Five years, reimagined: Sofitel combines AI, art and dining

AI-driven spaces, silkworm-inspired cocktail, chef collaborations turn Sofitel’s 5th anniversary into multisensory journey

Imagine checking into a hotel that does not actually exist.

For its fifth anniversary, Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences has created a virtual version of its Jamsil property, inviting visitors to explore its spaces, playfully interact with its digital world and even hunt for a hidden croissant.

“The Secret Check-in,” running through Oct. 5 at The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido, re-creates some of the hotel’s key spaces in a virtual environment. The hotel says it is the first time a Korean hotel has turned a virtual version of itself into a physical pop-up, taking the familiar idea of a virtual hotel tour out of the screen and into the real world.

Developed in cooperation with 6DoFamine and Hyundai Department Store, the experience blends artificial intelligence, virtual reality and extended reality. Visitors begin with a space-matching test through Heydi, the department store’s AI shopping assistant, before stepping into the virtual hotel to search for the croissant hidden somewhere inside.

Those who complete the mission receive a Sofitel dessert or Nespresso coffee. An on-site raffle offers prizes including room stays and vouchers for the hotel's French weekend buffet Le Bon Marche or its afternoon tea set.

At the hotel itself, the first-floor lobby will host "Garden of Light," an interactive media art installation created with AI interactive art studio Peak, running from Thursday through Oct. 29.

The work blends French botanical illustration with "hwajohwa," Korea's Korean bird-and-flower painting. Buds bloom as birds and butterflies come to life in real time in response to visitors' gestures and movements.

Motifs include peonies drawn from Joseon-era court painting, the iris that served as the prototype for the French royal emblem and the colorful fairy pitta passerine bird. The hotel said the imagery reflects its identity as "France in Seoul."

Both the pop-up and exhibition are supported by the Korea Arts Management Service's Art Korea Lab through its 2026 AI and technology convergence open innovation program.

The anniversary also extends to the hotel's restaurants and bar.

Rooftop bar Latitude32 has created a signature cocktail inspired by Jamsil's history as the site where silkworms fed on mulberry leaves to produce silk for the royal court. The drink is a spritz of mulberries, sauvignon blanc, jasmine and citrus, topped with cheese espuma.

Modern Japanese restaurant Mio will host a four-hands dinner with Tenoshima, a Michelin one-star restaurant, on Thursday and Friday. A welcome reception begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. The dinner costs 400,000 won per person.

At French bistro Fait Maison, newly appointed executive chef Guillaume Comparat will team up with Hugo Bourny, former executive chef of Michelin-starred Lucas Carton in Paris, for four-hands meals paired with Pommery Champagne on Nov. 5-6. Lunch costs 120,000 won per person and dinner 350,000 won.

Throughout October, guests who book rooms through the hotel's official channels will be entered in a draw for a stay in a luxury lake room. Restaurant and bar guests who follow the hotel on Instagram and KakaoTalk can enter a drawing for a Le Bon Marche meal for two.

"From the anniversary pop-up to the media art exhibition, we wanted to offer a distinctive modern luxury experience by combining advanced AI technology with our brand. We hope guests will find new romance and inspiration at Sofitel Seoul, where the virtual and the real, and French and Korean cultures, come together," said Vincent Gernigon, general manager of Sofitel Ambassador Seoul.

Having opened on Sept. 30, 2021, next to Lotte World Tower in Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul, the property was the first Sofitel in Asia to operate a hotel and serviced residences together. It has 563 rooms and is part of French hospitality group Accor.