Hotel Shilla Co., Ltd. is a South Korean operator of luxury hotels and duty-free shops. It is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. The company is an affiliate of Samsung. The word Shilla(신라) means a monarchical state that existed in ancient Korea. It was known for its splendid gold culture, and was sometimes referred to as the land of gold.
History
Hotel Shilla started operations in March 1979 at the direction of Lee Byung-chul, founder of the Samsung Group. Before 1979, it was the state guest house of South Korea under the Park Chung Hee government. Now, it has been expanding into the commissioned management of fitness facilities as well as into the restaurant business. The Shilla focuses on "the harmony and beauty of modernism and tradition". They have hotels located in Seoul, Jeju, and Suzhou, China.
In January 2008, the Shilla was selected as one of the top 500 hotels in the world by Travel & Leisure.[1]