Making Your Stay in Japan Even More Convenient with smart assist with smart assist2012.08.20

Tokyo, August 20th, 2012—Solare Hotels & Resorts Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo; President & CEO: A.G. Virili; www.solarehotels.com/english/) is pleased to announce the introduction of a new service for guests visiting Japan from overseas. Available free of charge at 20 hotels in the Solare chain throughout Japan from August 20th, 2012, the new interpretation service uses the video chat function of iPad.

This service is - a portable interpretation service provided by Inden Consulting Co., Ltd.. It uses video chat on an iPad in a Wi-Fi environment to provide an interpretation service for hotel guests visiting from overseas.

To meet recent increases in the number of guests visiting from China, Korea and other Asian countries, Solare has been providing language training to hotel staff, encouraging them to learn English, Chinese(Mandarin) and Korean. We have also introduced this new service, which uses technology to respond quickly to the language needs of guests from overseas and make their stay in Japan even more comfortable. Using the increasingly prevalent iPad as a terminal, the service takes advantage of in-hotel Wi-Fi environments, using the video chat function to interpret guests’ questions using interpreters between Japanese and English, Chinese and Korean. Aptly named "smart assist", it will be able to provide our guests the easy interpretation service when it’s most needed, enhacing their stay our hotels and in Japan.

Solare has begun offering smart assist at 20 of our hotels throughout Japan. Overseas guests will have free access to smart assist while inside the hotels. (The table below shows which hotels offer smart assist.)

The following hotels have introduced the “smart assist” service.

LOISIR HOTEL ASAHIKAWA +81-166-25-8811 6-chome Nanajo-dori, Asahikawa-shi, Hokkaido, 070-0037
Chisun Hotel Sapporo +81-11-222-6611 2-9 Kitanijo-nishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo-shi, Hokkaido, 060-0002
Chisun Grand Sapporo +81-11-512-8500 5-chome Minamihachijo-Nishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo-shi, Hokkaido, 064-0808
Chisun Hotel Ueno +81-3-5828-0108 5-5-6 Higashi-Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo, 110-0015
Chisun Inn Asakusa +81-3-3843-0108 1-4-17 Komagata, Taito-ku, Tokyo, 111-0043
Chisun Hotel Hamamatsucho +81-3-3452-6511 1-3-10 Shibaura, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-0023
Chisun Hotel Shinagawa West +81-3-3785-3211 6-1-1 Nishi-Oi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 140-0015
HOTEL AVANSHELL AKASAKA +81-3-3568-3456 2-14-14 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 107-0052
Hotel Nikko Toyohashi +81-532-48-3131 141 Fujisawa-cho, Toyohashi-shi, Aichi, 441-8061
Chisun Inn Nagoya +81-52-452-3211 1-12-8 Noritake, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi, 453-0014
HOTEL AVANSHELL KYOTO +81-75-721-3131 36 Nishihiraki-cho, Takano, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto, 606-8103
Chisun Hotel Shin-Osaka +81-6-6302-5571 6-2-19 Nishi-Nakajima, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka, 532-0011
Chisun Inn Esaka +81-6-6821-2001 2-1-63 Esaka-cho, Suita-shi, Osaka, 564-0063
Chisun Hotel Shinsaibashi +81-6-6263-1511 2-4-10 Minami-Senba, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka, 542-0081
Chisun Inn Osaka Hommachi +81-6-6263-0911 2-3-8 Bakurou-machi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka, 541-0059
Chisun Hotel Kobe +81-78-341-8111 2-3-1 Nakamachi-dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo, 650-0027
Chisun Hotel Hiroshima +81-82-511-1333 14-7 Nobori-cho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima, 730-0016
Chisun Hotel Kumamoto +81-96-322-3911 4-39 Karashima-cho, Kumamoto-shi, Kumamoto, 860-0804
Chisun Grand Nagasaki +81-95-826-1211 5-35 Goto-machi, Nagasaki-shi, Nagasaki, 850-0036
LOISIR HOTEL & SPA TOWER NAHA +81-98-868-2222 3-2-1 Nishi, Naha-shi, Okinawa, 900-0036

About Solare Hotels & Resorts Co., Ltd.—“ Nationwide for all occasions”
As of August 2012, Solare Hotels & Resorts Co., Ltd., and its some 4,500 associates operate, franchise and asset-manage 75 hotels and some 12,706 rooms throughout Japan, including core Chisun brand hotels, Loisir brand hotels and the Okinawa Marriott Resort & Spa.
URL: http://www.solarehotels.com/english


PRESS INQUIRIES
Mr. Takatsu or Ms. Hashizume of AVIAREPS Marketing Garden Ltd.
PR Agency for Solare Hotels & Resorts
Tel: +81-3-3225-0008
Ms. Masui or Ms. Shimeno of Solare Hotels & Resorts
Tel: +81-3-6268-0496

Making Your Stay in Japan Even More Convenient with smart assist