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Shilla hotel reinstates weddings after Chinese delegation cancellations

Published: 30 Sep. 2025, 10:13

The Shilla Seoul hotel in Jung District, central Seoul [SHILLA SEOUL]

The Shilla Seoul hotel has reinstated weddings it had unilaterally canceled to accommodate a possible stay by Chinese President Xi Jinping during next month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, after changes to the event’s schedule.

The Shilla Seoul has informed couples whose weddings were canceled that they can now proceed with their ceremonies as originally planned, the hotel said Monday.

The luxury hotel had earlier told customers that weddings booked for Oct. 31 must be canceled because of “a state event” tied to the APEC summit, set to take place from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1.

The schedule conflict reportedly arose after Chinese President Xi's delegation expressed plans to stay at the Shilla during the summit period. The Chinese side was said to have requested exclusive use of the hotel’s banquet halls and guest rooms for four days from Oct. 31. Xi was expected to attend the APEC summit in Gyeongju and possibly hold a Korea-China summit in Seoul afterward.

Shilla Hotel had notified wedding clients that hosting a national event during that period made it “inevitable” to cancel weddings. It also suspended room reservations and offered financial support for customers who agreed to reschedule. Wedding packages at the hotel typically cost between 100 million won and 200 million won ($71,400 to $143,000) depending on options such as floral arrangements.

However, Chinese officials recently canceled their bookings, prompting the hotel to inform affected customers that weddings could now take place on their original or adjusted dates.

A Shilla Hotel official said the company cannot disclose details on the “change or cancellation of the state event schedule.”

"Couples who rescheduled their weddings will still receive the promised compensation for cancellation fees and wedding costs, but those returning to their original date will not," the official added.

BY PARK HAE-LEE, SHIM SEOK-YONG [[email protected]]