20 January 2023 – Osaka, Japan: IHG Hotels & Resorts today announces that it has entered exclusive negotiations to add a flagship Osaka hotel with more than 1,000-rooms to its Vignette Collection brand for the first time in Japan.
IHG plans to enter into a long-term agreement with The Royal Hotel, Limited and BentallGreenOak (BGO) to add the iconic RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka to its system in 2023. It will then relaunch as RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka – Vignette Collection in 2025, following an extensive refurbishment and repositioning of the asset.
With more than 87 years of history and an enviable location in Nakanoshima, an island in the Dojima river in central Osaka, the RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka has become known as one of Osaka’s most sought-after hotels for royalty, foreign dignitaries, celebrities and VIP guests. Today, it features an impressive 1,039 guest rooms, 18 restaurants and bars, 56 ballrooms, banquet halls and meeting spaces, wedding facilities, pools, fitness centres and retail outlets.
IHG will work closely with The Royal Hotel, Limited to ensure all elements of the much treasured RIGHA Royal brand are retained with both parties working together as custodian of the RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka’s legacy, while enjoying the advantages of the power of IHG’s global enterprise and IHG’s award winning One Rewards loyalty program.
Vignette Collection, the latest addition to IHG’s Luxury & Lifestyle portfolio, recently celebrated the first anniversary of its inaugural property opening, with the blossoming Luxury & Lifestyle hotel collection boasting a strong and growing portfolio of 14 highly distinct properties, with three already serving customers in Australia, Thailand and Portugal, and is on track to deliver on its ambition of securing more than 100 properties in 10 years.
Abhijay Sandilya, Managing Director – Japan & Micronesia for IHG Hotels & Resorts, and CEO of IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan, said: “We are so delighted to welcome the RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka to the IHG family. It is arguably the most famous hotel in West Japan, and we are extremely grateful to The Royal Hotel, Limited and BGO for putting their faith in IHG and providing this wonderful platform to launch Vignette Collection in Japan. This will be IHG’s seventh, and largest, hotel in Osaka, complementing its existing portfolio. We look forward to working closely with The Royal Hotel, Limited and welcoming guests to Japan’s first Vignette Collection hotel.”
The Royal Hotel, Ltd. President, Shuichi Kageyama, said: “We are extremely pleased that RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka will join IHG’s collection brand, Vignette Collection, as its first hotel in Japan. Vignette Collection is a luxury brand that values the originality and identity of member hotels. The hotel will thus maintain its historical origins and the brand and identity that it has cultivated as an Osaka landmark. As a global luxury hotel, we welcome visitors to MICE events, and we will utilize IHG’s world-wide network and know-how to welcome new guests via IHG alongside our existing guests. We are looking forward to welcoming you again.”
Daniel Klebes, Representative Director and President of BentallGreenOak K.K., said: “We look forward to working closely with IHG and The Royal Hotel, Limited at the iconic RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka. Our team will be a winning combination of BGO’s financial resources, IHG’s global reach, and The Royal Hotel, Limited’s exceptional history and tradition. IHG has made an excellent choice in RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka for its first Vignette collection hotel in Japan.”
Osaka has traditionally been the second top performing hotel market in Japan and, prior to Covid-19, Osaka’s luxury hotels historically demonstrated strong occupancy rates – in fact inbound stays surged over three-fold between 2012 and 2017, faster than Tokyo. With inbound tourism demand surging once again, and with the city hosting Expo 2025, the outlook for business and leisure tourism in Osaka is extremely positive.
Vignette Collection hotels are unique in their own right; each has their own distinct outlook and story to tell. Yet, the hotels are connected by a shared vision that travel can benefit local people and places, with each hotel engaging with a local initiative of their choosing, as part of IHG’s Journey to Tomorrow ambition. Complimentary rituals at each property create a sense of anticipation and connection and meet a growing demand for more thoughtful travel experiences.
Owners of independent hotels and small chains are increasingly attracted to the opportunity to benefit from the scale, expertise, and investment of a global hotel brand leader, such as IHG. Those joining IHG’s Vignette Collection will gain rapid access to world class revenue delivery and guest reservation systems, Luxury & Lifestyle expertise, our powerful IHG One Rewards loyalty programme, and procurement savings. All of this will come without high upfront costs and each hotel will retain its distinctive identity
As IHG experiences an unprecedented period of growth in Japan that’s recently seen it launch the voco, Kimpton, Regent and Holiday Express brands into the market, it is now adding its Vignette Collection brand to its luxury offering.
