Will establish an education & training program in Japan for overseas local staff

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hotel Okura Co., Ltd. (�Hotel Okura�) today announced it is entering into a partnership with Tokyo Management College, a leading practical vocational education institution in Chiba, Japan. Under the terms of the partnership, Tokyo Management College and Hotel Okura will establish a �Tourism and Hospitality Course� curriculum offering tourism and hospitality training at the college from April 2021.

Hotel Okura is additionally establishing an education and training program in Japan for its overseas local staff in cooperation with Tokyo Management College and Tokyo Masuda Culinary School, a professional chef training institute located in Edogawa-ku, Tokyo. This program aims to strengthen and enhance the group�s global human resources and will allow its hotel staff to study under the new Tourism and Hospitality Course curriculum. It will also allow chefs preparing Japanese cuisine at Okura group hotels around the world to take classes at Tokyo Masuda Culinary School.

Commented Toshihiro Ogita, president of Hotel Okura Co., Ltd., �We believe that this education and training program in Japan for our overseas local staff will help to significantly strengthen our provision of Japanese-style hospitality and authentic Japanese cuisine to customers in our group hotels around the world.�

Hotel Okura operates a total of 91 properties�53 in Japan and 38 overseas�including hotels scheduled to open in the near future. It aims to expand its portfolio to 110 hotels by increasing the number of overseas hotels to 50 by 2022.

The company�s core strategy governing its overseas expansion is to concentrate on developing businesses in specific countries and regions. It is currently promoting its so-called �5 x 5 Plan�, which is targeting to open five new hotels in five countries and regions. In order to support this expansion, it is essential for the company�s overseas staff to be trained to provide Japanese-style omotenashi hospitality and to offer the authentic Japanese restaurant experience that is a defining feature of our hotels.

Hotel Okura plans to invest a total of approximately 200 million yen (US$1.9m) over the next 10 years in the partnerships with Tokyo Management College and Tokyo Masuda Culinary School. The resulting study programs will help to promote cultural exchange between Japan and other countries.

Partnership with Tokyo Management College

From April 2021, a new two-year Okura-branded "Tourism and Hospitality Course" accommodating 40 students will be offered, complementing the college�s existing Department of Business and Child Education curricula. Hotel Okura will provide course content and instructors, and its group hotels will actively recruit students.

Hotel Okura will cover most of the tuition fees and related expenses of the Hospitality Service Program for 3 selected employees of its overseas hotels every year and those being hired by new hotels as they open. Subject to visa requirements and other regulations, we plan to provide opportunities to work at our flagship hotel, The Okura Tokyo, and other hotels in our group in Japan, with the aim of providing students with more practical knowledge and skills.

Partnership with Tokyo Masuda Culinary School

Tokyo Masuda Culinary School will provide cooking tuition in small group classes. Hotel Okura will cover most of the tuition fees and related expenses of the Japanese Cuisine Program for 3-5 selected young chefs in our overseas group hotels every year, allowing them to acquire advanced Japanese cooking skills. This program will prepare them to play a key role supporting Japanese head chefs in Okura Hotels� famed �Yamazato� restaurants as well as in Hotel Nikko�s �Benkay� restaurants overseas.

About Tokyo Management College

Founded in April 1992 in Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture, Tokyo Management College has its roots in the Murata Bookkeeping School. It has been a pioneer in the field of bookkeeping and accounting since its establishment, following the educational philosophy of "yusanshasho�, which maintains that results will come naturally to those who look ahead, plan ahead and continue to work hard. The college prioritizes practical career education, and even today, around 80% of students in its Department of Business obtain bookkeeping qualifications before graduating.

SOSHI GAKUEN Incorporated, which assumed responsibility for management of the college in 2016, is an educational group that establishes and operates universities, vocational colleges and high schools across Japan. It has also its own educational institutions and local offices in other countries, including New Zealand, Vietnam and the U.S. (Hawaii) and has a remarkable track record training global human resources capable of performing in the global market. In 2017, the college established a Department of Child Education to meet the need in Japan for trained childcare providers from neighboring regions.

In addition, there are always about 50 international students enrolled in the Global Study Center, a separate program for overseas students, with the college encouraging the enrollment of students from Europe and the United States as well as from Asia. The college actively cooperates with educational institutions in other countries and will arrange a short-term overseas study program with the Lausanne Hotel School, a prestigious hotel school in Switzerland.

About Tokyo Masuda Culinary School

The College was founded in 1940 as a fashion institute in Shin-Koiwa, Edogawa ward, Tokyo; in 1961 it became a fully-fledged school known as Tokyo Masuda College. In 1967, a culinary institute was established there which evolved into the �Tokyo Masuda Culinary School� in 1976. The college provides education in life�s three essentials: �clothing�, �food� and �housing� under the motto "Give First"; it prioritizes the training of people to respond to the changes of the times while learning basic cooking techniques. Tokyo Masuda Culinary School is now a core part of Tokyo Masuda College.

About Hotel Okura Co., Ltd.

Hotel Okura Co., Ltd., founded in 1958, opened its flagship Hotel Okura Tokyo (now The Okura Tokyo) in 1962. Hotel Okura has extensive expertise in the hospitality world, including asset ownership and hotel development, as well as hotel management, the restaurant business and chain operations through its subsidiaries and other group companies. The brand unites member hotels under its �Best Accommodation, Cuisine and Service� philosophy to ensure that all guests enjoy Okura�s signature hospitality, which combines Japanese attention to detail and Western functionality. The subsidiary Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co., Ltd. operates 78 properties (52 in Japan and 26 overseas) encompassing some 24,350 guest rooms (as of August 17, 2020) under three hotel groups: Okura Hotels & Resorts, Nikko Hotels International and Hotel JAL City. Please visit www.okura.com

Contacts

Media Contacts
Ms. Ikuko Arai, Mr. Ryutaro Suzuki

Public Relations

Hotel Okura Co., Ltd.

Phone: +81 (0)3 6685 8994

E-mail: [email protected]