Atami hotels sold to US fund
The landmark Hotel New Akao in Atami has been sold to Shirakami, an affiliated company of Fortress Investment Group. The sale is for Hotel Acao Annex (former Hotel New Akao) and Hotel Acao (former Royal Wing) and approximately 7% of Acao Spa & Resort’s landholdings.
Landmark hotel in Atami closes its doors
Atami’s Hotel New Akao closed its doors for good on December 17, ending 48 years of operations. With demand not expected to return in the near future and an aging building, the decision was made to shut down.
Overseas buyers seeking hot spring ryokans
Offshore buyers are on the hunt for hot spring resorts and traditional ryokans in Shizuoka’s Izu Peninsula, according to a recent article in Diamond Online. The article quotes an onsen and hotel broker that received over 200 inquiries in May alone from buyers looking to acquire accommodation facilities across the country, with 70% of those looking for luxury hot spring ryokans around Izu, Hakone, and Mt. Fuji.
Renewed interest in Atami during pandemic
Shizuoka’s hot spring resort city of Atami is seeing renewed interest from buyers looking for holiday homes they can telework from. Local agents have been seeing a rise in inquiries from potential buyers from the summertime onwards.
Atami hotel project withdrawn
Tokyu Land has withdrawn plans for the development of a membership-hotel on city-owned land in the hot spring resort city of Atami, citing concerns over viability amidst the ongoing pandemic.
Shizuoka hotels hit with almost 500,000 cancellations due to tourist drop
The impacts of the coronavirus are being painfully felt by hotel and ryokan operators in Shizuoka’s popular hot spring locations. Hotels and onsens that have relied heavily on tour groups from China are now facing either temporary or permanent closure.
Bauhaus villa in Atami to undergo restoration
The former Hyuga Villa annex in Atami is about to undergo a two-year restoration starting this July. The Bauhaus-style annex was built in 1936 and was designed by Bruno Taut (1880-1938), a renowned German architect. This is the only building Taut designed in Japan.