Japan - Japanese Hotel Websites

Why do the Japanese get so much better, personalized hotel websites than the English speakers?

For example, Hilton Tokyo in English (which looks the same as any particular Hilton hotel website):
http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/tokyo/hilton-tokyo-hotel-TYOHITW/index.html

And that same hotel's website in Japanese:
http://hiltontokyo.jp/

More descriptive, more elegant, more timely, way better in every way. And pretty much every major chain hotel in Japan has its own site done this way.

Do the Japanese demand such higher quality? Or is the rest of the world just lazy? :p

I would guess the hotels are delegating Japanese language website development to a local team, whereas the English pages are based on templates created by teams in the US or Europe for "universal applicability". The templates are populated with the same checklist of information whether the hotel is in the Carribean or on the Ginza. Unfortunately, a template designed to be equally applicable to every situation ends up being mediocre in many situations.

I've noticed that phenomenon even on the websites of purely Japanese hotels and chains.

For example, I needed to be in Kobe for a meeting the day after flying into KIX a few years ago. I looked at the English-language website for the Sannomiya Terminal Hotel (a JR hotel), and it had very little information. The Japanese-language website explained all the different discount plans, including special plans for business travelers, couples, and women, a description of the breakfast buffet, and links to the other JR hotels, among other things.

I would guess the hotels are delegating Japanese language website development to a local team, whereas the English pages are based on templates created by teams in the US or Europe for "universal applicability". The templates are populated with the same checklist of information whether the hotel is in the Carribean or on the Ginza. Unfortunately, a template designed to be equally applicable to every situation ends up being mediocre in many situations.

Also, that local team probably isn't asked about their English language skills. The hotel could go out and hire high-quality translators and have the entire site translated but this would likely be seen as an unnecessary expense (the costs of having a poor website are almost never considered).

Also, that local team probably isn't asked about their English language skills. The hotel could go out and hire high-quality translators and have the entire site translated but this would likely be seen as an unnecessary expense (the costs of having a poor website are almost never considered).

Even companies with good measurement practices that have quantified the benefits of improving content on local websites struggle to find the right balance between (a) establishing global standards that convey the brand in a consistent way and adhere to best practices in usability vs. (b) giving local subsidiaries the freedom to do things in the way they see fit.

I've noticed that phenomenon even on the websites of purely Japanese hotels and chains.

Yes. Ironically (from my perspective as a Toyoko Inn hater), Toyoko is one of the few Japanese chains that seems to have really invested in its English language web presence. [Don't get me wrong, the design is an abomination for all sorts of reasons but I'm praising the fact that the content is available in English and several other languages].

If only I could see evidence that the firm had reformed itself since it was exposed for discrimination and ignoring building codes to increase profits at the expense of guest safety, I might actually recommend it to foreign tourists.

Sigh ...

Why do the Japanese get so much better, personalized hotel websites than the English speakers?

Apparently, Hyatt has taken notice. Unfortunately, they got the message ack-basswards, as instead of making their English sites as nice as the Japanese sites, starting this month, they have taken down all of their nice Japanese sites and forward the user to the lame English design with Japanese text.

For example, Hyatt Regency Tokyo before (http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:JNja2rJLTTIJ:www.hyattregencytokyo. com/+tokyo+regency+hyatt&cd=9&hl=en) and after (http://www.hyattregencytokyo.com/).