Koreans turn malls into all-in-one summer 'mallcation' escapes as heat and rain linger
Hotels and retail complexes are drawing vacationers with indoor shopping, dining, spas and leisure activities amid prolonged heat waves and unstable weather.
Starfield Coex Mall in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, is crowded with visitors on the afternoon of Aug. 9.LEE GYU-RIM
Late-summer heat still clings on by day, while rain fell in some regions on the weekends and made it difficult for people to venture out. Even as August winds down, the humidity refuses to loosen its grip, and unstable skies keep threatening showers, making outdoor plans feel like a gamble. Amid the hot and humid weather, many are rewriting the rules of vacation.
This summer, that indoor-vacation wave — known as "mallcation," a mashup of "mall" and "vacation" — has emerged as a major trend.
The trend builds on the well-known staycation concept, as people look beyond simply staying at upscale hotels. Demand has grown for places where visitors can shop, dine and enjoy activities indoors rather than venture outside amid prolonged heat waves and frequent rain.
Conrad Seoul is one of the hotels offering guests easy access to a broader shopping experience. Connected via an underground passage to IFC Mall in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, the hotel provided office worker Jeong Yi-su with a cool escape from the stifling heat while browsing storefronts in a light cardigan on Aug. 21.
"Summer vacation used to mean the beach or the mountains," Jeong said. "These days, I wonder why I should bother sweating it out. If I can shop, eat, swim at the hotel and spend the night, that's a vacation."
Jeong planned to spend a night at Conrad Seoul, shop at IFC Mall and use the hotel’s swimming pool and spa.
“The best part is that I can spend two days without stepping outside even once,” Jeong said. “And with rain in the forecast on the weekend, that works out even better.”
The swimming pool at Conrad Seoul, in Yeongdeungpo District, western SeoulCONRAD SEOUL
Conrad Seoul's underground connection even extends to another nearby department store, The Hyundai Seoul, allowing visitors to roam all of Yeouido without worrying about the heat.
During the rainy season, the hotel hands guests Conrad Bear dolls dressed in raincoats, dehumidifiers and route guides mapping out the path between the hotel and IFC Mall.
“As more guests look for a comfortable indoor relaxation amid the recent heat waves and rainy season, ‘mallcation,’ where people can enjoy shopping, dining and wellness together, is becoming a new lifestyle,” a Conrad Seoul official said. “With direct access to IFC Mall, a wide range of hotel facilities and seasonal services, we aim to offer the most comfortable urban retreat during the summer.”
Customers at one major shopping mall in Seoul spent more than 20 percent longer there during this summer than in previous years, according to industry sources. Where shoppers once popped in briefly around lunch, many now linger from morning until night.
A shifting travel and retail landscape
The trend can't be chalked up to heat alone, says Lee Soo-jin, a researcher at Seoul National University's Consumer Trend Center.
“As more purchases shifted online, offline retailers began to feel a sense of crisis and, especially through the pandemic, focused on coming up with strategies aimed at bringing customers back to their stores,” Lee said. “The mallcation boom we’re seeing now is that investment finally paying off.”
Online shopping has not retreated, Lee added — both online and offline spending are climbing at roughly the same pace.
Lee also pointed to changes in the way people travel.
“People generally planned vacations around a fixed holiday season and traveled far away in the past, but recently, spontaneous, short everyday trips over Friday, Saturday and Sunday have become more common,” Lee said. “Mallcations let people shop, rest and eat all in one place without having to move around, which lines up perfectly with recent travel trends. Rather than a simple response to heat waves, it should be viewed as a structural shift in both retail and travel behavior.”
Indoor leisure complexes gain popularity
Large aquariums inside shopping complexes are also drawing renewed attention as summer destinations, including Sea Life Coex, the aquarium inside Starfield Coex Mall in Gangnam District, southern Seoul.
Home to some 50,000 marine animals across roughly 650 species, the aquarium remains popular with couples and families because visitors can spend an entire day indoors in a cool environment.
Out in Hanam, Gyeonggi, Aquafield at Starfield Hanam pairs indoor and outdoor water parks with eight themed spa zones. The venue also lets visitors spend a full day swimming and relaxing in one place.
An underwater performance takes place at the Sea Life Coex, Seoul Aquarium in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on May 3.JANG JIN-YOUNG
Industry sources say demand for such indoor leisure facilities surges during spells of bad weather, such as the heavy rain forecast for this weekend, with popular venues becoming so crowded that making reservations in advance is essential.
“Longer heat waves and more frequent rain than in previous years are pushing more people to scale back outdoor plans and vacations indoors instead,” a hotel industry source said. “Hotels are also evolving beyond simple lodging into all-in-one lifestyle spaces for shopping, dining, culture and wellness.”
Back at the Conrad Seoul lounge, Jeong leaned into the sofa and watched the sky cloud over outside.
“I looked up plane tickets but gave up when I saw the peak-season prices,” Jeong said. “Now that I’ve tried this, there’s no travel time and no worrying about the rain. I’m pretty satisfied.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
