Welcome back to Japan! New openings and announcements from Hoshino Resorts
With borders finally re-opening for all forms of travel to Japan (both group trips and unaccompanied visits) this week, Hoshino Resorts, the leading family-owned Japanese hospitality company – with a contemporary take on the traditional ryokan (inn) – looks forward hugely to welcoming UK and international visitors back to its wide range of beautifully-designed properties.
An award-winning Japanese hospitality brand, Hoshino Resorts operates 55 hotels, primarily under five distinct brands – HOSHINOYA (Hoshino Resorts’ flagship properties, all seriously luxurious), KAI (hot spring ryokan/inns with a focus on food), RISONARE (countryside resort hotels), OMO (urban-based mid-range hotels), and BEB (free-spirited hotels), together with other unique lodgings.
NEW OPENINGS
Over the past several months, Hoshino Resorts has announced a raft of new openings, with more to follow before the end of 2022. Here is just a small sample of some of the recently-launched and soon-to-open properties:
Opening soon in 2022:
KAI Izumo, Shimane (opening November 2022)
This hot spring ryokan, located in a coastal area steeped in Japanese mythology, features rooms with majestic ocean views at sunset, twilight, and dawn.
KAI Unzen, Nagasaki (opening November 2022)
Touches of Japanese, Chinese and Dutch design can be found throughout this hot spring ryokan in an area that’s known for its history as a cultural melting pot, as well as its steamy hot spring baths.
RISONARE Osaka (opening December 2022)
A resort hotel with Japan’s largest atelier to nurture creative thinking. More details coming soon…
Opened earlier in 2022:
KAI Poroto (opened January 2022)
This hot spring ryokan hotel, on the northern island of Hokkaido, offers views of Lake Poroto from all rooms. Its architecture, art and décor honour the Ainu people, indigenous to Hokkaido. Guests may bathe and relax inside the cone-shaped bath houses, inspired by traditional Ainu architecture, as well as in outdoor baths that overlook scenic Lake Poroto and its colourful natural surroundings. Dinner features a Japanese-style bouillabaisse of rich local seafood, such as crab and scallops, served on platters and dishes inspired by Ainu craft traditions. The hotel is a few moments’ walk from Upopoy National Ainu Museum & Park (opened July 2020), which celebrates and raises awareness of the indigenous Ainu people.
Stay overnight from 62,000 JPY per night / approx. £382 (31,000 JPY / £191 pp) for a double room, including breakfast, dinner, tax and services.
OMO7 Osaka (opened April 2022)
Adjacent to the Shinsekai area in Naniwa, OMO7 Osaka is based right in front of Shin-Imamiya Station, the perfect spot for urban tourism. The city tourism hotel’s motto is “Big-hearted and brassy, Osaka is yours” – and, true to the vibrant and energetic spirit of Osaka, reflects this through the fun, modular design of its bedrooms and dorms, plus the Osakan-inspired cuisine (think okonomiyaki savoury pancakes and kushikatsu deep fried meat and vegetable skewers). Reinforcing the motto are the communal garden area in front of the hotel, connecting guests with the city, and the add-on fun experiences with OMO Rangers, who’ll guide guests around the city on various themed and interactive tours. There are a total of 436 guest rooms, with eight room types of varying sizes, including dorms sleeping up to six. Guests enjoy complimentary access to the communal bathhouses located in the hotel’s gardens.
Stay overnight from 61,000 JPY per night / approx. £375 (30,500 JPY / £187.50 pp) for a twin room, including dinner, breakfast and tax.
OMO5 Kanazawa Katamachi (opened May 2022)
This city bolthole opened in Katamachi, the culinary heart of Kanazawa – a former castle town famed for its wealth of artistic pursuits, from tea culture to porcelain, lacquerware, and textile traditions – in May 2022. The city, in its sea and mountain location, is known for its gourmet flair and high quality ingredients, with Katamachi chefs vying for premium ingredients in everything from street food to kaiseki. The 101-bedroom hotel – with six different room types – features the same fun, Japanese-inspired modular room design as the OMO brand is known for, but also includes an OMO House, where guests can stay like locals with a fully-equipped kitchen. A welcoming and stylish communal lounge space, with a bar, café, and Go-KINJO map of the local neighbourhood is a cosy space to get to know fellow travellers, relax with a drink or plan your sightseeing jaunts around the city. City experiences on offer include OMO Ranger guided culinary tours around the city, Japanese confectionery workshops and tea tasting experiences.
Stay overnight from 14,000 JPY per night / approx. £86 (7,000 JPY / £43 pp) for a double room, including tax.
BEB5 Okinawa Seragaki (opened July 2022)
Set in beautiful Onna village, one of the most picturesque beach resorts on Okinawa island, BEB5 Okinawa Seragaki is a laid-back hotel and hangout spot aimed at beach getaways with friends and family. The hotel invites guests to “kick back with their crew” across its condominium-style bedrooms, alongside fully-equipped kitchen and laundry facilities, a resort-style swimming pool with gazebos and deck chairs, 24-hour café with a BYO food and drinks policy, and a Tamariba lounge with bar and games.
Stay overnight from 18,000 JPY per night / approx. £110 (9,000 JPY / £55 pp) for a double room, including tax and service charge.
KAI Yufuin (opened August 2022)
On Japan’s third largest and most south-westerly island, Kyushu, KAI Yufuin is situated between majestic Mount Yufu and a landscape of beautifully-terraced rice fields. This restful hot spring ryokan is surrounded by pastoral scenery that changes with the harvest cycle. Architect Kengo Kuma placed its cascading rice terraces centrally to the accommodation, to be framed beautifully from anywhere on site, and for guests to enjoy and feel the changes in season as the colours and textures flow from summer into autumn, and from winter into spring. There is a total of 45 guest rooms, of six different types, all with tatami mat floors, bamboo furnishings and incredible views, and including a collection of ‘villas’ with verandas and private outdoor hot spring baths from which to enjoy the peaceful sights and sounds of the countryside. Nearby, guests have complimentary access to the public Hot Springs, with views of Mount Yufu. Dining at KAI Yufuin showcases local food culture through a multi-course kaiseki menu served in semi-private dining rooms, incorporating regional ingredients such as wild boar, shitake mushrooms and kabosu citrus.
Stay overnight from 70,000 JPY per night / approx. £430 (35,000 JPY / £215 pp) for a double, including breakfast, dinner, tax and services.
PLUS – TRAVEL INSURANCE NEWS FROM HOSHINO RESORTS
Hoshino Resorts is excited to announce that is now offering free-of-charge medical insurance for international travellers, as of 5th October (no payment required). This medical insurance covers the cost of medical treatment for any sickness, including COVID-19, that may occur during a stay at all 55 Hoshino Resorts properties in Japan.
The insurance covers:
all injuries and illnesses;
provides guaranteed medical service at nearby hospitals in Japan;
is free for guests of all ages;
requires no payment at the hospital or medical centre
includes 24/7 language support courtesy of the call centre.
Since the pandemic, there has been an increase in concerns over receiving proper medical care or being able to explain one’s medical condition in a foreign country. In Japan, tourists are required to pay 100% of any medical expenses incurred, which can be expensive; some hospitals only accept cash payments. Hoshino Resorts’ new travel medical insurance can assist international travellers when necessary during their stay at Hoshino properties.
To take advantage of this new, free-of-charge medical insurance, visitors to Japan must make reservations for Hoshino Resorts Group properties through the company’s official booking website, www.hoshinoresorts.com.
