Hoshino Resorts’ New Midscale Brand Wants to Reinvent the Tourist Hotel
Photo Credit: A rendering of the lobby for the OMO7 Asahikawa in Hokkaido, which is expected to open in spring 2018. Hoshino Resorts
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Hoshino Resorts is smart to get a head start on accommodating the influx of travelers who are not only traveling to Japan in droves, but yearning to do so in a way that makes them feel more connected to the local culture, without having to break the bank.
Hoshino Resorts, a family-owned hotel company based in Japan that's been in operation for more than 100 years, just announced its newest brand: OMO. The new midscale brand was designed to appeal to tourists, and to capitalize on the visitor boom that Japan has experienced in recent years, as well as the crowds expected for the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games.
In 2016, more than 24 million tourists visited Japan, a record number for the fourth straight year, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization, and by 2020, the government hopes to welcome 40 million tourists.
The first OMO hotel, a conversion, is scheduled to open in Hokkaido in April, with another one, a newbuild, to follow in May in Tokyo. A third hotel, also a newbuild, is set to open later this year in Osaka.
Hoshino, which is perhaps best-known for its ultra-luxury Hoshinoya brand, is embarking on plans for global growth that take the company beyond Japan. Already, it also owns two properties based in Bali and
