Conrad Seoul, the Seoul branch of Hilton Worldwide and annex to the landmark International Finance Center Seoul in Yeouido, suffered a sudden water leak Tuesday, caused by a welding error.

Stains from the leak began to appear near lunchtime and continued to spread on the outer wall of the five-star hotel. Water also poured down onto a pedestrian passage and the entrance to the underground parking lot.

“The leak started from the inner side of the hotel’s outer wall due to a welding error in the radiation system,” said an official of Conrad Seoul. “When we closed the (radiator) valve on the sixth and the seventh floors, the leak stopped almost immediately.”

She stressed that the leak was not a system error.

Builders, however, suggested that the leak may be attributable to faulty management on the part of Conrad.

“The stains indicate that they were the result of leaks in the hotel’s water distribution facilities, such as the sprinklers installed in the outer wall,” said an official of GS Engineering & Construction.

GS E&C was part of the builders’ consortium in charge of the IFC construction but the Conrad section was the responsibility of Daelim E&C.

Conrad Seoul opened in November 2012, as part of the IFC Seoul project run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and AIG Global Real Estate to promote Yeouido as a global financial hub. It is the only five-star hotel in the neighborhood.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)