Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ed4444]

Next month some friends and family will be in Korea for a visit.

So we are bringing them to Gyeongju for a look around and needed a hotel.

My wife searched on the net and chose this hotel:

http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Hotels/Korea/kyongju/1025

So we called to book it based on the price on the net and when my wife mentioned that our group would have some foreigners they said that they would have to add a surcharge. We were not impressed.

So she hung up and booked it via the net without mentioning that there are foreigners in our group for the cheaper price and we will see what happens when we arrive.

I would have preferred not to stay there at all but apparently the location and price is good.

[ulsanchris]

Don't stay at the Hilton in Gyeongju. It really sucks. Complete rip off. I hear the Hyundai Hotel is the best there.

[PigeonFart]

A surcharge based on being a foreigner is rediculous!...unless someone can explain otherwise. I've never heard of such a thing.

If they raise a fuss when you're checking-in, then you could threaten to not accept it and leave! They'd be unlikely to lose out on the booking at the last minute, otherwise the room could be left empty for a few days.

[sojourner1]

Major hotels, restaurants, and shopping malls charge a VAT to foreigners. This surcharge must be the VAT which is refundable upon departure at the airport. If you're real lucky, a vendor will take the VAT off instead of making you get a refund at the airport as I found when shopping at Siam Paragon in Bangkok. Does COEX in Seoul charge a VAT? I still yet to go shop there, but know it must be Korea's Siam Square.

In South Korea this is 10% according to the Wiki on VAT around the world.

[crazy tigger]

Normally when you get VAT refunded at an airport it isn't a surcharge, it is just a refund of the normal level of VAT on the goods as you haven't bought the goods for use in that country.

[Lekker]

Come on, it's called the Kolon hotel. Anything named after the space between my large intestine and my anus doesn't deserve my money.

[wanamin]

[Whitey Otez]

It's all in the presentation. You might not be so angry if they offered a discount to people with, say, an OK cashbag card or one of those other cards that aren't accessible to Johnny Foreigner. See, because then people married to Koreans get in on the action, too.

[ed4444]

The surcharge in this case was not VAT. That was already included unfortunately.

[hogwonguy1979]

if its more than 10% tax and a 11% service charge tell them to stick it. thats what all the high end hotels charge no matter what.

dont even bother trying to get that back. only way you can get vat refunded is to show the goods you bought and its only over a certain amount