Hotel HDC to sell Pierre Hermé desserts across Korean hotels

French pastry chef Pierre Hermé, right, and Hotel HDC executives take a commemorative photo after signing a master franchise contract granting the hotel operator the exclusive rights to sell the chef’s desserts in Korea. [HOTEL HDC]

 
Hotel HDC has acquired the exclusive rights to sell desserts from Pierre Hermé, bringing the French pastry chef’s work to Korea for the first time, as it seeks to better integrate dining into its hospitality offerings.
 
Under a newly signed master franchise contract, the chef and chocolatier’s globally acclaimed sweets will be sold at Hotel HDC properties, including Park Hyatt Seoul, Park Hyatt Busan and Andaz Seoul Gangnam starting in September, Hotel HDC said in a press release Wednesday.
 
 
Referred to as the “Picasso of Pastry” by Vogue magazine, and crowned World’s Best Pastry Chef in 2016, Hermé operates more than 100 stores in cities across 20 countries, including in Paris, Tokyo and London.   
 
The collection will include the French pastry chef’s signature items such as the Ispahan macaron — flavored with raspberry, lychee and rose — along with pastries, chocolates and cookies.
 
More than 40 products including classic French-style cakes like the Montebello, whole cakes, baked goods like croissants and pain au chocolat, as well as ice cream, will be featured at different times as part of the initial launch.
 
Hermé’s flagship store will also open at one of Hotel HDC’s properties in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, as early as January of next year, a spokesperson said. The full lineup will be sold at the flagship store.
 
“Pierre Hermé is not just a dessert brand, but a global icon that blends gastronomy with philosophy and artistry,” a Hotel HDC spokesperson said in a press release. “This launch reflects our vision of the hotel as a lifestyle space and will offer guests a sensory, differentiated hospitality experience.”
 
Lee Sung-yong, CEO of Hotel HDC, said the partnership would set a new benchmark in the evolving hotel industry.
 
“Hotels must now move beyond the traditional lodging model to become platforms where city culture and gastronomy intersect,” Lee said. “This partnership strengthens our F&B [food and business] competitiveness and is expected to introduce a new paradigm for sophisticated diners.”

BY KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]