LONDON—InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) opened the Holiday Inn Osaka Namba. This is the fifth Holiday Inn hotel in the brand family in Japan, joining others in Sapporo, Sendai, Kanazawa and Miyazaki.
The 314-room hotel is located in the heart of Osaka and is accessible to Dotonbori St., with its local restaurants and a range of entertainment activities, nightlife and shopping along the Dotonbori River. Osaka’s central shopping district, Shinsaibashi, is a short distance away and Kuromon Market is also nearby. The hotel is a 40-minute train, car or bus ride from Kansai International Airport. Osaka Castle, Universal Studios Japan and the Tenhouzann Aquarium are all accessible from the nearby Namba train station.
“We are delighted to strengthen our brand portfolio in one of Japan’s major cities, and the opening of Holiday Inn Osaka Namba will bring more choice for our valued guests and nearly 99 million IHG Rewards Club members all over the world,” said Hans Heijligers, head of Japan, IHG. “With a tourism boom in Japan, and especially in Osaka over the last few years, we have also seen a shift in the patterns of international travelers who are now more interested in local experiences than just visiting world-famous places or shopping. Travelers can find a variety of local experiences, such as sampling local delicacies and exploring the back streets that are unique to Japan, right here in Osaka.”
With the government’s focus on increasing annual international visitor arrival numbers to 40 million by the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, Japan’s capital city and outlying regions are set to benefit from the tourism boom, according to the company.