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Hotels in Japan now designed to cater to guests’ specific interests

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2022

Hotels catering to guests’ preferences and interests, such as pets, cycling, films or books, have been popping up in Japan one after another.

Businesses are trying hard to set themselves apart from their rivals with original ideas, hoping to improve a declining occupancy rate amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

A hotel called Inumo Shibakoen which opened in February in Tokyo’s Minato Ward has an 80-square-meter space as a dog park in its basement, which is furnished with subtle-coloured walls and a soft, comfortable floor. The 70-room hotel also has a trimming salon and a kennel. The per night rate of about ¥50,000 (about 12,800 baht) also includes an “accommodation fee” for the guest’s dog. Up to two dogs can stay in a room.

Hotels with a large dog park in central Tokyo are rare, and an Inumo spokesperson said the number of guests is growing by word of mouth.

“I enjoyed walking around Tokyo Tower in the morning,” said a 59-year-old office worker from Hachioji, Tokyo, who stayed overnight at the hotel.

Hotel occupancy plummeted during the pandemic. According to the Japan Tourism Agency, a total of 317.77 million people stayed at hotels or inns in 2021, half the number in pre-pandemic 2019. The rush to build hotels in anticipation of increasing numbers of foreign visitors to Japan has also spurred price competition.

Hotels specialising in guests’ interests are also cropping up.

In 2020, Hoshino Resorts Inc opened BEB5 Tsuchiura, a bicyclist-focused resort in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture.

The resort is connected directly to JR Tsuchiura Station and boasts convenient access to nearby areas. BEB5 guests can enjoy popular cycling routes such as Mt Tsukuba and Kasumigaura. They can also carry their bike into their room and even share the bed with bedsheets made of special materials. The rate for one room with two occupants starts at ¥13,000 per night.

Theatre 1, located in the village of Hinohara, Tokyo, features a sort of home movie theatre where guests can spend the night. Surrounded by lush mountains, visitors can watch films on a large 100-inch screen inside a well-furnished cabin. The facilities with their rather unique features are limited to one group per day.

In December last year, Tokyo-based business hotel chain Solare Hotels & Resorts opened Lamp Light Books Hotel Fukuoka, a hotel which comes with its own 24-hour bookstore, in Fukuoka City.

Guests can check out or buy any book they like from about the 4,000 books in the store and read in their rooms. This is the third bookstore hotel run by the company, which has also opened facilities in Nagoya and Sapporo.

“Hotels that cater to guests’ interests and preferences are more likely to satisfy them,” said Fumiko Watanabe, an associate senior researcher at NLI Research Institute who is well-versed in the hotel industry.

These hotels are expected to attract foreign visitors looking for a unique experience now that Covid-19 border control measures have significantly eased.

The Japan Times

Asia News Network