The is the name of a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

chain company headquartered in

Toshima-ku, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the eight central wards of the Tokyo Metropolitan area. Located in the northern area of Tokyo, Toshima is bordered by the wards of Nerima, Itabashi, and Kita in the north and Nakano, Shinjuku, ...

, Japan. It is a subsidiary of Seibu Holdings, Inc. Together with

Seibu Railway is a conglomerate based in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan, with principal business areas in railways, tourism, and real estate. Seibu Railway's operations are concentrated in northwest Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture; the name "Seibu" is an abbrevi ...

, Prince Hotels is the core company of Seibu Group.

Overview

During the

Allied occupation of Japan Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United States w ...

following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, many members of the Japanese peerage lost their titles and were subject to crippling taxation on their real estate holdings. Yasujirō Tsutsumi, who controlled the

through the Kokudo Corporation, arranged to buy several of these families' properties at a discount and used them to develop hotels. The first of these hotels, the Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa, opened in 1953 on the site of the

Takeda-no-miya The Takeda (竹田) ''ōke'' (princely house) was the tenth and youngest branch of the Japanese Imperial Family created from branches of the Fushimi-no-miya house. The Takeda-no-miya house was formed by Prince Tsunehisa, eldest son of Prince K ...

residence. The Tokyo Prince Hotel opened in 1964 on a site that originally housed graves of several

Tokugawa family The is a Japanese dynasty that was formerly a powerful ''daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of the Minamoto clan (Seiwa Genji) through the Matsudaira clan. The early history of this clan r ...

shoguns, whose bodies were moved to the neighboring temple of Zojo-ji. Originally, hotels branded as ''Prince Hotels'' were not wholly owned by Prince Hotels Company, but were instead operated by different companies, such as Seibu Railway, Kokudo, or Izuhakone Railway. The management system of Prince Hotels was described as "debt operation" by the media. It borrowed funds from banks, developed land using the funds, and borrowed more funds with the growth of land values. The system worked in the 1960s with Japanese economic growth, until the 1990s when the

bubble economy An economic bubble (also called a speculative bubble or a financial bubble) is a period when current asset prices greatly exceed their intrinsic valuation, being the valuation that the underlying long-term fundamentals justify. Bubbles can be ...

burst. Under the reorganization of the Seibu Group following the de-listing of Seibu Railway in 2005, Prince Hotels Company merged with Kokudo. All the Prince Hotels are now operated by Prince Hotels Company. Because of the unreasonable expansion in the past, the company has many underperforming facilities. Under the current plan of turnaround, it closed, sold, and plans to close or sell roughly 40 facilities.

Reorganization

Tsutsumi registered Seibu Railway shares owned by Kokudo in the names of various affiliated individuals, often without their permission, so that the true ownership of the company was not readily apparent. Following the death of Tsutsumi in 1964, his third son Yoshiaki Tsutsumi inherited control of Kokudo and continued the practice of falsifying shareholder records. His holdings in Kokudo and Seibu led to his being deemed the "world's richest man" by ''Forbes'' magazine for four consecutive years from 1987 to 1990, with estimated net worth of $15–20 billion during the height of the

Japanese asset bubble The was an economic bubble in Japan from 1986 to 1991 in which real estate and stock market prices were greatly inflated. In early 1992, this price bubble burst and Japan's economy stagnated. The bubble was characterized by rapid acceleration of ...

. He was arrested on securities fraud charges in March 2005. On December 21, 2005, Seibu Railway was delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange. A reorganization of the group, completed in February 2006, created Seibu Holdings to act as a holding company for both the railway and Prince Hotels.

Cerberus Capital Management Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. is an American private equity firm,Leaders Magazine"Providing Economic Opportunity: An Interview with The Honorable Dan Quayle, Chairman, Cerberus Global Investments, LLC". specializing in distressed investing. ...

