IHG Hotels & Resorts Brings Vignette Collection’s Stays To Japan

Vignette Collection Comes to Japan

IHG Hotels & Resorts has launched its collection brand in Japan by rebranding the RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka, now the first hotel in Japan included in IHG’s Vignette Collection. Enhancing its reputation as one of the city’s most notable and historic hotels, RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka, Vignette Collection provides a fresh guest experience tailored for today’s discerning travelers, promising unique stays in a memorable setting.

The RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka, part of the Vignette Collection, is in Nakanoshima, renowned as the “City of Water.” This area exemplifies the around-the-clock allure of the international city of Osaka. Since opening its doors in 1935, the RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka has focused on fostering an environment conducive to global and cultural exchanges, hosting foreign dignitaries, royal families, and distinguished VIPs among its guests.

Following a major renovation, RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka, part of the Vignette Collection, reveals over 1,000 newly remodeled rooms, including an impressive 700m suite. The hotel also features 18 distinct restaurants and bars, a fitness center, and extensive event facilities with 56 banquet rooms. Additionally, world-famous Japanese fashion designer Junko Koshino has been chosen to create the new uniforms for hotel staff.

RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka recently staged a unique interpretation of the classic ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate its grand opening as a Vignette Collection hotel. The event showcased a distinctive Japanese tenugui hand towel, dyed with the traditional Osaka “Chusen” method, which involves pouring dye onto fabric to create color. This tenugui, inspired by the rivers of Nakanoshima, represented the establishment of a long-lasting partnership between RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka and IHG Hotels & Resorts as they begin their mutual journey toward a global future.

Abhijay Sandilya, Managing Director – Japan & Micronesia for IHG Hotels & Resorts, and CEO of IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan, said: “We are thrilled to officially introduce Vignette Collection as our 10th brand in Japan, marking a significant milestone in our rapidly expanding portfolio. RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka perfectly embodies Vignette Collection, a brand that is on track to achieve 100 hotels globally within its first decade. The hotel exemplifies the true spirit of a collection brand— offering its own unique identity while sharing a common vision of providing travellers with an authentic, one-of-a-kind experience, all enhanced by the advantages of IHG One Rewards.”

Just three years after being introduced to IHG’s premier luxury and lifestyle portfolio, the Vignette Collection has already exceeded the halfway mark towards its goal of 100 open and pipeline hotels within a decade. At the heart of the Vignette Collection is the harmony of individuality and community. Each property in the Vignette Collection showcases its own unique identity while sharing a common vision of providing a more genuine travel experience.

Vignette Collection merges the distinct identities of each property with the brand’s overarching vision, creating a more genuine travel experience. While each property stands out on its own, they are connected by essential elements like‘Memorable Rituals’ and ‘A Means For Good. '

Memorable Rituals – celebrate each Vignette Collection property’s unique identity, providing purposeful and meaningful travel encounters that connect guests with the hotel’s cultural landscape. RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka, Vignette Collection embraces Japanese tea culture, music, and entertainment, inviting guests to experience “Furumai-cha”. This traditional tea ritual is accompanied by a majestic rendition of Japanese classical music, performed on a Steinway & Sons SPIRIO piano and is held daily in the hotel’s Main Lounge every afternoon from 3-5 pm.

A Means For Good initiative sees each Vignette Collection hotel partner with a chosen non-profit organisation, working in partnership to spearhead positive contributions to the local ecosystem across responsibility, community, and locality. RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka, Vignette Collection will support secondary and high school students in need with educational activities to promote their self-development.

Earlier this year, Vignette Collection formed a global alliance with the World Literacy Foundation to aid its mission of eliminating illiteracy by 2040. This partnership enhances the brand’s commitment to philanthropy, aligning with each hotel’s A Means For Good initiative. While every Vignette Collection property boasts its own distinctive narrative, they collectively function as a library of hotels, sharing a unified vision to leverage travel for the benefit of communities and individuals.

In the last five years, strategic acquisitions and new brand introductions have significantly enhanced IHG’s Luxury & Lifestyle presence. The portfolio has grown from a single brand to six, encompassing over 500 properties across 70+ countries, establishing IHG’s collection as one of the largest globally.

The Vignette Collection, IHG’s inaugural collection brand, showcases a selection of unique hotels that emphasize diversity and exploration. It provides an attractive opportunity for distinctive hotel owners to leverage IHG’s extensive enterprise offerings and global presence while allowing guests to explore fascinating individual properties that reveal the exceptional benefits of IHG One Rewards.