In Japan, IHG-ANA Hotels Group Japan was established in 1964 as a joint venture with ANA to operate the ANA InterContinental, ANA Crowne Plaza, and ANA Holiday Inn hotel brands in Japan. As of September 2025, the company operates 57 hotels (15,305 rooms) under 10 brands.
IHG is a global hotel group with 20 hotel brands and over 6,800 hotels and resorts in more than 100 countries and regions worldwide, with over 2,300 properties under development. Its corporate philosophy is True Hospitality for Good, and its loyalty program, IHG One Rewards, is one of the largest in the world with 145 million members.
A press conference on the project was held on December 18 at the InterContinental Hotel Osaka, with a presentation by Abhijay Sandilia, Managing Director of IHG Hotels & Resorts Japan & Micronesia and CEO of IHG-ANA Hotels Group Japan. Mr. Abhijay Sandilia, Managing Director of IHG Hotels & Resorts Japan & Micronesia and CEO of IHG ANA Hotel Group Japan, gave a presentation.
The Holiday Inn Resort in Sakurajima has 327 rooms, a kids’ club, a kids’ pool, and free breakfast for children 12 and under. It is a place for the whole family to enjoy.
The Holiday Inn brand currently operates 1,242 hotels, with 291 scheduled to open, making it the largest brand in the world, according to Sandilia. Holiday Inn, which was born in the United States, first opened in Kyoto in 1973. Although the brand had to withdraw from the market for a time after that, it is reviving the brand in Kyoto, its place of origin, in 2025.
Kimpton is a boutique-style hotel brand created in San Francisco in 1981. Currently 83 hotels in 70 countries are in operation, with 64 scheduled to open. Sakurajima will be the second hotel in Japan, following Kimpton Tokyo Shinjuku. According to Sandilia, the hotel will offer special experiences, including a very unique rooftop specialty restaurant.
The Sakurajima project is a fun hotel with its proximity to USJ, Japanese-style baths, rooftop pool, and meeting and event space,” said Sandilia. It will provide a new and different experience for InterContinental guests.
The hotel has become a favorite among tourists and businessmen who prefer luxury, with the opening of the InterContinental Sapporo in 2025 as the first foreign-affiliated hotel in Sapporo.
InterContinental Hotels is one of the world’s largest luxury hotels, operating 237 hotels in 70 countries as of September 30, 2025, with 102 scheduled to open. 2026 will mark the 80th anniversary of the company’s founding.
This is IHG’s first “triple-brand” hotel development in Japan and the largest-ever for a new hotel. The groundbreaking ceremony for this project has already taken place, and development has begun by Sakurajima Kaihatsu (funded by Kajima Corporation, Japan Post Real Estate, SMFL Mirai Partners, and Keihanshin Building).
The new hotel to be opened in Sakurajima, Osaka, will be adjacent to USJ, with a total of three brands opening simultaneously: InterContinental Hotels & Resorts in one of two buildings, and Kimpton and Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts in the other.
Sandilia: “We also want to contribute to the revitalization and growth of the region.”
Mr. Sandilia said that IHG is one of the largest international hotel companies in the Osaka area. The following is a summary of excerpts from Mr. Sandilia’s presentation and the Q&A session that followed.
IHG operates 10 hotels and 7 brands in Osaka (as of September 2025). 2025 was the year of the Osaka-Kansai Expo, and IHG supported the event by becoming a sponsoring and supporting partner of the UK Pavilion, and we believe we were able to contribute to the Expo in some small way.
I believe that this new project will give new hope to the western area of Osaka: the IR will start in 2030, and our hotel will open in 2029. Besides that, various developments are underway in Yumeshima and Sakurajima: the IR is coming, more and more entertainment is coming, and there will be a theme park (USJ). Of course, there will also be more business opportunities such as international conferences. I believe that the opening of the hotel will stimulate these activities, which will revitalize not only Osaka but also the entire Kansai region. More and more customers from various segments will come to this location, including not only domestic customers but also overseas customers.
With the opening of the Sakurajima hotel, I believe we will be able to offer our guests a variety of ways to enjoy their stay. For example, if you are looking for traditional luxury, stay at the InterContinental; if you want something a little different, stay at the Kimpton, a lifestyle brand; or bring your family and stay at the Holiday Inn, where you can go to a conference while they enjoy USJ. I think it is a unique place to stay. Of course, it would also be the perfect place to experience the “blager” (a coined word combining Business and Leisure) that has spread around the world since the Corona Disaster, where you can work during the week and enjoy the theme parks on your days off.
We can also contribute a lot to the community through this project. Statistics show that one out of every ten people working in Japan is involved in the tourism industry. We can create new jobs for them and give them a chance to develop their careers.
We are very honored to be able to participate in this project. We will do our best to responsibly provide excellent hotels, contribute to the revitalization and growth of the region, and contribute to the Japanese government’s tourism goals for 2030 (60 million foreign visitors to Japan and 15 trillion yen in travel spending)”.
© Source travel watch