, an American investment fund, became the largest shareholder in Seibu Holdings with a 29.9% share of the new company. In late 2012 and early 2013, Cerberus proposed that Seibu Railway abolish five non-core lines, along with other restructuring measures throughout the Seibu Holdings group, but management refused to implement these changes. Cerberus then executed a

tender offer In corporate finance, a tender offer is a type of public takeover bid. The tender offer is a public, open offer or invitation (usually announced in a newspaper advertisement) by a prospective acquirer to all stockholders of a publicly traded corp ...

to increase its stake to 35% as of June 2013, giving Cerberus the power to veto shareholder resolutions. Cerberus had aimed to raise its stake to 44%, bringing it closer to an outright majority, but Seibu management engaged in a massive campaign to thwart the tender offer, including advertising within Seibu trains to passengers who owned stock. The East Japan Railway Company and several financial institutions also planned a support scheme to keep Cerberus from acquiring control of Seibu, but it was ultimately not implemented due to a lack of potential financial benefit for the investors. At the June 2013 shareholder meeting, several proposals by Cerberus were voted down, including the election of outside directors and the abolition of non-core lines. , Yoshiaki Tsutsumi remains a major investor in Seibu Holdings through his 36% investment in NW Corporation, the second-largest shareholder in the company with a share of around 15%. Tsutsumi refused to respond to the Cerberus tender offer at the urging of Seibu management.

Hotels

The following list uses the English translations of the hotel names.

The Prince Gallery

* The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho (affiliated with Marriott International under The Luxury Collection brand)

The Prince

''The Prince'' is the brand name for the most luxurious hotels by the company. *The Prince Hakone:

Hakone, Kanagawa is a town in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had a population of 11,293 and a population density of 122 persons per km². The total area of the town is . The town is a popular tourist destination due to its many hot springs and views of ...

*The Prince Karuizawa:

Karuizawa, Nagano is a resort town located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 20,323 in 9897 households, and a population density of 130 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Karuizawa is one of the oldest and most ...

*The Prince Kyoto Takaragaike:

Sakyō-ku, Kyoto is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It is located in the northeastern part of the city. History The meaning of ''sakyō'' (左京) is "on the Emperor's left." When residing in the Kyoto Imperial Pa ...

(affiliated with Marriott International under Autograph Collection brand) *The Prince Park Tower Tokyo:

Minato, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is also called Minato City in English. It was formed in 1947 as a merger of Akasaka, Azabu and Shiba wards following Tokyo City's transformation into Tokyo Metropolis. The modern Minato ward exhibits ...

*The Prince Sakura Tower Tokyo: Minato, Tokyo (affiliated with Marriott International under Autograph Collection brand) *The Prince Villa Karuizawa: Karuizawa, Nagano

Grand Prince Hotels

''Grand Prince Hotels'' is the brand name for city hotels. *Grand Prince Hotel Hiroshima:

Minami-ku, Hiroshima is one of the eight wards of the city of Hiroshima, Japan. As of March 1, 2012, the ward had an estimated population of 138,471, with 66,706 households and a population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant den ...

*Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa: Minato, Tokyo *

Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa The Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa (グランドプリンスホテル高輪) is a complex of three hotels (Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa, Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa, and The Prince Sakura Tower) designed by architect Togo Murano in 1982, and ...

: Minato, Tokyo

Prince Hotels (Japan)

*Furano Prince Hotel: Furano, Hokkaidō *Hakodate Ōnuma Prince Hotel:

Nanae, Hokkaidō is a town located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. In April 2017, the town had an estimated population of 28,514, with 13,639 households, and a density of 130 persons per km2. The total area is 216.61 km2. Geography Nanae is at th ...

*Kamakura Prince Hotel: Kamakura, Kanagawa *Karuizawa Asama Prince Hotel:

*Karuizawa Prince Hotel East:

*Karuizawa Prince Hotel West:

*Kawagoe Prince Hotel:

Kawagoe, Saitama is a city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 353,214 in 162,210 households and a population density of 3200 persons per km². The total area of the city is . The city is known locally as after the old name fo ...

*Kushiro Prince Hotel:

Kushiro, Hokkaidō is a city in Kushiro Subprefecture on the island of Hokkaido, Japan. It serves as the subprefecture's capital and it is the most populated city in the eastern part of the island. Geography Mountains * Mount Oakan * Mount Meakan * Mount Aka ...

*Kussharo Prince Hotel: Teshikaga, Hokkaidō *Manza Prince Hotel:

Tsumagoi, Gunma 250px, Mount Shirane from Manza Onsen is a village located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 9,546 in 3,999 households, and a population density of 28 persons per km². The total area of the village is . Ge ...

