Somerset Palace Seoul hotel, an affiliate of Shinyoung Group (Korea’s first-generation real estate developer) and operated by GSTC-Commited Member, The Ascott Limited, has become the first in the domestic hotel industry to obtain the GSTC Certification by Control Union, a GSTC-accredited Certification Body, in Korea.
Somerset Palace Seoul held an official ‘GSTC Hotel Certificate Awarding Ceremony’ on December 2nd, 2025. Key officials attended the event to celebrate the achievement, including Max Phillips, Country General Manager of Ascott International Management Korea, and Kye Soung-kyung, Representative of Control Union Korea, who conducted the certification audit.
Sungkyung Gye, Representative of Control Union Korea, who awarded the certificate at the event, expressed her honor to proceed with Korea’s first GSTC Certification and stated her expectation and will to strive for the spread of sustainable hospitality culture together with GSTC and the cooperation of Somerset Palace.
Max Phillips, Country General Manager of Ascott International Management Korea, who received the certificate, stated, “As our global partner for sustainability certification, I am very pleased that Somerset Palace Seoul has obtained GSTC Certification for the first time in Korea. I deeply thank the Somerset Palace team for their dedicated efforts for this achievement, and Control Union and GSTC for providing continuous support and guidance.”
Somerset Palace Seoul plans to further concretize Shinyoung Group’s ESG management vision through this GSTC Certification. Planning to carry out various awareness campaigns, where guests can naturally participate in environmental protection and contribute to the local community during their stay, and become part of the hotel’s sustainable hospitality culture.
Ascott’s Global Goal for GSTC Certification Worldwide
The Ascott Limited group, the operator of Somerset Palace Seoul, has set a goal to obtain GSTC Certification for its 360 operating properties worldwide by 2028. This commitment reflects the group’s focus on strengthening environmental and social responsibility practices across its operations.
Ascott gained GSTC-Committed status in 2024, confirming that the group had adopted the GSTC Standards (formerly known as the GSTC Criteria) with a clearly documented plan and implementation. More information about GSTC-Committed status can be found here.
Ascott recently launched its Disability Inclusion Playbook for the accommodation sector in partnership with Colorful Earth, specialists in disability inclusion, and supported by SG Enable, the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, and the Valuable 500. Read more here.
Note: The term “GSTC Certification” is a shorthand for “Certified by a Certification Body that is GSTC-accredited.”
