Case Study: Watermark Hotel Nagasaki

Successfully opening in July 2011, Watermark Hotel Nagasaki is the latest Resort & Spa to open under the Watermark brand.
Opening a hotel in Japan is a very clever move for if you possess knowledge of the domestic travel market in Japan. The Japanese are known for being great tourists and when they’re not travelling abroad they still love to sojourn to new places within their own country. At Watermark Hotel Nagasaki, Japanese visitors can still get the international experience without leaving their shores. Watermark Hotel Nagasaki is located within the iconic Dutch theme park Huis Ten Bosch, which you can imagine abounds in windmills and tulips. It’s a far cry from the cherry blossom-lined streets of Kyoto and Izakaya of Tokyo.

A stay at Watermark Hotel Nagasaki is as much an international experience for Japanese as it is for foreigners to Japan. The main premise for the hotels style is for an international experience for everyone. All services and facilities are in English. All the staff speak English, and the use of Japanese is minimal to provide an authentic international experience. Of course, first time visitors to Japan will be able to see iconic Japanese landmarks outside of the Huis Ten Bosch facility in surrounding Nagasaki.

One challenge for ensuring the Hotel is adequately prepared to cater to international visitors is staffing. Solving this challenge of Human Resources brought Watermark Hotel & Resort to JETRO Sydney where JETRO provided HR information and facilitated meetings for managers in Japan to discuss more specifically staffing, remuneration, taxation, insurance, housing for employees and other issues that needed to be worked out prior to the Hotels opening. English speaking staff is a must, but another criterion was appropriately experienced persons who can uphold and exceed the high standard of hospitality expected at a Watermark Hotel. Many of the staff were recruited in Australia and invited to work in Japan while many others were hired locally. JETRO Nakasaki was able to provide advice and support for Watermark Hotel to meet these deadlines and successful outcomes for their July Grand Opening.

The Watermark Hotel Group was formed in 1996 and since then has successively opened Watermark Hotel and Resort Gold Coast, Watermark Hotel Brisbane, Watermark Sapporo, and Watermark Hotel Nagasaki. Watermark Hotel Nagasaki is now fully open, welcoming guests from around the world.

Watermark Hotel Nagasaki is categorized as a 4.5 star urban resort hotel. Located 50 minutes from Nagasaki International Airport, 1 hour 45 minutes from Fukuoka International Airport, and is within the Huis Ten Bosch, Dutch oriented theme park.

Address: 7-9 Huis Ten Bosch-cho, Sasebo-shi, Nagasaki 859-3243 Japan
Inquiries, events and groups: sales@watermarkhotelngs.com
Reservations: res@watermarkhotelngs.com
Website: www.watermarkhotelnagasaki.com/