In 2029, Hilton will open Japan's first Motto hotel on Shijo-dori in Kyoto, featuring 108 rooms and guaranteed connecting rooms at booking.
IHG brings its Noted Collection brand to Japan with two hotels in Tokyo: a 207-key conversion in Kabukicho in 2027 and a new 81-key tower in Ginza in 2029. Projects, partners, and strategy.
Shangri-La announces Songtei Kyoto, the second address in its ultra-luxury Signatures collection: 77 keys facing Nijo Castle, on the former residence of the shogunal governor, opening in late 2026.
Opened on 23 June 2026 on Awaji Island, south of Kobe, THE PASONA natureverse retreat is the first wellness hotel designed by Pritzker laureate Shigeru Ban: a D-shaped layout between forest and the Seto Inland Sea, 57 rooms each featuring a private onsen, sensor-equipped beds and extended stays built around mibyo, the Japanese notion of pre-illness.
Launched by Capella Hotel Group, Patina Osaka reinvents urban holistic luxury facing the Osaka Imperial Castle Gardens.
With "Couture Tokyo: The Art of Japanese Fashion", Palace Hotel Tokyo transforms a hotel stay into a journey through Japanese haute couture: a two-night stay, a kaiseki dinner paying tribute to Kenzo Takada, and private fashion tours curated by Kaori Nakano, starting from 372,000 yen.
At Kaike Onsen, the Yado Shiontei ryokan brings together ten rooms ranging from 100 to 150 m² with hot-spring baths and chef Masahiko Oishi's kaiseki cuisine.
On 17 September 2026, Japan Hotel REIT approved three loans totalling 9.85 billion yen (approx. 55 million euros): 4.9 billion for the 10.8 billion yen renovation of the Hilton Tokyo Odaiba, with 26 renovated rooms opening on 19 December, and a green loan backed by certified hotels in Narita and Nara.
Okura Nikko Hotel Management, the hotel subsidiary of the Hotel Okura group, operates 80 hotels and 24,036 rooms as of July 1, 2026, including 27 outside Japan. The leading international Japanese operator is growing without owning real estate, through management contracts and long-term partnerships: eventually seven hotels in Thailand with Asset World Corporation, a single Okura in Europe, in Amsterdam since 1971, and a 102-room thermal resort in Cappadocia announced for 2028 with KK Universal. The figures, the model, and what this Japanese patience says about luxury hospitality.
Hoshino Resorts, from the Karuizawa ryokan to glamping facing Mount Fuji: a journey through the brands of the Japanese group, one of the best ways to explore Japan.
The Mitsui Fudosan group will inaugurate the HOTEL THE MITSUI HAKONE on 15 December 2026, its second luxury establishment, in the heart of Hakone National Park.
Japan has never been more of a dream destination. In 2025, the archipelago welcomed 42.7 million foreign visitors, an absolute...
