Pioneering hotel owner and operator Red Planet Hotels has today announced a multi-billion yen expansion into Japan to grow Asia?s iconic value hotel brand -Tune Hotels ? in the country.
Through Red Planet Hotels? newly established and JASDAQ ? listed subsidiary ? Red Planet Japan Inc.,(3350:JP) ? the company will make an initial JPY10 billion (USD100 million) investment over the next six years, establishing a platform to grow the Tune Hotels network in north Asia.
From its Tokyo headquarters, Red Planet Japan will implement its pledge to open 20 hotels by 2020 for which a number of sites have already been confirmed in and around Tokyo and other major Japanese cities. Red Planet Japan?s first hotel under the Tune Hotels flag opened in Naha, Okinawa last year.
The investment further cements Red Planet Hotels ? the largest franchisee and the second largest shareholder (17%) of the Tune Hotels brand ? as the major vehicle to grow the marquee value hotel brand across Asia.
?We are already open in Naha on Okinawa and very soon we will have a network in key locations across Japan. We have made a significant investment already to fund our expansion in Japan and are fully committed to bringing a well-established international hotel brand to the country?s travel and tourism landscape.
?Our vision to have 20 hotels in Japan by 2020 is crystal clear as the year will be a significant milestone for the country when it hosts the thirty-second Summer Olympics.?
Mr Hansing added that Red Planet Hotels is actively exploring expansion into other north Asian countries, including South Korea and Taiwan.
As of?January 16, 2014, Red Planet Hotels is the sole owner and operator of 18 Tune Hotels with 2,789 rooms across Japan, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia and it has a further 12 hotels under construction in those countries.
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