"An Enduring Spirit of Hospitality" The redevelopment of Osaka Marubiru, a building that holds landmark status in Osaka, will express the appreciation and hopes for the future of all the hotel staff who have welcomed so many of our guests.

A woman who works at the Osaka Dai-ichi Hotel in Osaka Marubiru well remembers the first time she saw the building as a child. Being a young girl, she walked with her mother through the city at dusk. Then, on the road in the distance, what come into view was a round structure. It was the first round building the girl had ever seen.

“Mother, what’s that?” she asked. Her mother replied, “That’s Osaka Marubiru. There’s a hotel inside.”
“What shape are the rooms?” she again asked her mother, who answered, “Well, I suppose they’re shaped like a piece of shortcake cut from a round cake.”

At first sight this round building strikes an unforgettable image, and just like cake it fills hearts with happiness. It boasts a hotel, restaurants and cafes, and even a chapel. During the bubble economy it was where the disco craze first ignited in Japan, with women dressing in dazzling tight-fitting attire and men in stylish suits. There was also a world-class CD shop, and when a public radio recording of a popular artist was held to celebrate the anniversary of its opening, the streets from JR Osaka Station to Osaka Marubiru were packed with people.

From its completion until today, Osaka Marubiru has been a place that left indelible memories in the minds of people. It has seen countless stories of love and romance come to life, chatting friends and families, business guests arrive and travelers depart. Based on such 46 years of memories, Osaka Marubiru will be redeveloped in 2023. After being utilized as a bus terminal for the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan , from 2030 it will be reborn as a new landmark.

“Osaka Marubiru to Be Redeveloped” was an announcement met with great lament on television and SNS.

The hotel has become a destination for multitudes making visits “before it closes,” and when one guest commented that “I’ve been coming here for decades since I attended its opening ribbon-cutting ceremony,” Manager Kitai bowed her head in gratitude. General Manager Abe also became fraught with emotion when an elderly couple told him, “We had our wedding here 45 years ago, and we came to see it one last time.”

Abe and Kitai also hold dear such conversations with guests in their daily duties on the front desk. When asked for restaurant recommendations, they would introduce places that they themselves enjoyed visiting, saying, “The food there is delicious.” When checking a guest in, and the guest’s companion stands in the background looking around, they ask, “Are you looking for something? The washroom?” Trying to be attentive to guests’ behavior and feelings, they act nonchalantly while attending with close care.

This attention is also offered to the staff. Kitai was concerned that she was “causing troubles” for others as she often took off work after maternity leave when her child came down with a fever. But those around her said, “No worries! That’s just the way children are.”

Empathy for others has been nurtured through the company’s educational policy. Hotel guests are considered “external customers,” while employees are thought of as “internal customers” who are taught that “without a sense of employee value and courtesy, you cannot take care of hotel guests.” Abe is proud to say, “This company has excellent teamwork,” and he believes that such an atmosphere is conveyed to guests as well.

Kitai, for her part, has learned that “valuing internal customers also makes for a quite comfortable workplace.” The people who work here will continue to place importance on relationships of trust with staff, no matter what kind of workplace they transfer to in the future.

Chief Chef Ihara came to Osaka Dai-ichi Hotel after many years of honing his skills in restaurants and hotels. When he was at other restaurants, he was a devoted craftsman in pursuit of gourmet cuisine, but since coming here, he says that while taste is of course vital, his “first priority has become giving guests a delightful experience.”

If there is a social gathering for a banquet or anniversary, the sales representatives will ask about the purpose of the get together and the customers’ preferences, and then we create a menu. We will also think about staging a surprise production. In the past we have served a basketball-themed cake for a basketball team’s graduation appreciation party, and a tennis court-style cake for a tennis club’s get together.

Also enjoyable was the development of new menu items at the buffet restaurant that had not operated since the COVID-19 pandemic. The entire staff considered servings and made menu boards. On the first day, there was a stream of happy faces on customers gazing at the buffet table dishes. Yes, we wanted to see such happy faces.

