A flurry of high-end hotel openings in Tokyo is strengthening the city’s position as a luxury travel destination as Australian tourist numbers to Japan resurge.
Last month, Japan National Tourism Organisation reported an influx of 727,000 Aussies between January and October. The total number of foreign visitors to the country surpassed 30 million over the ten-month period, setting a path towards a new annual record.
In line with this strong performance, Tokyo is also “having a moment”, Tokyo Tourism Representative -Australia Alison Roberts-Brown confirmed as she opened the annual Council of Australia Tour Operators (CATO) Christmas lunch in Sydney last week, thanking the trade for its support.
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“We’re having a moment because a lot of people in the industry and the media have put in a huge amount of work and a huge amount of effort, dedication and passion,” she said. “We knew how hard the industry was working and selling Japan, but what we didn’t know was how remarkable the results would be.”
While a weakened yen and improved air connectivity have been highlighted as factors fuelling this growth, also heightening the destination’s appeal with high-end travellers is an exciting wave of luxe accommodation.
“Tokyo has a lot of new luxury hotel accommodation open over the last few years and there is more to come,” Roberts-Brown said.
Recent openings include Bulgari Tokyo, Bellustar Tokyo and Janu Tokyo. The latter, an Aman property, opened in March 2024 in the new luxury lifestyle neighbourhood Azabudai Hills.
Coming up are the openings of the JW Marriott Hotel Tokyo in northern hemisphere spring 2025 and Fairmont Tokyo in July 2025, with the Park Hyatt Tokyo, the location of movie Lost in Translation, to reopen after a complete renovation in October 2025.
Langham Tokyo and a new Dorchester Collection property will open in 2026 and 2028 respectively.
