Tokyo-based commercial real estate developer Pacifica Capital KK has been appointed as asset manager for the conversion of an office building in central Tokyo to an internationally-branded three-star hotel.

“The market for internationally-branded limited service hotels is virtually untapped in Japan, so we have high expectations for this project”

The property, Kinshicho Mark Building, is a short walk from one of Tokyo’s busiest train stations and near some of the capital’s major tourist attractions such as Asakusa and Tokyo Sky Tree. It is also within a block of an expressway onramp making the property convenient to Haneda and Narita airports as well as Tokyo Disneyland.

The hotel is scheduled to open in summer 2017 with more than 200 rooms ranging 18-28 m2 and will target Japan’s fast-growing inbound visitors. In addition to modern, attractive and comfortable rooms suitable for single and multiple travelers, the hotel will offer food & beverage and fitness facilities.

In 2015, international visitors to Japan grew by almost 50% to a record of almost 20 million, about 2/3 of which came from Asia. With the Tokyo Olympics approaching in four years, the Japanese government recently doubled its 2020 inbound visitor target to 40 million people. Tokyo hotels are already running at close to 90% occupancy, while new supply is limited, so Pacifica expects strong demand for this property soon after opening.

“The market for internationally-branded limited service hotels is virtually untapped in Japan, so we have high expectations for this project,” said Seth Sulkin, President & CEO of Pacifica Capital K.K. “With a huge shortage of land ready for development, we believe conversion of existing buildings such as offices is an attractive way to open more hotels faster to serve the needs of this growing market.”

Source: 4hotelier

Exclusive Travel Feature: Luxury experiences know no limits, when it comes to travel, we search for it on airplanes, crave it during long car rides and seek it out among the best of the best hotels. So, where are the best of the best?

We used to spend a lot of time in this column talking about how hotels can increase their brand value via social media, but when it comes right down to it: guests still want luxury amenities, above all else, when it comes to staying in luxury hotels. Your Pinterest boards may be beautiful and your Facebook page might be full of fan photos, but it's the unique customer experiences that happens at your hotels that make all the difference.

And that's just what the readers of Travel + Leisure took into consideration when they chose the world's best hotels.

Last year, Asia led the pack with the most hotels on the list, and the U.S. didn't even get a spot. This year, the U.S. made the top 10 with three hotels on the list, and joined the ranks of the best-of-the-best along with veterans like Singita Sabi Sand in South Africa and Oberoi Udaivilas.

Here's are the top 10 hotels picked by Travel + Leisure readers:

1. Triple Creek Ranch, Montana

2. Nayara Springs, Costa Rica

3. Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace, Budapest

4. Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island, Australia

5. Ocean House, Watch Hill, Rhode Island

6. The Langham, Chicago

7. Singita Sabi Sand, Kruger National Park area, South Africa

8. Londolozi Game Reserve, Kruger National Park area, South Africa

9. Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, India

10. Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, India

Hotels.com announced that travelers using its mobile booking app can now receive hotel notifications on their Android smartwatches.

Smartwatch users who book a room on the Hotels.com mobile app will receive a notification on the day of their check-in at 2:00 p.m., which is typically when most guests would be on their way to the hotel.

Users will also be able to access an image of the hotel, its address, a map and full reservation details on their wearable device displays.

“Our new wearable notifications make travelling even more seamless,” said Daniel Craig, Senior Director of Mobile for the Hotels.com brand.

“We know our customers are increasingly looking for ways to take the stress and hassle out of travel and we’re in the business of listening and responding to them as fast as possible.”

With the more than 35 million downloads, the Hotels.com mobile booking app gives customers access to more than 20,000 exclusive last minute deals and discounts of up to 50 percent.

According to Hotels.com data, approximately one in four travelers are booking hotels via a mobile device, and nearly 70% of those bookings are made for same or next-day check-in.

Source: hotels.com

TripAdvisor just announced  a new feature that allows travelers to easily call a ride with Uber to restaurants, attractions and luxury hotels in more than 40 cities worldwide. 

TripAdvisor take Uber to its App 

TripAdvisor is one of the first sites to integrate Uber functionality into its mobile experience by using the new Uber API.

As TripAdvisor app and mobile website users visit the listings of restaurants, attractions and hotels, they will now be able to see an estimate of Uber car fares and the wait times for pickup. By tapping a "Ride there with Uber" button, TripAdvisor will seamlessly take them to the Uber app or mobile website to complete the reservation and send a car to their location. 

Users will only be charged if they get a ride, and fares vary by location, vehicle type and travel times. First-time Uber users may create an account by going to the Uber mobile site. In order to create an account they will need to provide their name, email address, phone number and a valid credit card.

Uber is a venture-funded startup and transportation network company based in San Francisco, California, that makes their mobile apps that connect passengers with drivers of vehicles for hire and ridesharing services. The company arranges pickups in dozens of cities around the world. Cars are reserved by sending a text message or by using a mobile app—the latter can also be used by customers to track their reserved car's location. - According to Wikipedia

Uber - The app to pick up car around the world.

At launch, the new Uber feature for the TripAdvisor app and mobile website will be available in English and Italian, with more languages and cities to be added in the future. The feature is available for both iOS and Android versions of the TripAdvisor app.