Art de vivre, Even While In Seoul

Even while Seoul is packed with in culture, the Sofitel Ambassador Seoul is magnificent in its ability to imbue the French way of living with its impressive Parisian-styled spaces and culinary offerings that does not feel out of place in one of the city’s most defining districts.

AIl around Seoul's Jamsil district are streets flanked with South Korea's usuals: Hansikjib (traditional restaurants), Pocha (street vendors) and underground karaoke parlours. Local residents and tourists alike are Tower (the Peninsula's tallest building) and Seokchon Lake - situated minutes from each other.

Amongst the small mix of skyscrapers in the area is a hotel where the wealth of Seoul's culture vanishes and, instead, is replaced. It is at the Sofitel Ambassador Seoul, where all within the imposing building is about as French as it gets - from its art deco-style entrance, the object d'art in its lobby, to the haute cuisine at its restaurants.

Bringing a touch of France to a city already rich in its own culture may seem like an unorthodox move. But at the brand's debut in South Korea, the French way of living (or art de vivre) becomes a masterclass in design that conveys a strong sense of place. Sofitel is, after all, a hotel chain deeply woven into the fabric of French hospitality - the Sofitel line was the first luxury hotel chain from France.