Aman Announces Aman Seoul, Its First Hotel in South Korea

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Today: Aman Announces Aman Seoul in South Korea

Aman – the world’s most exclusive hotel brand – is coming to Seoul. The ultra-luxury hospitality brand has announced plans for Aman Seoul, marking its first-ever hotel in South Korea and adding another major Asian capital to its growing collection of exclusive urban retreats. The new property will be developed in Cheongdam-dong, one of Seoul’s most prestigious neighborhoods, where it will combine an Aman hotel with private residences, an Aman Club, extensive wellness facilities, restaurants, retail and cultural spaces. Designed as an urban sanctuary above one of Asia’s most dynamic cities, Aman Seoul is expected to become one of the most anticipated new luxury hotels in Asia.

The arrival of Aman in Korea does not come entirely out of the blue. Earlier in 2026, Shinsegae Group announced a strategic partnership with global real estate developer OKO Group to develop luxury hotels, branded residences and mixed-use projects for Aman Group in Korea and overseas. The planned joint venture was announced with an initial investment of approximately $500 million and is intended to combine Shinsegae’s expertise in large-scale integrated developments with OKO Group’s experience in developing Aman properties around the world. The partnership was particularly significant because OKO Group and Aman Group are both led by Vladislav Doronin, who owns the two companies. At the time, no specific Aman project in South Korea had been officially announced, but the partnership provided a strong indication that Aman was preparing to enter the Korean market.

Reflecting on Aman Seoul’s ambition as the new benchmark for ultra-luxury living in South Korea, Vlad Doronin, Chairman and CEO of Aman Group, commented “Few cities have evolved as rapidly or as confidently as Seoul. Today, it sits at the intersection of culture, design, technology and wellness, a global influence on how people live far beyond South Korea. Aman Seoul represents our conviction in the city’s future and our desire to build a permanent home for the Aman lifestyle within it. By bringing together a hotel, residences, Aman Club in the heart of Gangnam, we are creating an urban sanctuary where Aman loyalists can engage with the energy of Seoul while remaining immersed in the qualities that define Aman: privacy, exceptional service and a profound sense of cultural connection.”

Aman Seoul will be located in Cheongdam

Aman Seoul will occupy a prominent site in Cheongdam-dong, in the Gangnam district of Seoul. The development will be built on the former Hotel Prima site at 52-3 and 52-7 Cheongdam-dong. The project is planned as a landmark tower, rising 38 floors above ground with a further eight basement levels, and its elevated position will provide views towards the Han River and the surrounding Seoul skyline.

The choice of Cheongdam is particularly fitting for Aman. The neighborhood is widely regarded as one of Seoul’s most exclusive areas and is known for its luxury boutiques, international fashion houses, galleries, restaurants and contemporary Korean lifestyle brands. Together with neighboring Apgujeong, Cheongdam has become one of the city’s principal destinations for high-end shopping, dining and entertainment, making it an increasingly popular base for affluent international travelers.

Despite being surrounded by one of the busiest and most fashionable parts of Seoul, Aman Seoul is intended to feel removed from the intensity of the city. Aman describes the project as an “urban sanctuary”, with the design focused on creating a sense of privacy, tranquility and connection with nature while still allowing guests to remain closely connected to the cultural and commercial attractions of the Korean capital. (Shinsegae Property)

More than just a luxury hotel

Aman Seoul will be considerably more than a conventional hotel. The development will bring together a hotel, 49 Aman-branded residences and a private Aman Club, creating an integrated hospitality and residential destination that reflects the increasingly broad lifestyle ambitions of the Aman brand.

The 49 residences will offer private homes managed according to Aman’s standards, with the company involved in the design, space planning and service concept. The residences will form part of the same overall development as the hotel, allowing homeowners to access many of the services and facilities associated with the Aman experience while maintaining the privacy of a private residence.

The project will also introduce an Aman Club to Seoul. The private members’ club will include dedicated social and wellness spaces, with a swimming pool, fitness facilities and lounges planned as part of the development. The club is expected to serve both residents and Aman Club members from around the world, extending the Aman lifestyle beyond the hotel itself and creating a private community within the heart of Gangnam. (Shinsegae Property)

A design inspired by Korea

Aman says that the design of Aman Seoul will draw inspiration from Korean spatial aesthetics while incorporating the brand’s own understated approach to contemporary luxury. The concept is intended to create harmony between people, nature and space, rather than relying on excessive decoration or overt displays of opulence.

This approach feels particularly appropriate for Seoul, where contemporary architecture increasingly looks to traditional Korean ideas of proportion, light, courtyards, natural materials and the relationship between buildings and nature. Rather than simply adding Korean decorative elements to an international luxury hotel, Aman appears to be seeking a more fundamental interpretation of Korean design and culture.

The design is also expected to emphasize the sense of privacy for which Aman is known. The brand’s most successful properties tend to avoid the feeling of a conventional large hotel, instead creating a series of intimate spaces that allow guests to feel secluded even when the property itself is substantial. At Aman Seoul, that philosophy will be translated into a high-rise urban environment, with the surrounding city becoming part of the experience rather than something from which guests need to escape completely.

