Japanese resort operator Hoshino Resorts is eyeing the North American market as part of ambitious overseas expansion plans, with the goal of opening a facility on the US mainland within the next five years.
The move follows the successful reopening of the company’s first US property, Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2020.
Hoshinoya Resorts eyes expansion into US market; Hoshinoya Taketomi Island pictured
Representatives of the 107-year-old company have discussed plans with real estate developers and investors, while looking for a partner with whom to build the facility, according to its CEO Yoshiharu Hoshino. They have also inspected locations. One possibility is Saratoga Springs, a city of about 27,000 people in central New York State. With naturally occurring mineral springs, the site has been popular as a resort for the past 200 years.
In an interview on Bloomberg TV, Hoshino said a new US-based resort would attract Americans who want to experience some aspects of Japanese culture, but might be hesitant or unable to travel abroad.
In recent years, Hoshino Resorts has made clear its intention to expand overseas, with the opening of Hoshinoya Bali, Indonesia, in 2017; and Hoshinoya Guguan, Taiwan, in 2019. The company is also set to open Hoshino Resorts Kasuke Tiantai in China’s Zhejiang province come 2021.
“Hoshino Resorts has a goal of developing hot springs globally,” Asako Sato of the company’s global marking department told TTG Asia. “We believe by opening one in North America, we will be able to have a good start to spread the hotel category around the world.” The company, she added, is “always looking” for opportunities outside Japan.
The medium- to long-term decline of Japan’s population and the resultant shrinking of the country’s domestic tourism market, coupled with the impact of Covid-19, are thought to be among the reasons motivating Hoshino Resorts’ interest in North America. Hoshino predicted that travel and business at Hoshino Resorts would not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2023.
Japanese resort operator Hoshino Resorts is eyeing the North American market as part of ambitious overseas expansion plans, with the goal of opening a facility on the US mainland within the next five years.
The move follows the successful reopening of the company’s first US property, Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2020.
Representatives of the 107-year-old company have discussed plans with real estate developers and investors, while looking for a partner with whom to build the facility, according to its CEO Yoshiharu Hoshino. They have also inspected locations. One possibility is Saratoga Springs, a city of about 27,000 people in central New York State. With naturally occurring mineral springs, the site has been popular as a resort for the past 200 years.
In an interview on Bloomberg TV, Hoshino said a new US-based resort would attract Americans who want to experience some aspects of Japanese culture, but might be hesitant or unable to travel abroad.
In recent years, Hoshino Resorts has made clear its intention to expand overseas, with the opening of Hoshinoya Bali, Indonesia, in 2017; and Hoshinoya Guguan, Taiwan, in 2019. The company is also set to open Hoshino Resorts Kasuke Tiantai in China’s Zhejiang province come 2021.
“Hoshino Resorts has a goal of developing hot springs globally,” Asako Sato of the company’s global marking department told TTG Asia. “We believe by opening one in North America, we will be able to have a good start to spread the hotel category around the world.” The company, she added, is “always looking” for opportunities outside Japan.
The medium- to long-term decline of Japan’s population and the resultant shrinking of the country’s domestic tourism market, coupled with the impact of Covid-19, are thought to be among the reasons motivating Hoshino Resorts’ interest in North America. Hoshino predicted that travel and business at Hoshino Resorts would not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2023.