KUALA LUMPUR: Low Yat Group’s development Shiki Niseko on Hokkaido Island in Japan has teamed up with Japanese hot spring hotel Moku No Sho by established Japanese resort provider Tsuruga Group to mutually promote their establishments and tourism on the island.

According to its executive director Low Su Ming, Shiki Niseko is fully sold and buyers are made up of individuals and a private equity fund, which the group did not  reveal at the time of writing. Low announced the collaboration at a press conference on Wednesday.

Shiki Niseko is located in the district of Niseko in the heart of Hirafu Village. It opened its doors in January 2013 and is about a two-hour drive from New Chitose Airport. Tsuruga Group has 11 resorts in Hokkaido, with the latest being Moku No Sho, which opened its doors in June last year.

Low said Fairlane Hospitality, under Low Yat’s hospitality division, has knowledge of the international market and Asian lifestyles, and as such, will be able to provide all the necessary arrangements for those wishing to enjoy their holiday at Niseko.

The Tsuruga Group’s international sales desk and overseas guest relations manager Kensuke Takada said, “In our collaboration, I want all customers to enjoy the spirit of Japan in Niseko and at the same time, we want to offer modern and Japanese traditional hospitality.”

Kensuke said that in the future, the collaboration between Shiki Niseko and the other hotels of the Tsuruga Group in Hokkaido may be extended.

The ¥5.6 billion (RM178.7 million) Shiko boasts 68 fully furnished 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom apartments, from levels two to six. Typical units range from 624 to 1,636 sq ft, while the penthouses are between 990 and 1,367 sq ft. Commercial and retail outlets as well as the front desk are located on the ground floor.

(From left) Tsuruga Group executive Masahito Ohnishi, Low, Tsuruga Group general manager Nozomi Ohnishi and Takada will work together to promote both Shiki Niseko and the Moku No Sho hotel in Niseko.


This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on April 25, 2014.