Best Western Hotels & Resorts has opened a new upper-midscale hotel at New Chitose Airport, the gateway to the Japanese island of Hokkaido.

Best Western Plus Hotel Fino Chitose, which is situated just 3.2 km from the airport terminal, welcomed its first guests on June 1. This new hotel offers guests a convenient base from which to explore Hokkaido’s top business and tourism destinations, including the vibrant city of Sapporo and the upmarket ski resort of Niseko.

It also becomes one of the closest internationally-branded hotels to New Chitose, Japan’s fifth busiest airport. This major air gateway, which handles more than 20 million passengers per year, now offers direct connections to and from major cities all across Asia and beyond, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur.

Best Western Plus Hotel Fino Chitose features 154 guestrooms, including a selection of Japanese-style family rooms for up to four guests. All rooms come equipped with facilities including flat-screen TVs and complimentary Wi-Fi. The hotel also features a 24-hour front desk, daily housekeeping and laundry, supported by Best Western’s world-famous service standards.

“We are delighted to welcome guests to Best Western Plus Hotel Fino Chitose, as we continue to expand our Japanese portfolio and provide world-class accommodation to guests across the country,” said Olivier Berrivin, Best Western’s managing director of International Operations - Asia. “With its dramatic landscapes, stunning scenery and fresh mountain air, Hokkaido is a fantastic destination for travellers seeking a break from the city.”

“Perfectly positioned on the doorstep of New Chitose Airport, this new hotel is suited to business and leisure travellers, including families. It will be ideal for guests who want to break up their journey to and from Hokkaido, or those seeking a convenient base for their activities on the island. I am confident that Best Western Plus Hotel Fino Chitose will prove extremely popular with all our guests,” Olivier added.

Hokkaido hosts a year-round calendar of events, including the famous Sapporo Snow Festival which attracts more than two million people each year. The nearby Niseko area is quickly developing a global reputation for its world-class winter sports, hot spring resorts, golf courses and other outdoor activities.

The opening of Best Western Plus Hotel Fino Chitose forms part of a focused expansion strategy for Best Western in Japan. Last year, the company launched exciting new hotels in Tokyo, Osaka and Yamagata Airport, and The Hotel Nagasaki became Japan’s – and Asia’s – first BW Premier Collection by Best Western hotel. It also recently opened the 60-room Best Western Sapporo Odori-Koen in downtown Sapporo, just 50km away from the new hotel.

This expansion comes as Japan prepares to host a series of major international sporting events, including the 2020 Olympic Games and the 2019 Rugby World Cup, which will include matches staged in Sapporo.

In total, Best Western now operates a nationwide portfolio of 16 hotels all across Japan, from Hokkaido in the North to Okinawa in the South, making it one of the country’s largest international hotel operators. - TradeArabia News Service