These rocks inspired WATG for the architecture of JW Marriott Jeju Resort & Spa. The 27,000 sq m, 89-key building hugs the cliffs of Jeju Island’s southern coast in Seogwipo. Spread across several blocks, guests can weave outdoors and into Bangkok-based designer Bill Bensley’s yellow-washed interiors (the colour was drawn from the springtime canola fields that so besotted Bensley). Grey, black and white tones evoke the island’s volcanic landscapes, and along the corridors, metal flying fish pay homage to Jeju Island’s fishing traditions.
The JW Marriott Resort & Spa raises the island’s design quotient alongside the level of service and experiences befitting of an ultra-luxury hospitality establishment.
In 2025, it will also become an art destination when the first museum dedicated to the late South Korean contemporary artist, Park Seo-bo, is completed. The hotel mooted the idea for the museum but sadly, the artist passed away from cancer in October 2023, several months after he graced the groundbreaking ceremony. Designed by Spanish architect Fernando Menis, the structure is built from a new kind of concrete conceived by Menis that mixes cement with the island’s basalt rock.
NYEOK