Ibaraki Kyoto Hotel Being Renovated, Re-Flagged

OSAKA, JAPAN-Asset Managers Co. Ltd. has signed up a new manager for Ibaraki Kyoto Hotel, a 103-room hotel and restaurant property near here that it is being renovating en route to a June re-opening. The new manager will be Nikko Hotels International, an operating company of Tokyo-based JAL Hotels Co. Ltd. Situated between Osaka and Kyoto near the JR Ibaraki train station, the 12-year-old property has 191,599 sf of floor space on eight floors that house 103 guest rooms, seven dining facilities, six banquet facilities and a fitness club with pool, gym and sauna. It will be the 55th property managed by JAL Hotels and its fourth in Japan’s Kansai area. The other three are Hotel Nikko Osaka, Hotel Nikko Bayside Osaka, and Hotel Nikko Kansai Airport.JAL Hotels Co. Ltd. is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Japan Airlines. In addition to Nikko Hotels International, JAL Hotels also operates Hotel JAL City, a chain of 10 mid-priced hotels for business travelers in Japan, as well as independent hotel properties. JAL Hotels has 54 hotels worldwide, in Europe, Americas and throughout Japan and the Asia/Pacific region. In February, JAL Hotels announced the formation of a 50-50 joint venture with Beijing Capital Tourism Co. Ltd. to provide hotel management services. The joint corporation, BTG Nikko International Hotel Management Co. Ltd. will be based in Beijing and will first concentrate on 11 cities in China serviced by Japan Airlines. The company will provide hotel management to Nikko Hotels as well as other local hotels with a ranking above four stars. By mid-February, the company says it will set up a pre-opening office in preparation for an official office opening on April 1, 2004. To start, BTG Nikko International Hotel Management will manage three hotels in Beijing: Jinglun Hotel, Beijing New Century Hotel and Minzu Hotel Beijing. The company is also currently negotiating contracts with several hotels in other cities. Jinglun Hotel is expected to go through major renovations to upgrade the property to the five-star class, targeting the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The Beijing city government has declared the area as the Central Business District, and Jinglun Hotel will be a world-class flagship hotel for the company. Jinglun Hotel and Beijing New Century Hotel will be managed under the Nikko Hotels International brand name.