The third floor has four rooms: three doubles and one suite. The suite is officially four-person occupancy, comfortably sleeping six. Sometimes people ask if we can squeeze one or two more—I usually say yes, but I warn them it'll be snug. (Laughs)
The suite has a special feature: a wooden-floored area behind the bed. We put down thick pads to fill the extra space, and people ended up sleeping there, snacking there, or just lounging and chatting. They love it. The room's open-plan, but there's a curtain you can draw for privacy, which helps. (Laughs)
Q. What's the story behind the name "S.Fiesta"?
"Fiesta" is Spanish for "festival," and the "S" comes from my very first venture—a flair-cocktail bar called "S Bar." The "S" stands for "sixth sense." Beyond the five senses, the sixth represents effort—the intention to bring joy and happiness to people through skill and craft. I wanted to bring that cocktail bar energy into a larger, more versatile party space. So "S.Fiesta" captures that aspiration: second-floor Italian restaurant, third-floor pension, fourth-floor "S Rooftop" café.
Originally, the pool was open to restaurant patrons, and guests could shower in vacant rooms. Now that the pension is busier, we restrict the pool to overnight guests. The restaurant overlooks the pool, so it's not super private—but we lean into that openness. We built a private staircase from the third floor directly to the pool, so guests have their own access. Of course, people don't come to the restaurant for a rave, but I wanted to create a space that felt like a festival—something that buzzes with energy.
Q. What are the pros and cons of running a mixed-use property?
The biggest upside is how exotic it feels. There aren't many places like this in Korea—it feels like something you'd find overseas. "Exotic" also means unfamiliar, right? That's what makes it special to visitors.
Because it's mixed-use, we get restaurant and café patrons on top of overnight guests. Some lodgers prefer solitude, so we offer room service—they can eat in private. That's a plus.
The downside? The pool's open-air and overlooks the restaurant, so guests sometimes feel self-conscious swimming while diners watch. Most people don't care—especially younger guests—but older visitors or shy types occasionally find it awkward. Once people understand the vibe, though, they relax. I think places like S.Fiesta need to become more common before this kind of hospitality culture feels natural. The tradeoffs are clear, and if I open another property, I'll work on delivering that exotic feeling with more privacy.
Q. The interiors are striking—emotional, thoughtful. And the floor plan is unusual. How did you design it?
This was our first pension project, so S.Fiesta isn't 100% what I envisioned. I wanted one firm to handle design and construction from start to finish, but that didn't pan out. Plus, we had to work within the building's existing structure, so our options were limited. Still, within those constraints, we split one large space into a suite and divided the rest into three doubles.
The TV placement is a good example. It's aligned with the kitchenette so whoever's cooking and whoever's eating can both watch TV. That design choice came from the narrow lot shape—and from wanting shared experiences. (Laughs) The long, narrow lot also let us open up the front for ocean views. We used to have mountain views on the side, too, but a neighboring building went up recently and blocked it. Shame.
My wife's not a designer by trade, but she's always loved art and picked every piece of décor with her own sense of color. I handled construction. The restaurant, the pool, the ocean views—it all reflects our shared love of travel. My wife lived abroad for years before we married, so she craved that overseas feel. And I spent years visiting flair bars around the world during my cocktail-bar days, absorbing party culture. I've always wanted to create a space where young people and older generations can mingle comfortably—something Korea doesn't quite have yet. We thought hard about how to introduce that naturally without it feeling forced. Just like we got used to this vibe over time, I hope this space helps the culture take root.
Q. The rooms look more like a hotel than a pension. Some don't even have kitchens!
Our ultimate goal is to run a hotel. That's why we designed the doubles to feel hotel-clean—no kitchen, no cooking allowed. We offer room service instead. The suite has a kitchen for groups. S.Fiesta's big advantage is location: we're in the city, within delivery range (most pensions aren't). Delivery apps these days let you order anything, so that's a real perk.
Some people ask, "Why can't I cook in a pension?" But year after year, more guests prefer delivery. They don't want the hassle of lugging groceries. Delivery keeps the room spotless—no food smells. People value cleanliness and convenience.
We're leaning into that. The long-term goal is a hotel, or maybe a pool-villa concept: private pools, communal spaces, healing, health, food, culture—a full resort experience. I care more about the dream than immediate profit, so I like trying things others aren't doing yet.
