Ananti to go solo in Busan without Hilton

Ananti Inc. will end its six-year-long partnership with Hilton Hotels & Resorts by removing the global hotel giant's nameplate from its luxury seaside hotel in Busan. It will independently operate it starting next year.  

The South Korean hospitality company that operates multiple hotels, resorts and golf courses across the country announced on Thursday that it will rebrand Ananti Hilton Busan as Ananti At Busan Cove.

The new name will be applied starting January 2024.  

The split comes six years after the hotel opened in 2017 as Hilton Busan in the country’s second-largest city under a partnership contract between Ananti and Hilton Hotels & Resorts.

The alliance allowed the flagship upscale hotel brand of global hospitality giant Hilton to fully manage the hotel in Busan with its own operation system and managers.

However, the Korean hotel and resort company has gradually lessened its reliance on the global hospitality juggernaut in recent years after gaining confidence in the management and operation of hotels and resorts under its own marquee 'Ananti At' in other parts of Korea.

In 2022, the hotel changed its name to Ananti Hilton Busan after taking over the hotel management rights and since then has only been sharing Hilton’s brand and global booking system.

By dropping Hilton from its name, Ananti will sever its ties with Hilton in the hotel business, meaning it will stop using Hilton’s global booking system and member loyalty program starting next year.

GOING SOLO WORKS WELL

Even without the Hilton brand and operation system, Ananti expects its hotel in Busan to thrive under its independent booking and membership systems, which have already been rolled out to Ananti At Gangnam, which opened in Seoul in June 2022.

Ananti has succeeded in attracting overseas travelers to the hotel in Seoul without Hilton’s booking system. Foreign guests accounted for nearly half of all guests this year, the company said.

To lure even more guests from abroad, Ananti will introduce a new hotel website that is supported in multiple languages including English, Japanese and Chinese.

In April, it also revamped its own member rewards program, dubbed Ananti Culture Club, which includes the mileage program RIM, all separate from Hilton’s. Through the membership programs, guests are able to enjoy various perks and privileges.

Founded in 1987, Ananti operates hotels, resorts and golf courses across Korea, including Ananti At Busan Cove, Ananti At Gangnam, Ananti Namhae and Ananti Club Jeju.

It once operated The Ananti Kumgang Mountain in North Korea but pulled the plug on the golf resort in the hermit kingdom in April last year amid a lagging recovery in inter-Korean relations.

The company earned 129.6 billion won ($100 million) in gross profit last year on the back of the booming hotel business in Korea.

It is expected to report better earnings this year after raking in 108 billion won in the first three quarters.

Write to Mi-Kyoung Lee at capital@hankyung.com
Sookyung Seo edited this article.