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The Royal Park Hotel Kyoto Sanjo

Behind the 10 years, my “my rules”

The Royal Park Hotel Kyoto Sanjo / Yasuyoshi Kawaguchi General Manager

Kyoto is full of historic buildings and tourist attractions.

Once the capital was located, politics, commerce, entertainment, and various cultures were transmitted around this city, and many people visited. Before long, lodgings that entertained guests were lined up, and it is now a Japanese tourist destination that boasts to the world as a “town of hospitality”.

To explore the source of this hospitality, we visited The Royal Park Hotel Kyoto Sanjo celebrated its 10th anniversary this October. This hotel has been loved for so long, and we wonder if there is a unique hospitality and service that continues to attract people, and behind that, a ``personal rule'' that has been cherished. We would like to unravel the secret from the personal rule of General Manager Yasuyoshi Kawaguchi, who knows the hotel well from the time it first opened.

CHAPTER01

A spine-chillingmorning routine

The Royal Park Hotel Kyoto Sanjo, begins with his usual routine.
7:30
getting up

#Rule 01

drink a cup of barley tea

“In the morning, I wake up with a cup of barley tea. I wake up at the same time even on weekends, but this habit is strange only on days when I have work,” says General Manager Kawaguchi in a gentle and polite tone. Everyone has a switch to work, but for him, the morning cup is a switch. It may be a routine to become a “hotel man” both physically and mentally. After getting dressed, it's time to go to work.

Rows of cherry blossom trees line the Takase River on Kiyamachi Street. Light pink in spring and green curtains in summer are beautiful

8:10
attendance at work

#Rule 02

Walk your favorite path from the nearest station

The morning in Kyoto is really refreshing. It's probably because it shows a tasteful side illuminated by the morning light, which is completely different from the nighttime bustle of Gion and Kawaramachi. If you walk around town, you can see Mt. Daimonji in the distance, known for its summer tradition "Kyoto Gozan Okuribi," and the calm Kamo River, which is a place of relaxation for the people of Kyoto.

It takes about 5 to 10 minutes on foot from Kyoto Kawaramachi Station, which I always use, to the hotel. “I choose the route I want to walk depending on how I feel that day. Kyoto is a city where you can really feel the four seasons.

This is exactly what it means to be in a city where Japanese culture lives on. Beautiful changes in the colors of leaves, the appearance of animals by the river, festivals at shrines and temples, and decorations for annual events. It is said that the information obtained with one's own skin and eyes is irreplaceable. Yes, Kyoto is full of living information.

8:45
Hotel arrival

#Rule 03

take a sip of Coffee from a water bottle

What is the job of a hotel general manager? Many people may imagine that we are greeted at the front desk and smartly behaved, but I think General Manager Kawaguchi's daily work involves a lot of time facing a computer unexpectedly. . “Since I became general manager, I spend more time on my computer. When I am out in the field, I am able to switch between tasks because there is a lot of movement, but now that I have a lot of desk work, I can’t help but get absorbed in my work. At times like that, drinking Coffee from my own bottle is a refreshing change.”

When I turn on my PC, every time I reply to an email, I take another sip... It is said that Coffee that he dripped and brewed by himself in the morning is not so good by the time the day's work ends.

CHAPTER02

The spirit of hospitalitythat dwells in invisible work

9:10
briefing
9:30
Desk work such as checking emails

#Rule 04

Checking the state of the lobby while working at the desk

What determines the comfort of a hotel? The location, the size of the guest room, the cleanliness... No, maybe it's the communication with the people you meet there. The polite and flowing exchanges at the front desk, and the movement of the staff who were in perfect harmony, made me feel comfortable just by looking at them.
Even while doing desk work, General Manager Kawaguchi keeps an eye on the monitors in his office. "It's an occupational disease," he says with a smile, but he has a habit of stopping his work and showing up when he's keeping customers waiting. Even now that I am away from work on site, my point of view is always the customer. "There is a limit to what I can do, but first I will keep an eye on it. Just like my predecessors did, I want to be like that." Words spoken with straight eyes. This is the invisible “true hospitality”.
11:30
hotel tour

#Rule 05

Around the hotel, focusing on guest rooms

Not only the layout of the guest rooms, but also the view from the window is one of the hospitality. The Kamogawa River and the streets of Kyoto spread out below

For some reason, when I enter a hotel room, I sometimes feel like I've come home. Relaxation is prepared from the moment you step in, and the space is clean and calm. There must be some secret here too.

