Representatives of Asia-Pacific member hotels of The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW), the world's largest alliance of independent luxury hotels, have gathered at The Shilla Seoul.
The Shilla Seoul said Tuesday that it held the "2026 LHW Asia-Pacific Membership Meeting" at the Guest House in Jangchung-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 29th of last month. It marks the first time the LHW APAC Membership Meeting has been held in Asia.
LHW is a global luxury hotel alliance founded in New York in 1928. Only independent luxury hotels worldwide that pass a screening process can join as members. Currently, around 400 five-star hotels in more than 80 countries are active members.
The event was attended by around 60 people, including LHW Chief Executive Officer Shannon Knapp, Chief Commercial Officer Chris Walker, and general managers and officials of Asia-Pacific member hotels from Japan and Mongolia. It was also the first time an LHW CEO has visited Korea.
The Shilla Seoul has maintained its LHW membership for more than 45 years since it opened. The hotel has expanded its standing as Korea's leading luxury hotel through cooperation with global luxury travel networks such as Forbes Travel Guide, the Michelin Guide, and Virtuoso.
The Guest House, where the event was held, is a signature space of The Shilla Seoul that reinterprets traditional Korean architecture in a modern style. The hotel explained that the Guest House was selected as the venue because it offers an opportunity to experience Korean heritage.
"It was meaningful to be able to hold the event at The Shilla Seoul, a longtime LHW member hotel that exemplifies Korean hospitality," Knapp said. "As the Asia-Pacific region is a very important market for LHW, I hope the partnerships and ideas formed through this discussion will lead to meaningful results."
The Shilla Seoul has consistently been recognized for its competitiveness by global hotel rating organizations. In the "2026 Forbes Travel Guide" announced in February this year, it became the first Korean hotel to be named a five-star hotel for eight consecutive years. It was also included in the "top-tier hotel group," which comprises only 51 hotels with outstanding service quality among all five-star hotels worldwide.
Last year, it was named the No. 1 hotel in Korea in "La Liste Top 1000 Hotels 2025" announced by the global hotel rating platform La Liste. It was also included in the "World Top 200 Hotels," referring to the world's top 200 hotels.
