Kyoto, Okinawa open more luxury hotels as tourists return

Kyoto and Okinawa have been opening pricey hotels just in time for demand to return now that tourists are back.

In the three years since fiscal 2018, Kyoto has seen an increase of about 12,000 hotel rooms, according to the Kyoto city government.

The sudden rush of new hotels is attributed more to the confidence on the part of the hospitality industry during the pandemic than the influx of travelers.

Even when Japan had closed its doors to foreign tourists during the pandemic, hospitality firms continued with their plans to open new facilities.

Companies have been buying up lots as soon as they become available, preventing land prices in Kyoto from dropping much during the pandemic.

The Hilton-operated Roku Kyoto, located near the Kinkakuji temple, opened in September 2021 when Japan declared a state of emergency .\\was in place in Japan.

The hotel is not cheap, with rooms going for about $720 a night. But on weekends now, nearly all 114 rooms are booked.

There were few foreign visitors when the Roku Kyoto first opened its doors, but now roughly half the guests come from abroad.

The Hotel Okura Kyoto Okazaki Bettei opened near Heian Jingu shrine in January even before Japan relaxed its entry restrictions, t.

This past summer, the Blossom Kyoto hotel, run by a group company of Kyushu Railway Co., opened just a subway stop away from Kyoto Station.

TheHilton group is planning to open another luxury hotel in 2024 and Singapore’s Capella Hotels and Resorts planning an opening the following year.

In 2026, the Imperial Hotel will open a new facility in Kyoto, its fourth in Japan and the first new opening in 30 years.
Meanwhile, Okinawa Prefecture has also become a hotbed for luxury hotel openings.

Okinawa can now compete with Asian resort areas because a sufficient number of hotels have emerged to accommodate affluent guests from abroad.” said Mari Ariki, president of Recruit Lifestyle Okinawa Co.

The prefecture’s lineup of foreign chain hotels only falls behind that in Tokyo and Kyoto.