Hotel Okura Vladivostok deal signals Russia-Japan commercial intent

Following the recent announcement of a new Okura hotel in Moscow, the Japanese company, Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co., Ltd., has underlined its ambitious plans for the Russian market with the news that it will open and manage the Hotel Okura Vladivostok in the second half of 2021. The Vladivostok project will be operated under an agreement with Russian joint stock company, MGK Zolotoi Rog signed on 29 December, 2020. Hotel Okura Vladivostok will be located near the Golden Bridge, a popular tourist attraction and will offer 221 guest rooms including 31 suites. There will be a restaurant serving Japanese cuisine and there will be a large banquet hall, an executive lounge and spa facilities. Vladivostok is a 2.5 hour flight from Tokyo and is considered Russia’s gateway to Eurasia. The city is the eastern starting point of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Toshihiro Ogita, president, Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co., Ltd., commented: “Russia is a promising market and Vladivostok is a symbol of the economic co-operation between Japan and Russia. We are very pleased that Hotel Okura was selected to operate a hotel in the city, and it is a great honour for us to help provide a bridge between our two countries.” Since August 2017, Japanese citizens have been able to visit the Russian coastal region that includes Vladivostok with just an electronic visa. As a result, the number of visitors from Japan rose to more than 20,000 in 2018, and in 2019, a further 35,000. Urban developer MGK Zolotoi Rog is part of En+ Group and was established in Vladivostok in June 2019. En+ Group is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is an Anglo-Russian energy and metals company –  one of the largest aluminium producers in the world. Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co., Ltd., operates 77 properties (52 in Japan and 25 overseas) encompassing some 23,898 guest rooms (as of January 1, 2021) under three hotel groups: Okura Hotels & Resorts, Nikko Hotels International and Hotel JAL City.