Wellness will be central to Aman Seoul

Wellness will form a major component of the new property. Aman has confirmed that the development will include extensive spa and wellness facilities designed to provide guests, residents and members with a place to relax and retreat from the pace of Seoul.

Wellness has always been closely connected to the Aman philosophy. Many of the company’s resorts are built around large spas and holistic wellness programs that draw inspiration from local traditions, while the brand has increasingly incorporated sophisticated fitness and wellbeing facilities into its urban properties as well.

The exact spa concept for Aman Seoul has not yet been announced, so it remains too early to say which treatments or Korean wellness traditions will form part of the experience. However, the location provides an interesting opportunity for Aman to explore the country’s long history of wellness, bathing and traditional healing while combining these elements with the brand’s own approach to wellbeing.

Dining will be another important element

Aman Seoul will also include several food and beverage concepts. Aman has confirmed that its own dining concepts will form part of the development alongside an international food and beverage offering, although the individual restaurants, bars and culinary partnerships have not yet been announced.

The location makes the dining component particularly interesting. Cheongdam is already one of Seoul’s most sophisticated food destinations, with a remarkable concentration of fine-dining restaurants, contemporary Korean cuisine, cocktail bars and fashionable cafés. Aman will therefore be entering a market where hotel restaurants have to compete not only with other luxury hotels but also with some of the city’s most celebrated independent restaurants.

Aman’s dining spaces are often designed to function as destinations in their own right, and it would not be surprising if the restaurants and bars at Aman Seoul eventually become part of the city’s luxury dining scene. However, details about the culinary concepts will likely be released closer to the opening.

What can we expect from the Aman Seoul rooms?

Aman has not yet released the complete accommodation details for the hotel, including the final number of guestrooms and suites or the individual room categories. Some Korean reports have referred to a specific number of rooms, but that figure has not been officially confirmed by Aman and should therefore be treated with caution at this stage.

What can reasonably be expected is that the accommodation will follow the same principles found throughout the Aman collection, with an emphasis on generous space, natural materials, privacy and residential-style interiors. The hotel’s elevated location should also mean that views will play an important role in many of the rooms and suites.

Aman has traditionally avoided the feeling of standardized hotel accommodation, instead creating rooms and suites that feel more like private residences. This philosophy should work particularly well in Seoul, where the contrast between the fast-moving city outside and the calm of an Aman guest room could become one of the defining characteristics of the property.

When will Aman Seoul open?

Although Aman Seoul has now been officially announced, travelers will have to wait several years before the hotel welcomes its first guests. Construction is underway, but Aman has not yet announced a definitive opening date. Current Korean reports point towards completion around 2030, although earlier reporting has mentioned 2029, and the timeline could naturally change as construction progresses. For now, it is safest to describe Aman Seoul as a project expected to open around the end of the decade rather than assigning it a firm opening date.

Reservations, room rates and detailed accommodation categories are also not yet available. More information is expected to be released progressively as the development moves closer to completion.

The Aman brand

For travelers who are less familiar with Aman, the company occupies a unique position within the luxury hospitality industry. Aman was founded in 1988 with the opening of Amanpuri in Phuket, Thailand, and from the beginning the brand adopted a very different approach from traditional international hotel groups. Rather than building large numbers of standardized properties, Aman developed a relatively small collection of highly individual hotels and resorts in remarkable locations. Many of its properties are characterized by exceptional privacy, intimate scale, distinctive architecture and a strong connection to their surroundings.

The name Aman means “peace” in Sanskrit, and the idea of creating a sanctuary away from the outside world has remained central to the brand. Aman’s hotels are therefore often less about conventional five-star grandeur and more about creating an atmosphere of serenity, space and understated elegance. This philosophy is particularly evident in the brand’s resorts. Amanpuri in Thailand, Amanjiwo in Indonesia and Aman-i-Khas in India, for example, are all very different properties, but they share the same emphasis on privacy, sense of place and personalized service.

For many years, Aman was primarily associated with remote resorts and extraordinary natural or cultural settings. Over time, however, the company has increasingly expanded into major international cities. Aman Tokyo was a particularly important milestone for the brand, demonstrating that the Aman concept could work in one of the world’s largest and busiest cities. Aman New York followed with another highly private urban retreat, while Aman Nai Lert Bangkok further established the company’s presence in major Asian capitals. Aman Seoul will continue this evolution. Instead of a remote beach or wilderness setting, the new property will be surrounded by the energy of Gangnam, yet its architecture and interiors will be designed to create the same sense of escape that guests associate with Aman’s resorts.

The company is also continuing a broader global expansion, with new Aman projects planned or under development in destinations including Beverly Hills, Miami Beach, Dubai and Singapore. Aman Seoul is therefore part of a much larger transformation of the brand, which is increasingly becoming a global luxury lifestyle company rather than simply a collection of hotels.