*Naeba Prince Hotel:

Yuzawa, Niigata is a town located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 7,926, and a population density of 22.2 persons per km2. The total area of the town was . The town is famous for its hot springs. Geography Yuzawa is lo ...

*New Furano Prince Hotel: Furano, Hokkaidō *Nichinan Kaigan Nangō Prince Hotel: Nangō, Miyazaki *Ōiso Prince Hotel: Ōiso, Kanagawa *Ōtsu Prince Hotel: Ōtsu, Shiga *Sapporo Prince Hotel:

Chūō-ku, Sapporo is one of the ten wards in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Chūō-ku means "central ward" in Japanese. City administration and entertainment facilities are centred in this ward. History During Meiji Period, Sousei river, precursor of Susukino distric ...

, Hokkaidō. *Shiga Kōgen Prince Hotel: Yamanouchi, Nagano *Shimoda Prince Hotel: Shimoda, Shizuoka *Shin Yokohama Prince Hotel:

Kōhoku-ku, Yokohama is one of the 18 wards of the city of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of March 1, 2012, the ward had an estimated population of 332,488, with 156,198 households and a population density of 10,588.79 persons per km². The total area wa ...

*Shinagawa Prince Hotel:

*Shinjuku Prince Hotel:

Shinjuku, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration ...

*Shizukuishi Prince Hotel:

Shizukuishi, Iwate is a town located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 16,263 in 6354 households, and a population density of 27 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Geography Shizukuishi is located in the Ōu ...

* Sunshine City Prince Hotel:

Toshima, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the eight central wards of the Tokyo Metropolitan area. Located in the northern area of Tokyo, Toshima is bordered by the wards of Nerima, Itabashi, and Kita in the north and Nakano, Shinjuku, ...

*Towada Prince Hotel:

Kosaka, Akita is a town located in Akita Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 4,646 in 2,368 households, and a population density 23 persons per km². The total area of the town is . In 2016, Kosaka was selected as one of The Most ...

*Tsumagoi Prince Hotel:

*Tōkyō Prince Hotel:

Others

*Ashinokohan Takagowa Onsen Fuyō-Tei (

ryokan A is a type of traditional Japanese inn that typically features ''tatami''-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors may wear yukata and talk with the owner. Ryokan have existed since the eighth century A.D. du ...

): Hakone, Kanagawa *Ashinokohan Takagowa Onsen Ryūgūden (ryokan): Hakone, Kanagawa *Chigataki Prince Hotel: Non-public, Emperor's villa. *Hakone En Cottage West: Hakone, Kanagawa *Hakone En Cottage Camping: Hakone, Kanagawa *Hakone Yunohana Onsen Hotel: Hakone, Kanagawa *Hotel Daihakone: Hakone, Kanagawa *Hotel Sea Paradise Inn:

Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama is one of the 18 wards of the city of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the ward had an estimated population of 209,565 and a density of 6,760 persons per km². The total area was . The ward symbol, established 1987, expresse ...

*Izu Nagaoka Onsen Sanyō-Sō (ryokan):

Izunokuni, Shizuoka 270px, Izunokuni City Hall is a city located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 48,579 in 21,257 households and a population density of 506 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Izu ...

*Kawana Hotel:

Itō, Shizuoka 280px, Itō City Hall is a city located on the eastern shore of the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 68,773 in 36,717 households and a population density of 550 persons per km². The t ...

*Ryūgūden (ryokan): Hakone, Kanagawa *The Hotel Seiryu Kyoto

Kiyomizu is a Buddhist temple located in eastern Kyoto, Japan. The temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) UNESCO World Heritage site. History Kiyomizu-dera was founded in the early Heian period. By 7 ...

Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. History It was created in 1929 when it was split off from Shimogyō-ku. During the years 1931 to 1976 it also covered the area of present-day Yamashina-ku, which ...