The hotel quietly prepares itself until the customer's checkout is settled and the next customer is welcomed. The heart of hospitality for welcoming guests is also reflected in the wrinkle-free bed sheets and the dust-free lampshades. General manager Kawaguchi tours the guest rooms after the cleaning staff has finished cleaning up every detail and replenishing the fixtures. When I asked him what he was checking, he said, "I'm curious if the cleaning is thorough."

The point of view of general manager Kawaguchi is the same as that of us guests. It is precisely because we have the customer's point of view that we have "awareness". In the depths of the comfort that you usually feel casually, there is the hospitality of the cleaning staff and the customer's point of view of General Manager Kawaguchi. We are steadily preparing to welcome the next customer. Where are you going next?
12:00
lunch

#Rule 06

Enjoy my wife's homemade bento

Noon is a short break for lunch. I heard that General Manager Kawaguchi is from Aichi Prefecture. It has been 10 years since I moved to Kyoto because of the relationship of the former general manager who once took care of me at a hotel in Nagoya. It was his wife, who had been watching over him, that supported his big decision to emigrate. When his wife pointed out, ``You don't talk about work as happily as before,'' he said, which prompted him to reconsider where he really wanted to work and what it should be like for him. If it weren't for my wife's words ten years ago, I might not be here now. Suddenly, while indulging in such thoughts, I have a delicious wife's bento today.

CHAPTER03

The comfortthat comes from facing each other

13:00
Desk duties/patrol
15:00
Start web conference/check-in

Now it's finally time to check in. Customers with high expectations visit the museum one after another.

"What is a good hotel?"

When I threw a question like this, the general manager Kawaguchi replied, "Family." For our customers, the hotel staff are like family, and the hotel staff are like family to us. "Thank you," "Please come," "Welcome back," such words are gently given. Even if you only stay for one night, it doesn't matter. A hotel is a family "place" that makes you want to come back here again.

The restaurant "Monsieur Ito" is also a breakfast venue. In order for you to taste the local ingredients of Kyoto, the rice is Hachidaime Gihei, the pickles are Kyoto vegetables, and the miso soup is white miso, making you feel happy from the morning.

16:00
desk work

#Rule 07

Regularly read customer reviews

Over the last few years, the way hotels are rated has changed significantly. Reservation sites and the Internet are flooded with word-of-mouth reviews, and those reviews have a great effect on attracting guests to the hotel. Worrying about the evaluation, it must be very cramped from the working side... I thought that, but General Manager Kawaguchi said something like this. "It's not enough to simply check in at the front desk. I always tell each staff member to do what they can to avoid becoming an assembly line. One of the evaluation indicators is word of mouth. I believe there is."

It seems that word of mouth is overwhelmingly "to be taught". For example, behind the harsh opinions of customers, there is a feeling towards the hotel. Until now, I have scooped up such opinions one by one and connected them to the next. In this way, the hotel can continue to grow because it has a good balance of perspectives from both the surroundings and the inside.

18:00
Staff interview

#Rule 08

Active communication with staff

General Manager Kawaguchi, who has a long experience in the field of hotels, has his own beliefs. "We can't move forward unless we openly talk about what we think." As a supervisor of a hotel, I take extra care to maintain openness within the company. If I have a little time, I listen to interviews with staff, daily business reports, and consultations. “When I was younger, I would often stop my boss and say, ‘Can I have a moment?’ I am doing it.”

CHAPTER04

I can devote myself to work becauseI have time off

19:00
End of business
20:00
Going home/Enjoying time with family and time alone
When I go out after work, the city of Kyoto is completely dressed in adult sex appeal and has changed its face to a social gathering place. Let's hurry home while looking at the bustling streets of Kyoto.

