TOKYO – Rail and hospitality group Odakyu Electric Railway is joining forces with the operator of Muji stores to open a hotel next year in China featuring trappings from the Japanese household goods brand.
The first Muji Hotel will open in Beijing. Odakyu subsidiary UDS will handle planning, building design and hotel operations. Ryohin Keikaku, operator of the Muji chain, will supervise designs for the guest rooms and other areas. The hotel will occupy a four-story building with 4,000 sq. meters of floor space.
The hotel will leverage Muji products’ high name recognition on the mainland. The 41 guest rooms will contain Muji furnishings such as bedding, toiletries and curtains. The hotel will also have a Muji store and a cafe. The aim is to expose lodgers to Japanese goods and spur more Chinese to visit Japan.
The two Japanese companies will closely monitor use of the hotel, with additional facilities in both China and Japan on the table. Ryohin Keikaku, which ran 173 Muji locations in China as of the end of August, is looking to boost demand for its products. Meanwhile, Odakyu is developing new revenue sources beyond its traditional model of hotels and other operations along rail lines.
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