IHG Hotels & Resorts
New brand "voco" launched in Osaka
May 30, 2023 (Tuesday)
"voco Osaka Central"
Opened as Starting today, Thursday, December 22, 2022
Accommodation reservations now open

NTT Urban Development Corporation (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Hiroshi Tsujigami) and its group company, hotel management company UD Hospitality Management Co., Ltd. (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Yoshiyuki Sayama), are pleased to announce that the opening date for voco Osaka Central (operated by IHG Hotels & Resorts; Head office: UK; hereinafter referred to as IHG) ^*1, which is currently under development in Nishi-ku, Osaka, has been set for Tuesday, May 30, 2023, and that reservations will begin being accepted from today.

(Hotel official website: voco)

• ^*1Domestic operating company: IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan LLC (Minato-ku, Tokyo), CEO: Abhijay Sandilya

"voco" is a premium hotel brand operated by IHG Hotels & Resorts. It targets travelers seeking modern travel, combining the high reliability of international chain hotels operating around the world with respect for the history of the land and the individuality of the local community and distinctive designs. The name "voco," derived from the Latin word for "to invite" or "to gather," embodies the brand's attentive, informal, and charming character, like inviting friends to your home. Guests can expect a warm welcome, efficient and smooth check-in, thoughtful, comfortable rooms with cozy beds and amenities, and vibrant social spaces that provide opportunities for connection and interaction.

NTT Urban Development Corporation has been developing this project with the concept of "Color from here. Travel from here," with the aim of creating a hotel that will serve as a base for touring various parts of Osaka. The Kyomachibori area of Osaka surrounding the hotel has long been a bustling area where merchants have held markets. The hotel will feature an open restaurant facing Yotsubashi-suji, with a glass curtain wall on its facade, creating a sense of unity with the bustle of the street.

This open space will provide a place for hotel guests, as well as office workers and local residents, to gather and relax, aiming to further revitalize the area. The hotel has easy access to Umeda and Namba, making it a new base for travelers on business or for sightseeing.

The interior design was handled by NAO Taniyama & Associates (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo), a firm with a track record of designing multiple hotels both in Japan and overseas, creating a unique space inspired by Osaka, the "City of Water," and the history of Kyomachibori. On the lower floors of the two-story atrium, a spiral staircase featuring the hotel's brand colors creates a sense of continuity within the space, while a timber frame design inspired by the storehouses that once lined Kyomachibori creates a sense of unity within the space. In addition to newly processed lumber, this timber frame design uses recycled timber from pillars and beams actually used in pre-war houses. The timber evokes the way people lived in the past, an expression that cannot be expressed with new materials alone, welcoming guests to a space that evokes both newness and nostalgia.

Additionally, exterior reliefs, mailboxes, and doors that were actually used in the Kyomachi Building, which once stood on this site, have been reused for the interior art and exterior walls, preserving the appearance of the Kyomachi Building, which was built in the Taisho era.

The new general manager will be Daichi Shishikura, who has been involved in hotel management for many years at IHG and served as general manager of the ANA Crowne Plaza Okayama. Utilizing his experience, he will aim to make this the first Japanese hotel of the globally expanding "voco" chain, becoming the hotel of choice for guests from all over the world, promoting the hotel's appeal and creating an experience that is unique to this location.

The restaurant will have an Italian chef, who has trained at a world-class five-star hotel, as its head chef, and will serve a menu that uses local ingredients and reflects the region's unique character, prepared in a lively show kitchen.

voco Osaka Central will have 191 guest rooms, most of which are in the 30m² range, as well as additional facilities such as a restaurant, cafe and bar, fitness gym, and meeting rooms to meet the diverse needs of its guests. The hotel will provide environmentally friendly services, such as eliminating miniature bottles for bath amenities in guest rooms, providing bedding made from recycled materials, water-saving shower heads, wooden card keys, and using bamboo tableware in restaurants.

■About IHG Hotels & Resorts

It is a global hospitality company that operates approximately 6,000 hotels in over 100 countries around the world under 18 hotel brands, including InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, and Holiday Inn. In Japan, it operates 44 hotels under six brands: InterContinental, Kimpton, ANA Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn (Resort), Holiday Inn Express, and Hotel Indigo.

■About UD Hospitality Management Co., Ltd., a hotel management company

UD Hospitality Management, a member of NTT Urban Development Group, is committed to creating rich and attractive urban areas through hotel management. Since its establishment in April 2018, the company has collaborated with various hotel operators, including those entering Japan for the first time, to develop hotels across the country that take advantage of the unique characteristics of each city and location. The company currently operates three hotels, and including those in planning and development, the total number of hotels will reach eight facilities with approximately 1,300 rooms.

List of hotels managed by UD Hospitality Management Co., Ltd.

■Plan Overview

Hotel Name	voco Osaka Central
location	1-7-1 Kyomachibori, Nishi-ku, Osaka
Site area	Approximately 1,200㎡
Gross Floor Area	Approximately 10,600㎡
Use	Hotel
Structural form	Steel frame construction
scale	地上13階
Number of rooms	Room 191
parking	26台
Construction Start	May 2021
Completion	January 2023 (planned)
Opening	May 30, 2023 (planned)
business owner	NTT Urban Development Corporation
Hotel Management	UD Hospitality Management Co., Ltd. (NTT Urban Development Corporation Group company)
Hotel Management	IHG Hotels & Resorts
Design supervision	Zenitaka Corporation First Class Architect Office APA Associates Co., Ltd.
Interior design	NAO Taniyama & Associates Inc.
Construction	Zenitaka Corporation

• *All images are in the planning stage and are subject to change.

■Location map