With Tokyo a front runner to host the 2016 Olympics and also juggling bids for both the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, BTN travelled to Japan to check out its sport tourism facilities, starting at the Conrad Tokyo, one of the capital’s newest and most vibrant hotels.

Conrad Tokyo is setting new standards for the growth industry of business, leisure and sports tourism. One of the capital’s newest and most vibrant hotels, Conrad Tokyo is well placed to play a dominant role in hospitality and business management should Tokyo successfully bid to host the 2016 Olympics.

On top of the 2016 Olympic aspirations, Japan is also juggling bids for both the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, as well as recent confirmation of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Breaking Travel News has travelled to Japan to see how this Asian destination can cater for the specific needs of business and sports travel whilst maintaining the subtlety and style of the Japanese character. Conrad Tokyo thrives on such notions, convincing us that Japan has every chance of winning all the sporting events it bids for.

Part of the prestigious Hilton family of hotels Conrad Tokyo boasts 290 guest rooms located within the boundaries of Tokyo’s business-centric Ginza district. Starting from the 37th floor of the impressive Shidome building the Conrad literally rests atop of a thriving business city contained in one skyscraper complex.

(Right: The Conrad Tokyo’s lobby)

Its leading contemporary design incorporates an authentic Japanese aesthetic balanced with executive functionality for which it has won numerous international awards. With views over both the Ginza city district and nearby Hamarikyu Gardens, the Conrad sits snugly in the arms of Tokyo Bay, a central pivot for the city’s business and commerce.

The Conrad’s front door is only minutes walking distance from four of Tokyo’s major rail and metro lines - a huge benefit to the millions of business, tourist and sports travellers alike who flock to Tokyo each year. Conrad was recently nominated for “Leading Asian Business Hotel” in the 2009 World Travel Awards.

At the hotel, BTN found first-class Japanese courtesy delivered by a compendium of staff whose English speaking rivals that to be found in the best hotels in Europe and The Middle East. The standard of the executive lounge and conference spaces suited with the latest audio-visual equipment and meeting facilities were world-class. In sports business tourism, where international communication is carried out across cultural divides and multiple time-zones, these types of facilities and services are a necessity.

(Above: Bayview Room)

Conrad’s guest room and meeting facilities can be easily adapted to cater for the needs of travellers, promoters and administrators to any of Tokyo’s future sporting events. Its staff, rooted in their local culture, move easily between languages allowing their guests to relax seamlessly into perhaps the East’s most thriving Metropolis. If other hotels, both in Tokyo and further afield, are to take advantage of the blossoming sports business market they are likely to have to meet Conrad’s high standards.

Tokyo’s 2016 Olympic proposal aims to build on the foundation of spaces which are already integrated within the city. Impressive facilities and venues built for the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, including the Olympic Village and National Stadium in Yoyogi park, will be updated to the latest international sporting standards. Hotels such as the Conrad, mere minutes away from proposed sites, could expect to benefit from a rapid influx of trade and interest over the coming months/years, with the official announcement of the 2016 Olympic Bid coming in October.

BTN will be reporting from a selection of these destinations, from the ever-important city of Tokyo as well as its sister cities Osaka and Kyoto.