Amazon Recommends: Hotel & Motel Sales, Marketing & Promotion Joe Wolosz Hotel Management and Operations Denney G. Rutherford Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban J. K. Rowling Mind Your Own Business Jim Sullivan Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets J. K. Rowling The Complete Restaurant Management Guide Robert T. Gordon Real Estate Development Gayle Berens Playing Games at Work Phil Roberts Revenue Management Robert G. Cross Privacy Information

ALL ABOUT
EURO
Click Here

FORMULE 1 CONTINUES JAPANESE EXPANSION WITH F 1 NUMAZU

Just as the first Formule 1 in Japan opens its doors in Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture north-west of Tokyo, Accor will begin construction of a second Formule 1 in Japan at Numazu, in the heart of the high-technology industrial area of Shizuoka Prefecture, 140 km west of Tokyo. The second Formule 1 is expected to open in July with 92 rooms and highlights Accor's aim to rapidly expand the budget brand in Japan.

In addition to being a major business centre, the area is surrounded by many of Japan's most famous tourist attractions, including Mount Fuji and Izu Peninsula, making it a popular location for leisure travellers. Like all Formule 1s, the F1 Numazu is located on a prominent highway, running through Shizuoka, and is serviced by well-developed transport infrastructure including the Shinkansen Bullet Train and the Tomei Expressway.

"As the first Asian country in which we've introduced Formule 1, Japan is an important part of our global expansion," said Michael Issenberg, Accor's Managing Director for Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the South Pacific. "Numazu is the perfect location for a Formule 1, being on a key arterial route close to major industrial and tourist areas."

The new hotel will feature two concept rooms that will give guests a taste of the future of Formule 1, with the new rooms boasting different bathroom designs and new construction techniques and materials.

Mr Rodolphe Belin, Accor's General Manager Economy Hotels, said that Formule 1 was set to change the face of the budget hotel market in Japan, with Australian know-how being utilised extensively for its development.

"Our main objective in developing Formule 1 in Japan was to be able to offer the highest quality standards at the lowest possible rate, " said Mr Belin. "However, with the cost of land and materials in Japan this has proven to be a major challenge, but one that we have overcome by importing much of the hotel's furniture and fittings from Australia. This has helped save on construction costs and we can now ensure that rates will be kept at around Yen 5000 (AUD$75) per night.

"The launch of Formule 1 owes a great deal to the support of our partners in Japan who helped make it possible to get this development off the ground . We worked particularly closely with Mr Yoshitsugu Shimizu of the Afternoon Society, the Beisia Group in Isesaki and Denny's Japan family restaurant chain." Denny's family restaurant is located next to the Numazu Formule 1.

Formule 1 is Accor's innovative budget hotel brand which promotes the clever concept of functional rooms with a single price for up to three people. There are more than 360 Formule 1 hotels around the world in 11 countries

HOTELIER SAYS TOKYO NEEDS TO PROMOTE TOURISM

The Daily Yomiuri, Tokyo:  In the current recession, some companies are shrinking, while others are expanding by diversifying. Hotel Okura Co. is taking the latter course. In October, the company established Hotel Okura Tokyo as the managing company for Hotel Okura.

"We decided to separate the company as it had become difficult to manage everything within a single hotel management structure while expanding our business," said Masahiko Maiya, who the same month became the new company's first president and general manager of the Hotel Okura in Tokyo.

Hotel Okura now operates the Okura group's 15 domestic and seven overseas hotels, while Hotel Okura Tokyo runs the flagship hotel in Tokyo.

Maiya said Hotel Okura has developed mainly five-star hotels, but in the future the company plans to also operate smaller hotels in regional cities. "We have been expanding our business of small and midsize hotels, such as those in Ebina, Kanagawa Prefecture; Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, and in Chiba. We have also tied up with other Okura brand hotels," Maiya said.

In November, Hotel Okura signed a contract with the Kyoto Hotel, resulting in the prestigious 110-year-old Oike Honkan becoming the Kyoto Hotel Okura on Feb. 1.

The nation's hotel industry faces difficulties caused not only by fewer tourists and business travelers since Sept. 11, but by the threat of domestic rivals planning affiliations with foreign hotels.

"Foreign-affiliated hotels will be our rivals. Although they may hinder our business temporarily, in the long-run the new addition will revitalize the entire domestic hotel business," Maiya said.

With 1,717 beds in 858 rooms, the Hotel Okura in Tokyo is considered to be one of the nation's most prestigious hotels.

Although Maiya acknowledges the marketing power and efficient operations of huge foreign hotel chains, he is confident the capital's Hotel Okura will preserve its status as Japan's leading hotel. "I think our hotel's strength is its 'Japonesque' style. We serve our customers with Japanese spirit and service. I don't think the atmosphere we have can be created easily," he said.

