Hotel del Luna () is a South Korean television series starring Lee Ji-eun and Yeo Jin-goo as the owner and manager, respectively, of the eponymous hotel that caters only to ghosts. Produced by GTist, written by the Hong sisters and directed by Oh Chung-hwan, it aired on tvN from July 13 to September 1, 2019.
Synopsis Hotel del Luna (originally known as Guest House of the Moon) is a supernatural hotel that caters exclusively to ghosts. Hidden from ordinary human view during the day, it can be seen in its true form only under special circumstances. Its guests are spirits who have unresolved matters from their former lives and remain there until they are able to move on to the afterlife and reincarnation. The hotel's staff are likewise bound to the premises, many of them having remained there for decades or centuries because they have not yet resolved their own lingering grudges.
An exception is the position of general manager, which is always held by a human. Because the hotel must occasionally deal with the living world, the manager acts as an intermediary in matters such as finances and requests involving the ghosts' surviving relatives or acquaintances.
The hotel's owner is Jang Man-wol, who has been bound to it for more than a thousand years as punishment for a grave sin committed in the past. Through the intervention of the deity Magu, Man-wol makes an arrangement with Gu Chan-sung's father: in return for sparing his life, Chan-sung is promised to the hotel twenty years later.
Although his father attempts to prevent this fate by taking him abroad, Gu Chan-sung eventually returns to South Korea after his father's death. By then an accomplished and rational hotelier, he becomes involved with Man-wol once again and is compelled to honor the agreement by taking up the post of general manager at Hotel del Luna.
As Chan-sung adapts to his new role, the history of the hotel and the truth about Man-wol's past are gradually revealed.
Cast Main
Lee Ji-eun as Jang Man-wol Kim Gyu-ri as young Jang Man-wol The moody owner of Hotel del Luna (Guest House of the Moon). She was condemned to this fate in order to atone for the sins she committed 1,300 years ago. Alternating between being aloof and bad-tempered, she is known for her love of extravagant things, particularly luxurious outfits, fast cars, and expensive champagne. Yeo Jin-goo as Gu Chan-sung Kim Kang-hoon as young Gu Chan-sung The new general manager of Hotel del Luna. He is a Harvard MBA graduate hired as an assistant manager at one of Korea's top hotels. However, due to a deal his father made with Jang Man-wol twenty-one years earlier, Chan-sung is forced to become the general manager of Hotel del Luna. Being stoic and rational puts him at odds with Man-wol, particularly when he curbs her spendthrift and extortionist tendencies.
Supporting At the Hotel del Luna Jung Dong-hwan as Noh Joon-suk The hotel's general manager for 30 years and Chan-sung's predecessor. He considers Man-wol a sister, daughter and friend. Shin Jung-geun as Kim Seon-bi The employee who has been at the hotel for the longest time and the Sky Bar's bartender. In life, he was a Joseon scholar who died just as he passed the state exam. Bae Hae-sun as Choi Seo-hee The housekeeper and room service provider with an extrovert personality. She lived 200 years prior during the Joseon era as a nobleman's wife but met a sticky end. Pyo Ji-hoon as Ji Hyun-joong The hotel receptionist. He is nice and polite, but does not like his job. He was a student who died at the height of the Korean War after being drafted; he is waiting for his younger sister, who is still alive, to pass from old age. Kang Mi-na as spirit of Jung Soo-jung / Kim Yoo-na A rich and arrogant student whose body ends up being inhabited by the spirit of Jung Soo-jung, a schoolmate whom Yoo-na bullied and accidentally killed. When Yoo-na's spirit is destroyed, Soo-jung decides to remain inside Yoo-na's body and assumes her identity.
People around Jang Man-wol Lee Do-hyun as Go Chung-myung A Later Silla royal guard captain who becomes a friend of Man-wol and Yeon-woo. Lee Tae-sun as Yeon-woo / Officer Park Young-soo The co-leader of the bandits and Man-wol's adopted brother. He is reincarnated as police detective Park Young-soo.
People around Gu Chan-sung Cho Hyun-chul as Sanchez Chan-sung's best friend since they were studying at Harvard. He is the son of a wealthy pizza franchise operator, running the branch in Seoul. Generous to a fault, he opens up his house to both Chan-sung and Lee Mi-ra. Park Yoo-na as Princess Song-hwa / Lee Mi-ra A ruthless Later Silla princess who engineers Man-wol's downfall and the destruction of those she loves. After spending several centuries atoning for her sins, she is reincarnated as Lee Mi-ra, a doctor and Chan-sung's ex-girlfriend from his university days. As Mi-ra, she is friendly and popular but still has a habit of taking advantage of others, which drove Chan-sung to leave her. Lee David as Seol Ji-won A rich young man and Chan-sung's schoolmate at Harvard. He holds a grudge against both Chan-sung and Sanchez. He is later revealed to be a psychopathic serial killer who murdered at least seven people whose souls became guests of Hotel Del Luna.
