France’s Accor Hotels & Resorts has opened its first luxury hotel brand in Hokkaido, “M Gallery” in Chuo Ward, Sapporo City. The opening ceremony was held on January 31st, and operations began on February 1st.
MGallery is one of Accor’s most prestigious brands, with approximately 100 hotels worldwide. Hotels in Sapporo cater to visitors to Japan and business travelers with designs and services that incorporate Hokkaido’s nature and culture.
The hotel is located about a 10-minute walk from Sapporo Station and close to Odori Subway Station. There are a total of 215 guest rooms, including suites and an executive lounge on the top floor. Facilities such as restaurant, bar, fitness room, meeting room are substantial, too.
Accor is strengthening its presence in Japan, opening Novotel Shibuya in Shibuya, Tokyo in December last year. The company plans to open new hotels in Kyoto, Osaka, and other locations in the future.
Sapporo’s M Gallery is expected to contribute to Hokkaido’s tourism industry, helping to increase the number of visitors to Japan and help Hokkaido host the Winter Olympics.
Expectations for French company Accor to expand into Hokkaido
I was surprised to learn that France’s Accor opened its first luxury hotel in Hokkaido. Accor is a global hotel chain and operates many brands in Japan, but Hokkaido has been an unexplored region until now. Hokkaido is very popular as a tourist destination in Japan, and I think there is a lot of demand from tourists visiting Japan and domestic tourists. Therefore, I felt that Accor’s expansion into Hokkaido signified the company’s full-scale entry into the Japanese market. Furthermore, for Hokkaido’s tourism industry, the opening of new luxury hotels can be expected to contribute to improving competitiveness and diversifying services.
The charms and challenges of M Gallery
MGallery is one of Accor’s most prestigious brands, with approximately 100 hotels worldwide. Under these circumstances, hotels in Sapporo will cater to overseas visitors and business travelers with designs and services that incorporate Hokkaido’s nature and culture. I believe that increasing the number of hotels that take advantage of regional characteristics in this way will increase tourist satisfaction and repeat visits. On the other hand, MGallery is a luxury hotel and the prices are expected to be quite high. Therefore, I think it is necessary to differentiate ourselves from other hotels in terms of cost performance and price competitiveness. In addition, Hokkaido is said to be working towards hosting the Winter Olympics, and it will be interesting to see how MGallery will respond in that case.
Future outlook for the hotel industry
I feel that the hotel industry will continue to change and develop. Accor is planning to open new hotels in places like Kyoto and Osaka, but I think other foreign and domestic hotel chains are also actively entering the Japanese tourism market. Therefore, I believe that the hotel industry needs to offer new concepts and services to meet diverse needs while competition is becoming more intense. I also believe that crisis management and risk countermeasures are important for the hotel industry to be able to respond to unforeseen situations such as the coronavirus pandemic and natural disasters. I hope that the hotel industry will contribute to the development of Japan’s tourism industry while addressing these issues.
France’s Accor arrives in Hokkaido for the first time, opening luxury hotel “M Gallery” in Sapporo
