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In Japan, hotels lose out on Olympic delay and coronavirus

26 Comments
By Mari Saito and Sakura Murakami

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26 Comments
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Reading this article make me feel very sad and sorry for the business around Japan, although most of the world is in the same boat, (mine included) this year is going to be a very tough year for businesses, staff, investors, and the work force. jobs hang in the balance and some have already gone, this includes my son who was laid off yesterday, and I have a very restricted income as I can't go out and undertake my work. What also is not going to help is the exchange rate has plummeted, which make any trip to Japan a lot more expensive, which is going to have a knock on effect, lets all hope that this virus is got under control soon and things start to get back to normal, but I can't see it returning back to full steam until next year.

17 ( +17 / -0 )

Most small business run on tight margins and few have a surplus to see them through bad times. Hotels, big or small, run on very tight margins, as does most of the hospitality sector. Any customer facing service is in trouble. This is a global problem, it isn't just Japan and it's much worse in many places.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

@luddite, just take a look at Italy, Spain, France those police don't muck around, the government has implemented a lockdown no one is to go out etc, there is plenty of people being videoed in the street being promptly arrested and handcuffed.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

@brian wheway. I do not understand your response to my post.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Seriously is this a bad joke: "A sign advertising discounted bottles of Corona beer stood at the front desk, but there haven't been many customers at the hotel to take up the offer." or is this for real?

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Reckon I’d be looking at changing the name of that hotel quick smart. .

4 ( +4 / -0 )

8pm tonight, Emergency Announcement of Coronavirus meaning stay home. Largest reported infection in one day confirmed.

Avoid going out this weekend Tokyo area.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

@Brian Wheway, your comment about the exchange rate is something the seriousness of this pandemic has shoved into the closet of people's minds. That rate of exchange is indeed punishing for tourists from many parts of the globe, me included.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

What could go wrong when overcapacity in hotels suffers from a massive fall in customers?

And there is no plan B?

We are looking at it...

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Small business need government support and long term loans.

Absolutely. It's frightening to think of all those people losing their livelihoods.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Corona Hotel LOL The virus has forever ruined the perfectly good name!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The frightening thing is that these businesses seem to be run with little in the way of accrued earnings to see them through tough times. I can see how a prolonged period of reduced occupancy could hurt the bottom line, but if a place is going to fold up the tent after a couple of months, you have to question how well it was being managed.

This is not just a Japan problem..it's like this all over the world. I have relatives in finance/commercial banking and many client's cannot last a week without immediate relief. They have been seduced by "easy money", cheap borrowing costs and greedy dreams.

So many forgot the old phrase "cash is king" and became servants to their debt.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Yes...that name is very unfortunate...should really consider changing it. i wonder how Corona beer sales are doing too.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The Osaka Corona Hotel in western Japan has been eerily quiet and empty the past few weeks.

I bet you! That one surely has a marketing problem right now.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I would imagine that the Corona Motel is probably the cleanest place to stay at in Japan. I'm sure that the staff are making sure the rooms are EXTRA clean! Plus, its all good for likes on Facebook and Instagram if you stay there!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Yes, it is unfortunate for Japan that the Olympics were postponed. However, the economic impact and unemployment are a worldwide problem. For example, a million people have lost their jobs in Australia in the last 72 hours and more are set to come with talks of a full nationwide shutdown later this week. Japan has yet to take proactive action against the spread of this virus. It's clear that asking, urging and suggesting are doing nothing to stop the spread of the virus. They did close schools, but studies have shown that closing schools has very little impact on the spread of the virus. Japan is a densely populated and small country. If the J-gov do not take drastic and proactive action now, the infections and death toll will surpass Italy very quickly and keep growing. People must stay home indefinitely in order to break the infection cycle. That is all there is to it!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place), such a lovely face... plenty of room at the Hotel Osaka Corona.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I like Corona Hotel. Cheer up, the current crisis could turn a promotion.

More depressing are around small-scale ryokan and minpaku businesses. Potential demands can be found among proper Japanese people rather than international visitors.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Yeah, one of my cousins was laid off last weekend. He works at a pub I was tell me that half of the pubs and restaurants in Portland Oregon, where he lives, are gonna be closing down too.

This definitely looks like it’s a worldwide problem. And in the US at least, our Congress is finally debating, and will be voting on a stimulus package to help cushion the blow. I mean they have to, as well as with government worldwide.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

My aunt and uncle live in Corona, CA and they aren't exactly escaping the city. I was surprised going back to Cali a couple months ago, Corona Beer has 2 new types now.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Pls do not worry abt yr name, anyone that had travelled knows yrs is the name of a beer. Was yr hotel clean & neat before the corona v ???. If it is, no worry, think abt fukushima, what id yr hotel was fukushima hotel ???. I was told by a friend that his son stayed at yr hotel just last week.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Having a huge event in the pipeline for next year, after things return to normal could be a great thing for those facilities looking to get financing to tide them over during the dead zone. Not much help for those already in the bubble who were relying on the fast injection of inflated prices to stay afloat. Hopefully most (or at very least the best) of them can get interest free government loans to see them through the drought. Once things lighten up, there should be pent up surge of domestic travel ahead of the full international free-for-all that will happen the minute a vaccine becomes readily available.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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