Minimalist Japanese homeware and interiors brand Muji has branched into hotels. Following the opening of properties in Beijing and Shenzhen in China in 2018, it is unveiling a 79-room hotel in Tokyo’s upmarket Ginza district on April 4, 2019.

Described as “anti-gorgeous, anti-cheap”, the Muji Hotel Ginza will “reflect the brand’s philosophy of promoting a pleasant life, minimalist aesthetic and good design”, it said in a statement. Stays will start from ¥14,900 (£103).

The modest interiors (measuring 14 sqm to 52 sqm) will feature natural materials such as wood and stone, as well as upcycled products and traditional Japanese textiles. There will be nine types of “elongated” rooms facing windows, including options with tatami (Japanese straw floor covering) and bunk beds.Muji Hotel GinzaStandard amenities will include a toothbrush and paste, shaver, shower cap, cotton pads, cotton buds, shampoo, conditioner, body soap, hand soap, refrigerator, safe, electric kettle, hair dryer and wifi.

Unlike most hotels that have “dynamic pricing”, which sees rates go up during busy periods, prices at Muji hotels remain the same throughout the year, regardless of seasons and holidays. Globetrender applauds this transparency and consistency. Reservations will also only be possibly through the Muji website.

The company says this is to support Muji’s “commitment to fairness and affordable living, as the hotel aims to become a base for visitors to enjoy a deeper immersion in Ginza and Japanese culture”.

The hotel will also have restaurant – WA – on the sixth floor, a specialist cocktail café, a lower ground diner, a library and the multi-purpose Atelier. Muji says it will have two galleries the exhibitions of craftwork and design, a salon where people can talk over coffee, a library and a lounge for events.

The Muji Hotel Ginza will open alongside a new global flagship Muji store in the same tower (hotel rooms will occupy the 7th to 10th floors), where some of the products found in the rooms will be available to buy.

In this way, the hotel operates as a kind of showroom for the brand, allowing people to engage in a more intimate way with Muji merchandise before buying it to take home.

Muji isn’t the only homeware company to launch a hotel concept. Made.com has a hotel in New York and a converted barge in London called the Boathouse, while West Elm is opening hotels in Indianapolis and Detroit in 2020.

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