#Rule 09

I am healed by my daughter's letter

"I carry everything with me." Embarrassed, I gently took out a letter from my elementary school daughter. Handwritten letters and pictures are drawn on colorful and cute stationery. When I get home, I sometimes have it on the dining table, so I put it in my bag and read it when I have time.

"Thank you very much"

He narrowed his eyes and said that he was relieved from the fatigue of work and daily life and was healed by the handwritten letter. "I'm not grateful for my family, but I think I have to work hard. Because my family is my job." It must be the affection of his family that supports the daily work of General Manager Kawaguchi, who has a sharp impression.

An environment where children can come into contact with cultural things is the best learning place for children. This town may have changed the way children are raised, couples, and even families.

#Rule 10

Value time for hobbies

At the end of the day, spend a blissful time with your hobby. The only time you can fully enjoy yourself is when you enjoy anime, movies, and dramas on online video services. I loved anime since I was a child, but for some reason I started watching it again after I moved to Kyoto. He shows a private face in order to end the day in a happy mood, but recently it has become a conversation starter and communication with young hotel staff. Switching on and off is probably the secret to General Manager Kawaguchi's smile.

We can welcome you again tomorrow.
A long day is over. Thank you for your hard work today.

10 My Rules that "Hotel Man" cherishes.

Behind this lies a professional perspective honed through experience, conviction, and above all, an attitude of facing customers. From General Manager Kawaguchi's words, I feel I understand why The Royal Park Hotel Kyoto Sanjo has been loved for the past 10 years in Kyoto, the city of hospitality.

CHAPTER05

The Royal Park HotelKyoto Sanjo 10th Anniversary

"Kawaguchi, what are you doing now?"

It was about 10 years ago that I received such a sudden phone call from Kyoto. While I was surprised to receive a phone call from the former general manager who had taken care of me at "Royal Park Inn Nagoya" (closed in 2011), I was also happy to talk with him for the first time in a while. "Are you coming to Kyoto?" I remember being puzzled by the sudden invitation, which seemed to be both a joke and a serious one. Because at that time I was working at another hotel in Nagoya, and my wife, who was about to get married, had decided to change jobs to a new place, so I thought it would be impossible to move.

However, a few months later, a mysterious fate led me to Kyoto at the age of 39. Starting from scratch in a new land. I was worried about the big decision, but on the other hand, I was very excited and my heart was dancing.

The opening of the hotel is strangely the year of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
It seems that there were difficulties from the start, such as delays in the opening schedule due to construction materials not arriving.

As a group, we started working on the "THE series" of premium lodging, and Kyoto Sanjo opened as the second hotel following Fukuoka. Today, Kyoto has more than 400 hotels, but 10 years ago there weren't many business hotels. For business and sightseeing, relax at the inn and enjoy a delicious breakfast. I heard that this simple style became a hot topic at the time.

We, the staff, have walked as a team while being perplexed by unfamiliar tasks and operations.

— Let's make an original map for customers visiting Kyoto
— Make a list of recommended restaurants by genre
— Let's share information about sightseeing spots in Kyoto that we visited on our days off

Although it was steady, we worked on measures as long as we could think of on-site transmission. Each staff interprets this word, which is the concept of "Hospitality with the city."

After that, the number of visitors from overseas increased explosively, and the city of Kyoto was booming with a tourism bubble. All the staff have been working on various ideas such as hard study of English and overseas style breakfast in order to respond to customers visiting from various countries.

And in 2020—.
Due to the influence of the new coronavirus, only a few groups can be booked per day. The morale and feelings of the staff were sometimes depressed. However, we must provide solid service to customers who come to us even under such circumstances. As general manager, I continued to encourage the staff.

The hotel industry is an industry that must always adapt to the waves of the times.
The same is true for the operation, the interior, and even the breakfast menu. Because we are constantly evolving, we cannot stand still. In such a fast-changing industry, I can only thank you for being able to welcome customers for 10 years and for the connections with various people.

We The Royal Park Hotel Kyoto Sanjo will continue to welcome our guests as we always have. We hope to meet the expectations of our past and future guests, and to pass on this bond to the next generation. We will continue to make further efforts as we move forward into the next decade.

  • This article and images are current as of November 2021.

The Royal Park Hotel Kyoto Sanjo

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