How she climbed from front desk to sales director — fast
They say three big opportunities come around in your life. In the modern world, at least one of those is a career-defining moment at work. Sometimes that moment comes disguised as a big change.
We've all been there. You get chewed out by your boss. A project feels impossible. Endless overtime leaves you burned out, physically and mentally. Or you hit a ceiling — your career stalls, and the feeling of being stuck can be crushing.
That's when taking on something you thought you couldn't do — something that makes you uncomfortable — can break you through. Switching jobs. Trying something new. Grabbing the chance to level up.
That's exactly what Oh Eun-ji, Sales Director at Paraspora Seoul, did. Over the past two years, she's taken on "the kind of work I thought I'd never do" — sales — and it's transformed her hospitality career.
Oh's first hotel job wasn't in Korea — it was in Dublin, Ireland, at The Central Hotel.
"I started working in hotels while studying abroad in Dublin," she recalls. "I spent about two years working in this 200-year-old building right in the center of the city. Those memories are precious to me."
After two years in Europe, Oh returned to Korea and continued building her hospitality career — mostly on the front desk side. Her first foray into sales came when she joined Paraspora Seoul in August 2021.
"People who work in sales used to seem like magicians to me. I was the one facing guests in person. But sales teams? They're the ones doing advertising, generating bookings, bringing customers to me."
"Driving revenue and performance felt completely out of my reach."
"Honestly, it wasn't my choice to go into sales. Paraspora offered me the role when I joined. But the idea of tackling something I thought I couldn't do felt meaningful."
That decision changed everything.
So what is Paraspora Seoul? It's a luxury hotel and resort that opened in August 2021 inside Bukhansan National Park in Seoul — sprawling across 23,000 pyeong (about 76,000 square meters).
Large-scale nature escapes inside Seoul city limits are rare. Today, Paraspora is a go-to for couples and families who want a retreat close to home without leaving the capital.
"We're pretty well-known now," Oh says. "But back when we opened, we were constantly thinking about how to get the name out there. We were pushing hard on online marketing and advertising, but something felt missing. That's when someone introduced us to ONDA."
ONDA's biggest advantage? One contract connects you to 60+ OTAs representing over 90% of Korea's online travel market. According to ONDA's data, hotels see the clearest impact when distributing across 31+ channels — bookings jump by more than 43% compared to using 15 or fewer.
For a new property, getting listed across multiple platforms delivers instant advertising reach. Especially for travelers who love new openings.
"The ability to sell rooms on OTAs we hadn't signed direct deals with was huge. It felt like getting three wins at once. You don't have to negotiate contracts one by one. You get exposure across the board. It's automatic marketing."
"Given how our hotel performs, we see a lot of metasearch bookings. When we partnered with ONDA, we also opened up our rates to closed platforms and B2B channels. We didn't see a big response at first. But Kakao Reservation was a game-changer early on."
"We participated in a promo when Kakao Reservation first launched. That drove serious results."
At this point in the conversation, I was curious. Oh transitioned from front desk work to sales and was talking like she'd been doing sales for years. I asked her what the secret was.
"I learned sales and online marketing by watching. Honestly, I learned the most from working with people at ONDA and the OTA teams. They're the real experts in this field."
"Going forward, I want us to maximize our exposure on OTAs. If anyone has ideas for promos, banner placements, or campaigns, I'd love to hear them."
Throughout the interview, Oh's pride in her property was palpable. I asked her what makes Paraspora Seoul special.
"Look around the lobby. Tons of families with kids, right? We get a lot of newlyweds, pregnant guests who can't travel far, and parents with young children who need to stay close to home."
"Most people still think 'Bukhansan' just means hiking and makgeolli. But Bukhansan is actually one of the cleanest, most pristine areas in Seoul. I think it offers so much value to people living in the city."
"I hope guests come to Paraspora Seoul to enjoy the changing seasons of Bukhansan up close — and just relax."
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