OSAKA -- The Waldorf Astoria, Hilton's iconic hotel brand, plans to make its Japan debut with an outpost in Osaka as early as 2024.
With the move, Hilton joins other luxury hoteliers racing to project their presence in Osaka, ahead of the World Expo to be held in the city in 2025.
The hotel will cater to well-heeled tourists and business travelers with about 250 rooms atop a 39-story high-rise going up in the Umekita Second Zone, an urban redevelopment project on the north side of JR Osaka Station.
The Umekita Second Zone is scheduled to open partially in the summer of 2024 with offices and commercial facilities first, followed by the entire area in fiscal 2027.
Osaka is set to welcome more international hotel chains seeking to cash in on demand generated by the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025, as well as post-pandemic opportunities for the development of integrated resorts with casinos, according to an analyst.
The Waldorf Astoria will be joined in Osaka City by another hotel expected to be built by a separate foreign company and Hankyu Hanshin Holdings. Canadian-owned Four Seasons is scheduled to open a hotel in the Dojima district in 2024, and the Marriott International already opened the doors of its W Osaka hotel in the Shinsaibashi district in March.
Founded in New York in 1893, the Waldorf Astoria has expanded to more than 30 locations around the world, including Hawaii and Shanghai.
The hotel also has plans to open its first Tokyo foray in the Nihonbashi district in 2026.
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