Others Seo Yi-sook as Magu A goddess who controls the life and death of people passing through the hotel and appears in many forms. Kang Hong-seok as Grim Reaper A spirit who guides the souls staying at the hotel to the afterlife and captures wandering evil spirits. Song Duk-ho as Oh Tae-seok A soldier who runs away from the war.
Special appearances Oh Ji-ho as Chan-sung's father Kim Won-hae as a mayor Lee Chae-kyung as a hotel CEO Nam Kyoung-eub as Chairman Wang Lee Joon-gi as a priest Lee Si-eon as an astronaut Jo Hyun-sik as a hotel guest Hong Kyung as a baker Kim Mi-eun as Lee Soo-min Lee Yi-kyung as Yu Oh Pyo Ye-jin as an actress Kim Jun-hyun as himself (Ep. 6) Park Jin-joo as Gyeong-ah Nam Da-reum as Spirit of the Well Sulli as Jung Ji-eun Choi Yoo-song as the spirit of Chan-sung's mother Seo Eun-soo as Veronica Hwang Young-hee as Hwang Moon-sook Lee Seung-joon as a doctor So Hee-jung as the doctor's wife Kim Seung-han as the doctor's son Lee Min-young as a ghost Kim Soo-hyun as the new owner of the Guest House of the Moon, renamed "Hotel Blue Moon"
Episodes
Original soundtrack
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
Special soundtrack
Chart performance Title Year Peakpositions Remarks Ref. KOR "Another Day" 2019 20 Part 1 "Lean On My Shoulders" 13 Part 2 "All About You" 1 Part 3 "Only You" 33 Part 4 "Can You See My Heart" 2 Part 5 "At the End" 18 Part 6 "Remember Me" 1 Part 7 "See the Stars" 50 Part 8 "Can You Hear Me" 3 Part 9 "So Long" 1 Part 10 "Say Goodbye" 22 Part 11 "Done for Me" 1 Part 12 "Love del Luna" () 46 Part 13
Viewership The series aired on tvN, a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC and EBS).
+ Average TV viewership ratings Original broadcast date Average audience share(Nielsen Korea) Nationwide Seoul 1 July 13, 2019 7.327% 2 July 14, 2019 7.633% 8.857% 3 July 20, 2019 8.281% 9.478% 4 July 21, 2019 7.736% 9.024% 5 July 27, 2019 7.883% 6 July 28, 2019 8.701% 9.949% 7 August 3, 2019 8.052% 8.772% 8 August 4, 2019 9.131% 10.469% 9 August 10, 2019 8.349% 10.266% 10 August 11, 2019 10.009% 11.779% 11 August 17, 2019 8.590% 9.746% 12 August 18, 2019 10.407% 12.178% 13 August 24, 2019 8.750% 9.892% 14 August 25, 2019 9.995% 11.986% 15 August 31, 2019 9.892% 11.255% 16 September 1, 2019 Average
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Recipient Result 2019 12th Korea Drama Awards Best Original Soundtrack "All About You" (Taeyeon) Lifetime Achievement Award Jung Dong-hwan 21st Mnet Asian Music Awards Best OST "Remember Me" (Gummy) "So Long" (Paul Kim) 2nd Asian Academy Creative Awards Best Drama Series Hotel del Luna 11th Melon Music Awards Best OST "Remember Me" (Gummy) 2020 34th Golden Disc Awards 29th Seoul Music Awards OST Award "All About You" (Taeyeon) "Lean on Me" (10cm) "Can You See My Heart?" (Heize) "Remember Me" (Gummy) "So Long" (Paul Kim) 56th Baeksang Arts Awards Best Actress (Television) Lee Ji-eun
Adaptations On June 24, 2020, Studio Dragon announced that it would co-produce an American remake of Hotel del Luna with Skydance. Alison Schapker will be in charge of developing and producing the series. She will be working with Miky Lee, Jinnie Choi and Hyun Park of Studio Dragon, and David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Bill Bost of Skydance Television.
On January 27, 2021, the theater company Showplay announced that Hotel del Luna would be adapted into a stage musical that premiered in South Korea in 2022.
References
External links
Hotel del Luna at Studio Dragon () Hotel del Luna at GTist