Q. You've got a lot of amenities. What's your favorite feature?
We put a lot of effort into cleanliness, but if I had to pick one standout feature, it's the second-floor outdoor pool. You swim while overlooking the ocean. Poolside we've got tea tables and sunbeds. Guests order from the restaurant, eat by the pool, and swim—all outdoors. That's where the "fiesta" spirit really comes alive. The pool is the heart of S.Fiesta.
When I ran the restaurant myself, we'd throw club parties and pool parties—music, people, the works. After we split operations, the second-floor manager and I had different priorities, so we paused that. I chase ambience and romance; the manager has to chase revenue. Different goals, you know? It's bittersweet, but the pool area still means a lot to me.
This first project was an experiment. The next one will refine what I'm after and fix what didn't land.
Q. You're active on Instagram and YouTube. What's your marketing secret?
A friend of mine teaches YouTube courses and has been nudging me for years. This year I finally decided to try it for fun. I've been learning editing software and Photoshop, trying things out bit by bit. I was getting into it, then peak season hit and I took a break. But now that you've asked, I guess I should start again. (Laughs)
I want to create content around things pension guests love—instant ramen, snacks, room tours, that sort of thing. YouTube's the dominant platform right now, so I figured video content would be a strong promotional tool.
I find blog marketing tricky—a lot of it's paid, so credibility suffers. I've stuck with Instagram, which works great for photo-driven discovery. But photos and videos hit differently. Photos look nice; videos feel real. Guests want to see the actual space, and video delivers detail and authenticity better than static images.
I love trying new things (even if I lose interest fast). (Laughs) But YouTube's been rewarding—I get responses, and I feel accomplished. I plan to keep at it for the bigger project down the road.
Q. You won "Best Pension" at the 2018 Daily True Awards. How'd that feel? What's next?
I thought everyone got that award, but apparently not. I got a phone call, accepted it, but honestly I don't know why they picked me. (Laughs) Back then I'd just listed on Yanolja and Daily. Daily promoted new properties heavily, so our booking rate was high. We ranked well, and reviews came in strong. No accommodation is 100% perfect, so managing reviews stresses me out, but the goal is to keep improving so more positive reviews roll in.
Running a pension means meeting all kinds of guests. Some are incredibly considerate—they tidy up like it's their own home. Others nitpick or expect 300% satisfaction and complain indiscriminately. S.Fiesta isn't a five-star luxury hotel, so of course there'll be inconveniences. But minimizing them is our responsibility. Developing new properties and improving existing ones to maximize guest satisfaction—that's my ongoing goal.
Q. How did you discover ONDA, and what's your experience been?
I was using another booking-management system and stumbled on ONDA through a search. It felt like a smaller, newer company, but when I browsed the site I sensed passion—young people building something different. I thought, "If I partner with ONDA, our goals align. We can grow together." I'm a new operator myself, so teaming up with a startup felt natural. I saw growth potential.
I started using ONDA, and the system's great for quickly blocking and opening rooms. Having a proprietary app is a big plus, too.
One pain point: ONDA's real-time booking auto-confirms instantly. When friends contact me privately—sometimes late at night—they'll transfer payment first. Then I wake up and see an ONDA booking already confirmed for the same room. Double-booking. I've learned to check real-time reservations first thing, but late-night calls still stress me out. And I have to manually notify the private caller that the room's taken. Bit of a hassle.
A fix could be a pop-up for the host: "Confirm booking" or "Reject booking" when a real-time reservation comes in. That way, even if payment went through, the host confirms it and notifies the guest—adds a step, reduces complaints. I think that'd help.
Q. Finally, any hidden gems or favorite restaurants near the property?
S.Fiesta sits in a quiet seaside neighborhood—urban, but with the tranquility of a small fishing village. If you want peace and quiet, just sit and soak it in. Walk a bit and you'll find Taehwa Sikdang, featured on the TV show Wednesday Food Talk—famous for flatfish mulhoe (cold raw-fish soup).
Plenty of other spots serve fresh-caught sashimi, too—fishermen bring it in on small boats and prep it right there. And of course, our S.Fiesta restaurant does Italian cuisine and serves alcohol at night. (Laughs)
Yeongildae Beach is a five-to-ten-minute drive. It's Pohang's biggest tourist draw and was especially busy this year with tons of events. Young people flood in. There are hotels nearby, but we're the only pension-style lodging, which is a huge advantage. The area's packed with grilled shellfish spots and other attractions. Guests often drink there, then taxi back to us.
This area's also known as a café district, so I recommend checking out the popular brunch cafés during your stay.
View full magazine >>
Subscribe to the magazine >>
⚠️ All rights reserved. Cite this piece as "ONDA (온다)" when quoting.