"Hotelier" television review

Even with the recent popularity of Korean dramas in East Asia, very few have been able to move out of the region. Along with Winter Sonata, one of the lucky ones has been Hotelier, which has been screened everywhere from the US to Qatar.
Hotelier tells the story of Suh Jin-Young (Song Yun-Ah) who is a section manager at the Seoul Hotel. When the president of Seoul Hotel suddenly dies, she is charged with the task of going to Las Vegas to find Han Tae-jun (Kim Seung Woo), a past employee of the hotel, and an expert on hotel management who left Korea because of a misunderstood scandal. He also happens to be her old boyfriend. While at Las Vegas, Jin-young also meets Shin Dong-hyuk (Bae Yong Jun). What she doesn’t realize is the fact that he is a famous merger and acquisitions specialist, who is planning to take over her beloved hotel. All three of them return to Korea, and as the rest of the drama unfolds, Tae-jun and Dong-hyuk battle for not only control over the hotel, but also the heart of Jin-Young. The extra twist is added when Kim Yun-hee (Song Hae Gyo), the daughter of Dong-hyuk’s boss, falls for Tae-jun.
There were a few things about Hotelier that I find unique. One was the focus on the day-to-day lives of the ordinary people who worked inside the hotel. In fact, these people become the real stars. While the big A-list actors focus on exuding the melodramatic emotion of falling in love, it is the ordinary dishwashers, and chefs, and waitresses that keep the hotel running. A huge strata of people are shown in this series, and social mobility is a recurrent theme. A dishwasher who was a past druggie finds redemption, and becomes reunited with her wealthy, powerful, older brother. The daughter of a CEO works as a waitress. People are hired, fired, and promoted almost every episode. The mixture of different classes in a common environment, and the ample chances for social improvement is encouraging for the viewing audience. Each person gets to his or her final position through hard work and perseverance, not social connections.
Along with the social commentary on classes, there is also the presence of the effects of globalization. Bae Yong-Joon’s character represents the influence of American culture in Korea. He is a true Korean-American, who grew up in the States, and speaks perfect English. He comes back to Korea with an American education and American training to try to take over a hotel, synonymous to the influence of American values and culture starting to develop and take over in Korea. The name “Seoul Hotel” has important connotations. In fact, this is a hotel that is famous for its “traditional” customer service, and beautiful “Korean” landscapes. It has refused to be “modernized” into a Western style hotel. Therefore, it is in danger of being taken over and changed. However, after Dong-hyuk stays in the hotel, he is convinced by the charms Jin-hyung and the hotel staff to give up the merger. He even makes the ultimate compromise of returning to Korea to be with Jin-hyung. In essence, he has realized the true importance of domestic Korean culture, and chooses to return to his true roots and stay in Korea. The importance of Jin-hyung is apparent. Though she spends most of her life in Korea, and cannot be compared to the refinement of Yun-hee, she is able to convince both of the male protagonists to return home from Las Vegas, a symbol of American capitalism and culture, to take their rightful places in Korea. Traditional Korean values win over money and prestige.
I believe that Hotelier preempts the next generation of melodrama in Korea. It is not satisfying enough to only watch people talk about love. Like All-In, Hotelier takes a sector of Korean life, and expounds on the daily workings of not only the upper-middle to upper class main characters, but also ordinary people. I believe that this is a step in the right direction for Korean dramas to have more realistic, socially plausible plot lines.

YYZ