Japan hotel chain rebrands Holiday Inn

Japan hotel chain Solare Hotels & Resorts Co., Ltd. will expand its Avanshell hotel brand by rebranding the Holiday Inn in Kyoto, the cultural capital of Japan. Kyoto is home to a number of World Heritage sites, Buddhist temples and Shinto Shrines, as well as traditional Japanese gardens and Geisha. As of January 1st, 2011, the city will also be home to the Hotel Avanshell Kyoto. Kyoto is a must-visit destination in Japan, as it provides a unique mix of culture and sophistication that cannot be experienced anywhere else.

The Hotel Avanshell Kyoto, (formerly known as the Holiday Inn Kyoto) will be the second in the Avanshell brand, after the Hotel Avanshell Akasaka in Tokyo. Both properties are in excellent locations for exploring surrounding attractions. Avanshell Hotel Kyoto is located in a very picturesque area near the Kamogawa river, close to Ginkakuji (The Silver Pavilion) a prime location for sightseeing, shopping or business. Both Avanshell hotels provide a new type of affordable luxury, and are easily accessible to visitors from overseas, and of course Japanese tourists and businesspeople.

Solare Hotels & Resorts CEO and President A.G. Virili explains, “. Hotel Avanshell is a mid scale product fitting nicely between our Loisir full service offer and our Chisun budget lineup. Its larger than average rooms, meeting facilities and attractive food and beverage offers are pitched at international travelers, as well as families and small groups. We hope that guests who knew us as Holiday Inn Kyoto now will return to experience the revamped Hotel Avanshell Kyoto. We will be offering Avanshell brand as a franchise option as well, in order to roll out this brand in Japan.”

As of October 2010, Solare Hotels & Resorts Co. Ltd. and its almost 5,500 associates operate, franchise and asset-manage 75 hotels and 12,836 rooms throughout Japan, including Chisun brand hotels, eight Loisir hotels, Hotel Avanshell hotels, the Okinawa Marriott Resort & Spa, and the Kobe Bay Sheraton Hotel & Towers and the Mercure Hotel Narita.