[iNews24 Reporter Park Eun-kyung] As shaved-ice season rolls in, hotels are staging a full-on mango bingsoo showdown. Prices are up from last year, but so is the creativity—hotels have expanded their menus with a range of inventive bingsoo options.
On the 11th, industry sources said Maru, on the first floor of the Four Seasons Hotel, unveiled two bingsoo choices. The Classic Bingsoo layers milk ice with Korean red-bean paste, chewy rice-cake cubes, and pearl-like components made from domestic pear. The highlight is the Jeju Apple Mango Bingsoo, which uses two or more Jeju apple mangoes.
JW Marriott Hotel Seoul’s The Lounge will debut Cinnamon Pear Bingsoo and Jeju Apple Mango Bingsoo starting on the 18th. Incheon’s Paradise City and Paradise Hotel Busan have also introduced Jeju apple-mango bingsoo. Seoul’s Hotel Shilla began sales on the 1st of this month, and Signiel Hotel started on the 7th.
Mango bingsoo prices rose this year. Lotte Hotel Seoul offers its apple-mango bingsoo in two sizes—regular for two and large for four. The regular is 120,000 KRW (about $90.00), up 10,000 KRW from last year; the large is 220,000 KRW (about $165.00).
Hotel Shilla Seoul set its mango bingsoo at 130,000 KRW (about $97.50) this year, up from 110,000 KRW last year. Chosun Palace Seoul Gangnam also raised its Jeju apple-mango bingsoo from 120,000 KRW (about $90.00) to 130,000 KRW (about $97.50). Walkerhill Hotel priced its apple-mango bingsoo at 95,000 KRW (about $71.25), an increase of 10,000 KRW. Four Seasons Hotel Seoul held its price at 149,000 KRW (about $111.75), the highest among Seoul’s major luxury hotels.
Although mango bingsoo attracts attention for its high price, it remains an indispensable summer dessert for the hotel industry. A hotel industry official said, "Mango bingsoo is a signature item loved by younger customers and international tourists. It's one of the menu items that defines the summer guest experience."
This year, hotels broadened choices beyond mango. Le Méridien Seoul Myeongdong launched the Sayeon (Four Edges) Bingsoo Collection, which includes Tropical Mango Bingsoo, Peach Shine Tomato Bingsoo, Namsan Matcha Red-Bean Bingsoo, and the cheekily named Ex-Boyfriend Bingsoo.
JW Marriott Hotel Seoul also introduced a pear-based "Fact Delight Cinnamon Pear Bingsoo," while Incheon’s Paradise City added Matcha Red-Bean Bingsoo and Tomato Red-Bean Bingsoo to its lineup.
Another hotel industry representative said, "This year, we focused on offering new dessert experiences through diverse ingredients and storytelling that reflect trendy K-culture. We also aimed for visually striking concepts with social media appeal."
