MBC Every1

The variety program ‘Hotel Dokkebi’, which is drawing attention by operating a mysterious popup hanok hotel in Jeju, has increased the likelihood of a Season 2, and competition to host filming is unfolding at home and abroad.

It is reported that overseas regions, including Japan and China, are also exploring hosting the program, focusing attention on the potential to expand into global content.

‘Hotel Dokkebi’ is a stay-style reality program that temporarily opens a hotel in a specific area, actually operates it, and welcomes guests. It is regarded as a new form of travel entertainment that presents the nature, culture, people, and food of a region.

At the center of the program are six regular cast members called ‘Dokkebees’ (Go Doo-shim, Kwon Yul, Son Na-eun, Jeon Seong-gon, Kim Dong Jun, Lee Dae-hwi). They simultaneously take on the roles of operators, staff, chefs, and guides of the hotel, showing how they run a real hotel.

From the Season 1 production presentation onward, the cast directly mentioned Season 2, expressing the intention, “We want to be together again.” Since then, even as the broadcast continues, interviews and articles have steadily raised the possibility of Season 2, heightening expectations for a follow-up production.

Season 1 of ‘Hotel Dokkebi’ is airing on the MBC Every1 channel and is also available on the OTT platforms TVING and Wave. Through broadcast and OTT distribution, the influence of the program is growing further. In addition, discussions are said to be underway regarding release on global OTT platforms, raising the possibility that, if Season 2 is produced, it could grow into content that reaches overseas viewers.

In Jeju Island, where Season 1 was filmed, the actual hotel used as a location, nearby tourist attractions, activity venues, and restaurants have become talking points, and visitor numbers are reported to have increased significantly. After the broadcast, tourists continued to seek out places related to ‘Hotel Dokkebi’, which is evaluated as bringing positive effects to the local economy.

Recently, beyond the content of the broadcast itself, the outfits worn by the cast, especially the hotel staff-concept vests, have become a topic, and interest in related merchandise is also increasing. Online, search volumes for keywords such as ‘Hotel Dokkebi vest’ and ‘cast outfit’ are rising, and inquiries reportedly continue to ask whether products will be released.

This phenomenon shows that the program can extend beyond simple buzz to revitalization of local tourism and ancillary businesses. The industry is paying attention to the possibility that content can lead to productization and branding.

According to production personnel, ‘Hotel Dokkebi’ was planned not as a one-off program but as a series-type IP, and, in addition to ‘Hotel Dokkebi’, various ‘Dokkebi’ series with different universes have already completed planning and are said to be in the consultation stage.

As the stature of Korean content rises through global OTT platforms such as Netflix and Disney+, ‘Hotel Dokkebi’, which is moving to build its own universe, is also being evaluated as content with ample potential for expansion within this trend.

Because of this influence, multiple local governments and tourism organizations hope to host Season 2 filming, and, thanks to a structure in which a completely new story is created depending on the filming location, ‘Hotel Dokkebi’ is also drawing attention as a tourism project.

The production team plans in Season 2 to capture stories unique to each region through dishes that use ingredients available only in that area, traditional culture experiences, and activities in nature. In other words, the program itself becomes a format that makes each new region a main character.

If Season 2 is produced, curiosity is also growing about which region the second story will appear in. When asked specific questions about Season 2, a production official chose few words, but with the brief answer, “Because hotels can be found anywhere in the world,” actually amplified expectations even more.

“Appearing and disappearing, a mysterious popup hotel“ ‘Hotel Dokkebi’ Season 2 - attention is focused on where its second story will appear.