On Children’s Day one year, we lent the children chef’s coats and hats for a photo shoot. It was then that one of the children turned to Ihara and said with a big smile, “Cooks are cool.” All the hard work had paid off.

For a chef, the highest compliment is to be told “it was delicious.” However, Ihara has learned here an even more satisfying expression, which is, “Thank you. What a memorable experience this has been!” His hope is that in 2030, even after the hotel is reborn as a new facility, that it will “inherit the hospitality that the Osaka Dai-ichi Hotel has offered to its guests.”

Housekeeping, which maintains comfortable guest rooms, is a vital job that influences guests’ impressions of the hotel. Nakamachi of the Guest Rooms Management Section leads a large staff that works diligently every day.

There are 460 guest rooms, and the tension rises even on days when all room cleaning is completed on schedule. But not every day goes smoothly. The 2018 earthquake in northern Osaka Prefecture registered an intensity of just under 6 on the Japanese seismic scale, as measured in the immediate vicinity. Fortunately, the hotel suffered no damage, although the elevators stopped right before 8:00 in the morning. Work, however, goes on 365 days a year. The cleaning staff climbed the stairs from the backyard on the third below ground floor to the holding area floors, the highest of which was the 29th floor. The front desk staff also broke a sweat by carrying customers’ suitcases.

Some people took notice of these behind-the-scenes activities. Having returned to guests by mail their forgotten items, Nakamachi treasures the thank-you letters they sent. One guest with a leg injury sent a three-page letter of appreciation for the support received while staying at the hotel, and reading that caused Nakamachi to well up with emotion. Since he is usually an unknown behind-the-scenes worker, being addressed as “Dear Mr. Nakamachi” as an acknowledgement of his efforts filled his heart with appreciation.

I wanted to see how a guest who always reserves the same room felt, so I went to check the guest room. Looking out the window was a night view of the cityscape skyline and Osaka Bay in the distance. Although I had been working at the hotel for many years, it was, conversely, the guest that taught me of the hotel’s charms that had been unknown to me.

He has worked like this in the Guest Rooms Management Section for eight years, and during this time has welcomed a total of 1.8 million guests. Nakamachi smiled happily as he recalled, “By tidying up guest rooms we were able to contribute to the creation of memories for 1.8 million guests.”

The girl who was surprised to see a round building for the first time grew up to work in a round cake-shaped tower. This is General Manager Yamamoto who oversees general affairs and human resources.

Some have entered into the hotel industry with the round building guiding their way. Tanaka, who works at security in the Safety Management Section, took the entrance exam, saying, “When you think about famous buildings in Osaka, what comes to mind is Osaka Marubiru,” and he has also served in sales and at the front desk.

Just as with these the two people, many are familiar with the Osaka Marubiru and Osaka Dai-ichi Hotel because of the uniquely shaped building, but the essence of their value is “human hospitality.”

Yamamoto was delighted when an overseas guest who was staying for an extended period commented, “This place is like my home. Whenever I was out and about, I couldn’t wait to get back.” This spirit of hospitality had made a difference.

Tanaka still holds in his heart the words of a guest who told him, “I come to stay here because of Mr. Tanaka.” Tanaka, who loves people and always makes an extra heartfelt effort to serve, has made relationships with many guests in his long career with the company. This is embodied by the baseball bat given to him by the Central League players at their victory celebration held at the hotel.

In the past we have presented awards to recognize such outstanding employees – those who have an exceptional memory when it comes to the names of repeat guests and employees who have implemented systems that enhance guest convenience, for example. All vectors are directed toward guest satisfaction and happiness. Even if Osaka Marubiru looks differently after being reconstructed, it will remain etched in people’s memories and their remembrances will be passed on to the future.

Filled with the pride that comes from 46 years of affinity to “individuals, communities, and people’s lifestyles,” we will again welcome our guests at the new building, which is to be reborn following the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan . Now, with thoughts that range from fond memories of the past to the promise of the future, we extend our thanks, and hope to meet you here again.