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Hilton chases post-Olympic gold by bringing new luxury hotel brand to Kyoto in 2021

Feb 05 (Japan Times) - The Hilton group said Tuesday it will open a hotel under its newest luxury brand in Kyoto in autumn 2021, counting on a further upswell in lodging demand from tourists even after the Tokyo Olympics this summer.

The timing of the planned opening for the first Asian hotel of LXR Hotels & Resorts might be a bit surprising as it will be launched more than a year after Japan hosts the world’s largest sporting event and the thousands of tourists it will attract from across the globe.

But Feisal Jaffer, global head of LXR Hotels & Resorts, said in an interview last Friday in Tokyo that the Hilton group expects current inbound tourism to Japan to continue booming beyond the 2020 Olympics and that Kyoto needs more high-class luxury hotels.

“The 2020 Olympics is going to be a showcase for Japan around the world. We think this is great marketing,” Jaffer told The Japan Times.

“We don’t think demand is going down after the Olympics. We think it’s only going to increase.” The company is also betting on the 2025 Osaka Expo and a planned expansion of Kansai International Airport, a gateway to the Kansai region.

The planned four-story hotel in Kyoto will feature 114 rooms at the foot of Mount Takagamine near Kinkakuji temple. It will be housed in Shozan Resort Kyoto, a sprawling estate that already has restaurants and a wedding facility.

Hilton hopes to scoop up rising demand in Kyoto, where it believes there is still a shortage of high-end accommodations.

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