Halekulani Okinawa and HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO Receive Highest Rating of Five Stars in the 2022 Forbes Travel Guide
Halekulani Okinawa Becomes the First Resort in Japan to Be Awarded Five Stars
April 27, 2022
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
Mitsui Fudosan Resort Management Co., Ltd.
Tokyo, Japan, April 27, 2022 - Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., a leading global real estate company headquartered in Tokyo, and Mitsui Fudosan Resort Management Co., Ltd. announced today that Halekulani Okinawa (Location: Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture; General Manager: Jun Yoshie) and HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO (Location: Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto; General Manager: Manabu Kusui) have received five-star ratings in the hotel section of the 2022 Forbes Travel Guide*, one of the world’s most authoritative travel guides. Five stars is the highest rating awarded by the guide and these are the first ratings to be received by either hotel since their opening. Halekulani Okinawa is also the first resort hotel in Japan to be awarded five stars and this rating means that Mitsui Fudosan Resort Management now operates two five-star hotels within the country.
These five-star ratings not only recognize the caliber of Halekulani Okinawa’s and HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO’s physical facilities, but also the level of customer service, attentiveness, and care they offer.
The Mitsui Fudosan Group is working to develop resorts and hotels where guests can appreciate the appeal of the traditional culture, history, abundant nature, and hospitality unique to the local region. These ratings will inspire the Group to continue striving to go beyond just providing accommodation and meals to provide guests with precious time to fully enjoy with their loved ones and a more personal experience that will leave lifelong memories.
*Forbes Travel Guide 
Established in the U.S. in 1958, the Forbes Travel Guide has set the benchmark for exceptional hospitality and it evaluates establishments in over 60 countries around the world. In the hotel section, establishments are evaluated based on over 900 strict criteria and a Forbes rating is the most influential in the industry.
Halekulani Okinawa (opened July 2019)
HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO (opened November 2020)
■Facility Overviews
Halekulani Okinawa
Opened in July 2019. “Halekulani” means “house befitting heaven” in Hawaiian, and Halekulani Okinawa is the second Halekulani brand hotel after the one in Hawaii. It has 360 rooms, each with a picturesque ocean view, and offers resort stays enlivened by a pool featuring the resort’s signature orchid motif and a choice of five restaurants.
Halekulani Okinawa provides guests with a special experience through service infused with the Halekulani spirit of hospitality cultivated for over 100 years since the first Halekulani hotel opened.
HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO
The new flagship hotel of the Mitsui Fudosan Group opened in November 2020 on a site that has over 250 years of history as the former Mitsui family home since the late 17th century. It features 161 guest rooms, including rooms overlooking Nijo-jo Castle, a World Heritage Site. Guests can enjoy a relaxing, resort-like experience while taking advantage of the hotel’s downtown Kyoto location, including a thermal spring spa that uses water sourced from a natural hot spring within the hotel grounds and a courtyard garden that reflects the changing of the seasons.
A Message from Wataru Sudo, President of Mitsui Fudosan Resort Management Co., Ltd.
Since the opening of both hotels, we have worked based on the belief that people are the most important factor in providing hospitality that most closely fits the need of our guests. Therefore, we have operated the hotels in a way that pays close attention to and properly values people. This award of five-star ratings to two of our hotels at the same time is due to the guests that have stayed with us to date, as well as everyone else involved in the operation of both hotels, and I would like to express my sincere thanks to these people.
Going forward, we will make every effort to ensure that the hotel and resort are loved by guests and their local areas for a long time to come.
A Message from Jun Yoshie, General Manager of Halekulani Okinawa
It is a great honor to become the first resort hotel in Okinawa, as well as Japan, to receive a five-star rating from the globally influential Forbes Travel Guide, especially before the third anniversary of the resort’s opening and in a year in which we will celebrate 50 years since Okinawa’s reversion to Japan. We are very happy to receive this high evaluation of the services and hospitality we provide in Onna Village, Okinawa Prefecture, one of the most popular resort locations in Japan, but at the same time, it is a reminder that we must not become complacent. Going forward, we will give sincere attention to customer feedback and do everything in our power to remain the first-choice hotel of our guests.
A Message from Manabu Kusui, General Manager of HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO
Since the launch of HOTEL THE MITSUI as the Mitsui Fudosan Group’s newest flagship brand, one of our targets has been to achieve a five-star rating from the globally influential Forbes Travel Guide, so we are delighted and honored to receive this prestigious rating in the evaluation carried out in our first year of operation. Under our brand concept of “EMBRACING JAPAN’S BEAUTY,” we will continue to respectfully listen to feedback from our guests and devote ourselves to continue operating in a way that is fitting for a globally recognized five-star hotel.
■Mitsui Fudosan Resort Management Co., Ltd. Company Profile
| Head Office | 2-1, Nihonbashi-Muromachi 3-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo |
|---|---|
| President | Wataru Sudo |
| Facilities under operation |
Halekulani Okinawa (opened July 2020) 1967-1, Nakama, Onna, Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture Guest rooms: 360 HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO (opened November 2020) 284 Nijoaburanokoji-cho, Aburano-koji St. Nijo-sagaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto Guest rooms: 161 Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi (opened September 2020) 1-2-1, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Guest rooms: 190 Bulgari Hotel Tokyo (scheduled to open in 2023) Yaesu 2-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Guest rooms: 98 |
*Halekulani Okinawa is the second Halekulani brand hotel after the one in Hawaii. Halekulani (Hawaii) has been operating for over 100 years since its opening in 1917 and its premier location in front of Waikiki Beach, unchanging elegance, and warm hospitality have won it countless repeat guests. On October 1, 2021, it was reborn as the new Halekulani following a major renovation.
■Mitsui Fudosan Group’s contribution to SDGs
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/esg_csr/
The Mitsui Fudosan Group aims for a society that enriches both people and the planet under the principles of coexist in harmony with society, link diverse values and achieve a sustainable society, and advances business with an awareness of the environment (E), society (S) and governance (G), thus promoting ESG management. By further accelerating its ESG management, the Group will realize Society 5.0, which the Japanese government has been advocating, and contribute significantly to achieving the SDGs. Additionally, the Group formulated the following Group guidelines related to “Realize a Decarbonized Society” and “Diversity & Inclusion Promotion” in November 2021. The Mitsui Fudosan Group will continue to work toward solving social issues through neighborhood creation.
References
Group Action Plan to Realize a Decarbonized Society
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/corporate/news/2021/1124/
Diversity & Inclusion Promotion Declaration and Initiative Policy
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/corporate/news/2021/1129_02/
*The initiatives covered in this press release are contributing to two of the UN's SDGs.
| Goal 11 | Sustainable Cities and Communities |
|---|---|
| Goal 12 | Responsible Consumption and Production |
