Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., a leading global real estate company headquartered in Tokyo, announced that it has decided, together with Halekulani Corporation*1 (Headquarters: Hawaii, U.S.A., COO: Peter Shaindlin), to open Halekulani Okinawa at the site of the Okinawa Inbu Beach Hotel Project (tentative name) in Onna Village, Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture, in the summer of 2019 (planned).
Under the Group’s “Innovation 2017 Stage II” medium-term business plan, announced in May 2015, Mitsui Fudosan has positioned the hotel and resort business as one of its new growth areas. Along with taking proactive steps to develop the proprietary brand, Mitsui Garden Hotels in Japan, Mitsui Fudosan has been working to develop luxury hotel properties and attract such properties to its multi-use developments in central Tokyo, including such notable luxury hotel properties as Mandarin Oriental Tokyo and The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo. In the resort field, Mitsui Fudosan has been developing the resort business since 2007, which includes such properties as NEMU HOTEL & RESORT, Toba Hotel International and Haimurubushi. Mitsui Fudosan invited Aman Resorts, an international luxury hotel group, to participate in the NEMU RESORT project, opening AMANEMU on the premises in March 2016. Okinawa, which offers significant prospects for growth in the luxury hotel market, Mitsui Fudosan has decided to open Halekulani Okinawa as its first luxury hotel in Japan under its proprietary hotel brand.
This year, Halekulani celebrates the centennial of its founding as a hotel on Waikiki Beach. In this landmark year, the announcement of the opening of the second Halekulani in Japan, with which it has close ties, and on Okinawa, one of Japan’s leading beach resort destinations, will be a momentous undertaking that will carry Halekulani forward into its next century of business.
Halekulani Okinawa will welcome Mr. Jun Yoshie as its first general manager, who has extensive experience in luxury hotel management. Aiming for a grand opening in 2019, Mitsui Fudosan is determined to develop a world-class luxury hotel at the project site, which faces one of Japan’s finest beaches on the west coast of the main island of Okinawa. We hope that you will share our high expectations for this new luxury hotel property.
*1 Halekulani Corporation, a 100%-owned subsidiary of Mitsui Fudosan, owns and operates Halekulani.
(1) Halekulani, internationally acclaimed for its hospitality, will enter Japan for the first time
Halekulani is a luxury hotel located on Waikiki Beach on the island of Oahu, Hawaii in the United States. Its history can be traced back to 1917 when Clifford and Juliet Kimball purchased a hotel property consisting of a simple residence and several bungalows, and named the hotel “Halekulani,” which means “House Befitting Heaven” in Hawaiian. Thereafter, the hotel was gradually enlarged through several renovation and expansion projects.
In 1981, Mitsui Fudosan acquired this long-standing hotel and redeveloped it into a world-famous luxury hotel. While preserving the warm hospitality and traditions of Hawaii, Halekulani was reborn as an internationally competitive luxury hotel, and has earned the admiration of numerous visitors and guests.
This year, on the founding centennial of Halekulani, Mitsui Fudosan has decided to open Halekulani Okinawa in Japan, a country with close ties to Halekulani, and in Okinawa, to follow in the footsteps of the original Halekulani in Hawaii. This project will be a momentous undertaking that will carry Halekulani forward into its next century of business.
(2) Prime location for a beach resort, facing a coastline stretching approx. 1.7 km in Onna Village, one of Japan’s foremost beach-resort communities on the west coast of the main island of Okinawa
Halekulani Okinawa will be located in Onna Village, one of Japan’s finest beach-resort communities situated in the central portion of the west coast of the main island of Okinawa. It will be a prime location for a beach resort, facing an approx. 1.7 km stretch of coastline.
The resort hotel will enable guests to fully enjoy the natural riches of Okinawa, including expansive white-sand beaches spreading out from the hotel, views of sunsets from high ground facing the ocean, coral reef and colorful tropical fish, and lush local greenery and flowers, reflecting the changing seasons. Moreover, the hotel will offer numerous attractions that will captivate guests, including activities in the beautiful coastal waters of the Okinawa Kaigan Quasi-National Park, and excursions to the pristine Yanbaru forests of northern Okinawa.
(3) The resort will comprise 360 guest rooms, all of which will have ocean views, and a diverse array of facilities enabling long-term stays.
The site will cover an area of approximately 13 hectares. Taking full advantage of a beachfront site extending along a north-south direction, all 360 guest rooms will have ocean views. Hotel guests will be able to enjoy a diverse array of facilities, such as a swimming pool adorned with Halekulani’s signature mosaic of a Cattleya orchid, a spa offering wellness programs using natural hot springs, and four restaurants and bars featuring unique world-class dining experiences.
(4) Hotel services that blend hospitality developed over many years at Halekulani and the Okinawan “Omotenashi” spirit
With respect to hotel services, the world’s highest level of quality will be realized both in terms of facilities and services through a keen attention to detail and thoughtfulness befitting the Japanese people. The new hotel will also carry on the unique service philosophy established by Halekulani over its century-long history, providing uncompromising services that surpass the expectations of guests. Along with this, Halekulani aims to be a leading international luxury resort brand that reflects the beauty and culture of its locale.
Schedule and Prospects
Okinawa is a promising market that offers prospects for steady growth in step with expanding inbound tourism demand. With the expansion of Naha Airport scheduled for completion in 2020, the number of affluent foreign visitors from Asia and other parts of the world to Okinawa is expected to continue increasing, in addition to visitors from elsewhere in Japan. Meanwhile, the presence of luxury hotels in Okinawa has fallen behind that of major overseas markets. For this reason, the Okinawan market is expected to offer significant potential for growth. Looking ahead toward an opening in summer 2019, Mitsui Fudosan aims to develop Halekulani Okinawa into a world-class luxury resort hotel where guests can experience what it is like to stay at a “House Befitting Heaven.”
Remarks by Mr. Peter Shaindlin, COO, Halekulani Corporation
“From the moment I arrived at the planned site at Inbu, Okinawa and saw the lavender-hued horizon from the shore, I knew that we were destined to open our long-sought second Halekulani location here. I’m confident that Halekulani Okinawa will crystallize the evolution of the Halekulani legacy that has been carefully handed down over the generations from a century ago. I’m delighted that the opening of this new hotel in 2019 will turn a new page in the history of the Halekulani legacy and carry it boldly into the future.”
Remarks by Mr. Jun Yoshie, First General Manager of Halekulani Okinawa
“Mitsui Fudosan will open its first directly operated luxury resort hotel in Japan under the Halekulani brand, a legendary hotel that it owns in Hawaii. I’m extremely honored and truly proud to have the opportunity to serve as the hotel’s first general manager. I’m also excited to be playing a part in the development of the west coast of the main island of Okinawa, which is one of the most beautiful beach-resort areas of the world, into an internationally renowned resort destination through the addition of Halekulani’s attractiveness to this area. Based on the experience I have gained through my work with various hotel brands, I would like to develop a hotel in which every staff member can take the utmost pride.”