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Saturday, June 24, 2017, 11:11
Free smartphone service for hotel guests kicks off in Japan
By The Japan News/ANN
Saturday, June 24, 2017, 11:11 By The Japan News/ANN

A young girl uses her smart phone in Tokyo on Feb 10, 2015. (AFP PHOTO / Yoshikazu TSUNO)

TOKYO (The Japan News/ANN) - A free smartphone service for hotel guests that originated in Hong Kong will start in Japan in July, the service operator, handy Japan Co., announced early this month. 

The business model is the first of its kind in the nation, according to the company. The new service is apparently aimed at the rising number of foreign tourists and businesspeople visiting Japan.

The service, called “handy,” began in Hong Kong in 2012. It has since been introduced at more than 600 hotels across 17 nations and regions including Singapore, according to handy Japan. 

The Japanese operator is a startup jointly launched by Sharp Corp. and the Hong Kong-based company that offers the service internationally. The Japanese version will be launched at the Royal Park Hotel in Chuo Ward, Tokyo, on July 1.

With handy, smartphones on which users can enjoy unlimited internet access and international and domestic calls are placed in hotel rooms.

Handy Japan Co. CEO Hiro Katsuse, center, Yoshisuke Hasegawa of Sharp Corp., left, and Royal Park Hotel Co. GM Takashi Sasai present the handy smartphone service at a press conference in Tokyo on June 1, 2017. (The Japan News/ANN)

Guests can also use the smartphones outside of their hotel during their stay. The Sharp handset runs an operating system with English, Japanese and Chinese language settings. It provides information on nearby facilities and coupons for restaurants promoted by the hotel, and also advertizes local shops — depending on the time, place and user preferences.

The company charges hotels a mere ¥980 before tax per month for each device but expects to make a large profit from advertising. Additions such as more languages, including French and Korean, are another possible revenue source.

“Smartphones can be a regular [hotel] amenity like bottled water,” said Hiro Katsuse, chief executive officer of handy Japan. “With this highly advanced technology from Hong Kong and the quality of Sharp [products], we want to offer the best travel experience to visitors to Japan.”

The Royal Park Hotel will equip all 419 of its rooms with handy smartphones. Takashi Sasai, general manager of the hotel, said the smartphones can not only be an online “concierge,” but also promote the restaurants in the hotel. He said the smartphones could also help the hotel confirm the safety of guests in the event of a disaster.

According to the hotel, the percentage of guests who arrange travel schedules themselves has been rising over the past two or three years, compared to those who join guided tour groups. “These guests have to find information on their own. I think this service meets our guests’ needs,” Sasai said.

The hotel is considering removing the conventional telephones installed in each of its rooms and offering just the smartphones. Such a move would likely reduce costs.

Sharp expects the service to boost the value of its internet of things (IoT) business, in which home appliances and other devices are connected to the internet. The company envisages a system in which handy would be connected to air purifiers and other appliances installed in hotel rooms, said Yoshisuke Hasegawa, head of Sharp’s IoT communication unit.

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