By Robert Neff

Sontag Hotel is often said to be the first Western hotel in Seoul but there were others before it, including the Seoul Hotel owned by Felix Bijno.

Italian hotelier Felix Bijno is one of those characters in history who appears for a short time and then disappears without a trace.
We know that he worked with the Imperial Chinese Maritime Customs service from February 1887 until he was discharged in January 1894. It appears that Bijno, still a bachelor, took his severance money and eventually made his way to Seoul where he purchased a large two-story building and went into business in April 1897.

It was not easy for Bijno. Although he had purchased the land and building he had trouble

Hotel Granvia first opened its doors in 1935, offering luxurious accommodation in a refurbished 19th century palace. Its original owner, Doña Dorotea de Chopitea y Villota (1816-1891), was one of Barcelona’s most active and influential residents, and collaborated significantly to the construction of the Tibidabo Temple , the Sant Joan de Déu and Sacred Heart Hospitals , and many other religious, educational, and public health institutions in her time. Her philanthropy earned her the honorary title “...

Read more...