Compared with Europe, Maiya thinks that Tokyo lacks midrange hotels. "There are many five-star hotels in Tokyo, but few three or four-star hotels such as can be found in many European cities. I think we should do something about this," he said.

On Dec. 19, the hotel tax bill proposed by Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara was passed at a regular session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly.

The planned levies are 100 yen per night on guests paying between 10,000 yen and 14,999 yen, and 200 yen per night for beds costing 15,000 yen or more. Ishihara said the proceeds from the new tax will be used for developing tourism.

Personally, Maiya agrees with the hotel tax. He said it was a good idea to promote tourism. "Among developed countries, only Japan has not considered tourism an industry. I think tourism is such a nice industry, and it's one where people can meet others from around the world. I wonder why the government has missed this point," he said.

He added that Tokyo should advertise itself more to the world as an attractive travel destination. "It is well-known overseas that Tokyo is safe and clean. But I don't think Tokyo is tourist-friendly. Look at road maps and train tickets--no English. People who cannot read Japanese might feel uneasy without any English signs," he said.

Maiya developed his global outlook from working in Europe for 27 years during his 32-year career as a hotelier.

After joining Hotel Okura in 1969, Maiya worked as a director of sales at Hotel Okura's Europe Office, then as vice general manager, and later as the president of Hotel Okura Amsterdam until returning to Japan last year.

Since coming home after such a long absence, Maiya has noticed that young people's attitudes toward hotels have changed. "Young Japanese use hotels for casual dining and such more than European youths. In Europe, it is rare to see the public dine in hotel restaurants," he said.

Maiya observed that Europeans mainly use hotels for accommodation, whereas in Japan hotels are also gathering places for eating or parties. "At our hotel, maybe 70 percent of our customers come for such purposes, while 30 percent are guests staying here," he said.

Of them, about 60 percent are foreign visitors, mostly American businesspeople. However, the Sept. 11 tragedy decreased the number of business travelers by 10 percent to 15 percent. It was an additional blow to a hotel industry already affected by the impact of mad cow disease on the food-retail sector.

While Maiya was working at Hotel Okura Amsterdam, he noticed how sensitive locals and Americans were to perceived travel dangers. "In European airports, security checks for passengers to the United States became very strict, especially after the Gulf War. Also, American tour groups that checked in on the morning of the Chernobyl nuclear accident returned to the United States on the same day," he said.

These days, as president of Hotel Okura Tokyo, Maiya is busy trying to tackle the business downturn by implementing new ideas, one of which is to use women more in hotel management.

"We are now working on setting up a system to utilize women managers. As nearly half our customers are women, we need female viewpoints in management. At Hotel Okura Amsterdam, nearly one-third of department heads are women," he said.

He also hopes that more Japanese hear about and use his hotel. "We don't want to cater to the times. We will offer authenticity to our customers," he said.

UK TOURISM STILL ON SHAKY GROUND AFTER 9/11

The parlous state of the tourist market will be highlighted this week with figures showing that the sector is still reeling from foot-and-mouth disease and September 11.

Earnings from overseas visitors to Britain fell 12 per cent to UKpound 9.4 million in the 10 months to last October compared with the same period in 2000. The figures for November are expected to be as bleak.

Michael Dunkley, executive council member of the British Incoming Tour Operators" Association, said: "Last year was a total disaster, to say the least. The figures for November will confirm what many of us already know. There are some hopeful noises being made about recovery from foot-and-mouth, but in the meantime I expect a number of coach and tour operators to go belly-up."

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) estimates that 16 tour operators and 20 travel agencies went bust last year, against six operators and 19 agents in 2000.

Major travel groups such as Thomas Cook, Thomson and Airtours have also cut back, leading to thousands of job losses. And they have slashed the number of holidays available by one million in an attempt to shore up prices.

The cuts in capacity represent an average reduction of 10 per cent, though some have gone further. First Choice, for instance, has cut capacity by a fifth.

Keith Betton, head of corporate affairs at ABTA, said: "Some destinations have been affected more than others.

"The number of people travelling to the Middle East, for instance, has fallen quite sharply and remains down, but there does not appear to be much reluctance to travel short-haul in Europe.

"There are fewer people travelling to Florida, a big tourist destination for Britons, but the Americans are proving more reluctant to fly internally so consequently prices of hotels and attractions in Florida are reduced."

All the major travel companies are offering big incentives to attract holidaymakers. Lunn Poly, for example, has half-price holidays with no charge for children and free insurance.

Falling numbers of visitors to Britain have widened the country's already yawning balance of payments deficit on tourism.

In the 10 months to October, the gap stood at a huge UKpound 12 billion, against UKpound 9.3 billion for the same period in 2000.