AlwaysAisle

The area west of Nishitetsu Fukuoka station, next to Nishitetsu Grand Hotel once stood an elementary school. The ground once stood an elementary school was left as an open field by the city to be used for emergency situations.

Now the city of Fuluoka has decided to redevelop this open space. Joint between Sekisui House and Nishitetsu (railway company) will redevelop the land. The plan submitted by Sekisui House and Nishitetsu indicated that one of occupants of the building will be the Ritz-Carlton hotel.

If the plan goes then this will be fifth the Ritz-Carlton in Japan after Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Okinawa.

Aventine

http://www.fukuoka-now.com/en/news/ritz-carlton-hotel-might-open-in-tenjin/

Here's a link with the rendering. About time Fukuoka got a real luxury hotel

DJ_Iceman

I don't know... I stayed at the Grand Hyatt about 20 years ago and thought it was pretty swank. I was impressed that the in-room TVs and sound systems, even in a run-of-the-mill room were Bang & Olufsen.

Aventine

It might have been state of the art then but the owners didn't maintain the place. Light renovations only.

Nagasaki Joe

It probably still passes for a luxury hotel in Fukuoka, but it has aged a bit. Lots of nice restaurants in the building and nearby. I stayed there this past May and rooms were not bad, but it is aging. Fukuoka needs something swankier. I also noted that the St. Regis, along with the Ritz-Carlton, was listed as a possible occupant of the new property. I can't imagine them both wanting to operate hotels in the same building.

Nagasaki Joe

More information was released in 2019 about the new Ritz-Carlton planned for Fukuoka, but I only just saw it today. I couldn't find anything about this on FF, so I'm posting it here. There are even some artist renderings in the release. Construction started a year ago, completion is expected in Dec. 2022, and the grand opening is planned for early 2023. I've seen a few press releases online about this hotel, but there is no mention of a Club Lounge, so it may not have one.
https://www.sekisuihouse.co.jp/libra.../20190708e.pdf

Nagasaki Joe

According to a second press release, the Ritz-Carlton Fukuoka will have a club lounge. The pertinent quote in the release is that it will offer "the legendary Ritz-Carlton Club experience." Good news for many, but especially for those of us with the Chase RC Rewards Card and its thee annual club upgrade certificates. I expect this could be a cat. 6 hotel, but certainly not higher than a cat. 7.
https://www.eglobaltravelmedia.com.a...62-room-hotel/

nexusCFX

Terrific news. No club lounge at Nikko and Kyoto makes me sad.

Nagasaki Joe

I was in Fukuoka this week and decided to take a look at the Ritz-Carlton Fukuoka's location and its construction status since it was not far from where I was staying. Below is a photo of the only information about the new building that I could find at the site. As the photos show, construction is at a very early stage (it appears they are still preparing the building's foundation) and the press release link below states that construction began on July 8, 2019 and is expected to be completed by December 2022, with the Ritz-Carlton opening in Spring of 2023. Actually, I would of thought that construction would be further along after nearly a year and a half, but they had to tear down an existing elementary school to clear the site, which probably took time, or the pandemic might have delayed construction. What's interesting is that there is a large hotel (Nishitetsu Grand Hotel) right next to the construction site, but probably not a competitor to Ritz-Carlton at the luxury end of the market. The block the hotel is located on is nothing special (there are few shops or restaurants), but it is not far from Tenjin Station (3 stops from Hakata Station), so there are large department stores, restaurants and plenty of shops within a short walking distance. The release also states that the hotel is a 15-minute walk from Hakata Station.
https://www.sekisuihouse.co.jp/libra.../20190708e.pdf

Building diagram and information posted at construction site

Construction cranes and large hotel next door

claimui

I'm certainly not the most experienced or knowledgeable about Fukuoka, but I've been to Hakata and Tenjin (and Canal City in between), and there is no way you could walk that distance in 15 minutes. You'd be lucky to make it in 15 minutes by car, given the traffic.

skywalkerLAX

20 years ago... LOL!

Nagasaki Joe

I think you're right. The Grand Hyatt Fukuoka, which is located at about the halfway point between Hakata and Tenjin, claims to be a 10-minute walk from Hakata Station (though for some it might be closer to 15 minutes), so it's really at least a 20-minute walk to Tenjin and then another 5-minute walk to the new Ritz-Carlton Hotel site, for a total of at least 25 minutes.

Nagasaki Joe

I visited Fukuoka in August and decided to check the progress of construction of the new Ritz-Carlton Fukuoka since I was staying close by at the Grand Hyatt. It took just under 30 minutes to walk from the Grand Hyatt to the Ritz-Carlton, which is in the Tenjin area on Meiji-Dori. As can be seen from the photos above and below, a great deal of construction progress has been made and the building is scheduled to be completed by December 2022 with the grand opening of the Ritz-Carlton planned for March 2023. The new building's website is: fukuoka-dgc.jp

The hotel is much more physically imposing than I expected based on the artist renderings I had seen. The Ritz-Carlton will be located on the top 17 to 24 floors of the new Daimyo Garden City Building. According to a previous press release, each guest room will be at least 50 sqm (538 sqf) in size. This marks the first Western-style high-end luxury hotel in Fukuoka. It will be interesting to see if the Four Seasons and other luxury hotels eventually follow the Ritz into the underserved luxury hotel market in Fukuoka. Below is an excerpt from a press release that describes the new hotel’s facilities.

“The lobby of The Ritz-Carlton, Fukuoka will be located on the first floor of the building, with front-of-house facilities, 162 guest rooms and suites occupying the 18th to 24th floors offering stunning views of the city skyline in addition to the legendary Ritz-Carlton Club experience. The hotel will feature six food and beverage outlets, including all-day dining, specialty restaurants, a boutique patisserie as well as The Bar & Lounge where guests can enjoy memorable evenings with expertly crafted cocktails and drinks. A ballroom and two meeting rooms will make perfect venues for meetings and special events. The hotel will also feature a chapel for romantic weddings and other celebrations. An indoor swimming pool, a fitness centre and the acclaimed The Ritz-Carlton SpaŽ will elevate guest experiences and create exceptional, unforgettable memories for visitors to Fukuoka.”


The New Daimyo Garden City Building that will house the Ritz-Carlton Fukuoka to open in March 2023


The Ritz-Carlton will be on the top 17-24 floors on both sides of the building

Front entrance to the building

New Daimyo Garden City Building on Meiji-Dori

Aventine

It's definitely going to be the market leader upon completion. Looks lightyears ahead of that tired Grand Hyatt.

purplezoe

Any idea when reservations will be accepted?