Overseas

Prince Resorts Hawaii
*Prince Waikiki (Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki):

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

**Hawaii Prince Golf Club *Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel: Kohala Coast, Hawaii (now The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort as part of an agreement with Marriott) **Hapuna Golf Course *

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel is a hotel property on the Kohala Coast of the island of Hawaii. It sits at Kaunaoa Bay. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) awarded the hotel an Honor Award in 1967 citing its "restrained detailing and fine spatia ...

: Kohala Coast, Hawaii (affiliated with Marriott International under the Autograph Collection brand) **Mauna Kea Golf Course *Gloria Prince Hotel:

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

*Nice Prince Hotel:

Chiayi Chiayi (, Taigi POJ: ''Ka-gī''; ), officially known as Chiayi City, is a city located in the plains of southwestern Taiwan. Formerly called ''Kagee'' during the late Qing dynasty and ''Kagi'' during the Japanese era (), its historical name ...

, Taiwan

StayWell Holdings

* The Prince Akatoki

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

* Park Regis * Leisure Inn

Previous Hotel Properties

* Alyeska Prince Hotel, Girdwood, Alaska (now

Alyeska Resort Alyeska Resort is a ski resort in the Girdwood area of Anchorage, Alaska, approximately from downtown Anchorage. Mount Alyeska is part of the Chugach mountain range and the Alyeska Resort is the largest ski area in the state. It includes the ...

) * Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka: Chiyoda, Tokyo (closed March 31, 2011) * Maui Prince Hotel, Wailea-Makena, Hawaii (now Makena Beach and Golf Resort ) * Toronto Prince Hotel,

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

(now a

Westin Westin Hotels & Resorts is an American upscale hotel chain owned by Marriott International. , the Westin Brand has 226 properties with 82,608 rooms in multiple countries in addition to 58 hotels with 15,741 rooms in the pipeline. History Wester ...

property) *Prince Hotel & Residence Kuala Lumpur:

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

(now Pullman Kuala Lumpur City Centre Hotel & Residence) * Kitakyushu Prince Hotel: Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyūshū (closed February 25, 2007, now Crown Palais Kitakyushu) * Aso Prince Hotel: Aso,

Kumamoto Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 () and has a geographic area of . Kumamoto Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture to the northeast, M ...

Ski areas and aerial lifts

Chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. Th ...

s are excluded. *

Furano Ski Resort , also known as Furano Ski Area, is a resort in Furano, Hokkaido, Japan, owned and operated by Prince Hotels. The resort became famous for its long-standing relationship with the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup. In more recent years, it has held the ...

: Furano, Hokkaidō **Furano Ropeway **Kitanomine Gondola *Shizukuishi Ski Resort: Shizukuishi, Iwate **Shizukuishi Gondola **Ropeway *Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort: Karuizawa, Nagano *Manza Onsen Ski Resort: Tsumagoi, Gunma *Mt. Naeba Snow Resort: Yuzawa, Niigata ** Naeba Ski Resort ***Prince First Gondola ***Prince Second Gondola ***Naeba Tashiro Gondola ( Dragondola) **Kagura Ski Resort (Kagura Area, Mitsumata Gelände, and Tashiro Area): Yuzawa, Niigata ***Kagura Gondola ***Mitsumata Ropeway ***Tashiro Ropeway *Muikamachi Hakkaisan Ski Resort:

Minamiuonuma, Niigata is a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 55,354 in 20,047 households, and a population density of 96.1 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Geography Minamiuonuma is situated ...

** Hakkaisan Ropeway *Myōkō Suginohara Ski Resort:

Myōkō, Niigata is a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 31,374 in 12,408 households, and a population density of 70 persons per km². The total area are of the city was . Myōkō is a member of the World Health ...

**Myōkō Suginohara Gondola *Sayama Ski Resort: Tokorozawa, Saitama *Shiga Kōgen Yakebitaiyama Ski Resort: Yamanouchi, Nagano **Yakebitaiyama First Gondola **Yakebitaiyama Second Gondola

Toll road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''Toll (fee), toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically ...
s

*Manza Highway: Tsumagoi, Gunma *Onioshi Highway: Karuizawa, Nagano–Tsumagoi, Gunma

References

External links

* * {{in lang, ja Companies based in Saitama Prefecture Hospitality companies of Japan Japanese brands Hotel chains in Japan Japanese companies established in 1956