If you’re looking to beat the heat of summer in Japan, the Hilton Niseko Village in Hokkaido is the perfect place to go. The hotel, which has 506 rooms, has magnificent views of Mount Yotei and a rich and varied choice of seasonal attractions from skiing and snowboarding on world-class powder snow in winter to golf, horse riding, rafting, tennis and hiking in summer. The greenery surrounding the hotel offers a respite from the hustle and bustle of big cities.
Overseeing operations at the Hilton Niseko Village is General Manager Anthony Marrinan. Born in Dublin, Ireland, Marrinan has more than 25 years experience as a hotel general manager, since starting his career in hospitality in the UK.
Japan Today hears more from Marrinan, or Tony, as he likes to be called.
Did you want to be a hotelier when you were young?
No after college, I worked in banking but I found that the job did not excite me and utilize my skill set.
What was your very first job at a hotel?
While traveling in Europe, I worked at various jobs in the hotel business, including front desk, and I realized that I loved the hotel life. I got promoted to be the manager of central reservations where I learned revenue management principles. I think this discipline combined with previous guest operational experience put me in a good position to take on future general manager positions.
Niseko is well known worldwide as a ski resort. How do you promote the Hilton Niseko during the off-peak or summer season? Do you have a strategy to position the hotel as a vacation hub for other leisure activities in the area?
Niseko is a world famous ski destination, but the green season is also amazing. If you live in a city, then Niseko is such a change of pace for a family vacation. Right outside our front door we have a beautiful 18-hole golf course. You will know us for ski in/ski out. Well, we are also golf in/golf out. Our owner also operates an Arnold Palmer designed course a short 20 minutes from the hotel, so I believe we have the golf fanatics covered. For the children, our owner operates PURE which is an adventure course at the Hilton.
We are truly in the heart of Niseko with hiking, walking at our doorstep. You can also use Hilton as a base for rafting, visiting Lake Toya, picnicking and enjoying the local restaurants. Our onsen is a great favorite among our guests along with the various restaurants we operate. I really believe, it’s such a great place to “switch off” from city life and reconnect with your loved ones. The climate in the summer is very comfortable with an average temperature of mid-20s with very little humidity — a very tempting escape from Japan city life.
Niseko is also facing competition from other ski resorts in Japan at Niigata, Nagano and Akita, both from skiers and property investors. What would you say are Niseko's advantages over other ski regions in Japan?
Niseko is known for the best powder snow in the world and has a longer ski season than other regions. It is a truly international destination and “foreigners” are well catered for. Niseko offers international standards of food, accommodation and service. Many languages are spoken in Niseko so there is always someone ready to help. The resort uses no manmade snow and because of its unique micro climate the best powder snow in the world is all natural.
There are four distinct ski resorts on Annupuri allowing our guests to interchange, giving much more variety and “back country” ski options. New Chitose Airport, in Sapporo, offers daily flights and connections to many international cities from its international terminal, while domestic flights are coved from all major cities in Japan.
To make it more convenient for visitors to get to Niseko, has there been any talk of a high speed rail link from New Chitose Airport to Niseko?
There is currently work progressing on a high speed train linking the mainland to nearby Kutchan. However, we offer bus services for our guests from the airport, so the holiday begins once you are seated so you can enjoy the amazing winter wonderland. In the green season it is beautiful and easy to drive in Hokkaido, so a rental car is a great option for you and your family to take full advantage of all the surrounding areas.
How is the hotel industry in Niseko doing post-COVID?
The white season of December 2023 – March 2024 was a record breaking year with huge pent up demand from all over Southeast Asia, Australia, America and of course from Japan. All facilities were open and fully staffed compared to the previous year when the borders had just opened.
Have you noticed any differences in what Japanese and foreign guests expect at hotels?
There are very different customs in each country. This makes it very interesting because an Australian guest might want a very different experience than a Japanese guest, while an American might not want the same food offering as a Chinese guest. At Hilton we have various outlets operating during the white season that caters for a very diversified market. Niseko Village has also very different restaurants as does the whole of the Niseko area. As mentioned above, we have team members that can speak different languages and a dedicated Guest Relations Center to make sure all requests are handled professionally.
What is the best way to get feedback from guests?
I like getting feedback from guests before they depart so that if there is an issue we can make it right before departure. Our team is well trained, so if there is an issue in one department, for example, at check-in, this is communicated to the other teams so that we can really focus on satisfying that guest at dinner that evening or sending something special to their room. Like most companies we have a guest survey which myself and the team pour over each morning. It is such a joy when we see great comments but if there is a negative comment, then this can also have the opposite effect. Of course, if we see a trend then, as managers, we must put measures and actions in place to reverse this trend.
What is your management style? On a typical day, how much time are you in the office?
First thing I head to the restaurants to meet our guests at breakfast and check that everything is going well for them. I will visit each department to say hello to the teams. Then I will pass through reception to see guests checking out. Only after that will I check my email. (However I must confess to reading my emails on my phone before I ever reach the hotel.) Then the team meeting begins with reviewing the previous day’s performance and any issues, looking forward to the current day and if we have any VIPs coming. And I mentioned before, we focus on our guest feedback.
Do you have any advice for young people thinking about a career in hospitality or hotel management?
There are many different positions to suit your skill set, finance, food & beverage, sales, marketing. There is something for everyone.
If you speak more than one language, the world is your oyster. So, if you like being around people and have a positive manner, then I would encourage you to work in hospitality and hotel management.
What is the most satisfying part of being a hotel general manager?
I have lived in some amazing parts of the world — Europe, Asia, Australia — all through the hospitality industry. There are so many different disciplines within one hotel, guest facing services, culinary, finance, human recourses, sales and marketing, engineering, etc. It is such a privilege to manage such a diverse operation with a multinational guest demographic. Literally, no two days are the same and I have always loved this. Hilton’s vision is, and it has been the same vision for 105 years, that “It is our responsibility to fill the Earth with the light and warmth of Hospitality.”
When you travel, do you sometimes stay in other hotels to see what other hotels are doing? Is this a good way to keep up with the latest trends in the industry?
Yes I love hotels and if I find myself in a city that has a renowned hotel, I will head there to soak in the ambience and feel of the property. When you stay in other hotels you can always bring back a small idea that can be incorporated.
I have lived in some major cities throughout my career, so I really enjoy being surrounded by nature and seeing our guests relax once they leave city life behind them.
Sustainability has become important in the hotel industry. What is Hilton Niseko doing on issues such as reducing food waste from buffets, power conservation, single-use plastics and so on?
Travel with Purpose is Hilton’s ESG strategy to drive responsible travel and tourism globally. To meet Hilton’s 2030 targets each region is set 9 pledges covering climate action, diversity and equity as well as transparency. We are pleased to mention that Hilton Niseko Village was the first hotel in JKM (Japan, Korea & Micronesia) to complete all pledges in 2023. And this year we have set some more ambitious targets, such as reducing our energy consumption with the use of LEDs and making a conscious effort to reduce power consumption.
In further reducing food waste we have partnered with the company Winnow utilizing AI to measure our food waste and offer real time monitoring and suggestions. It’s early days but it has been very effective in other properties. As for single use plastics, we have removed bottled water and will begin offering eco-friendly amenities to our guests this year.
In addition, in partnership with the town of Niseko, which is itself a sustainable destination, we work together on a variety of projects for the benefit of local schools and businesses.
We've heard a lot about overtourism? What's your view on this? Is this a problem that requires hotels, local tourism boards and tour operators to collaborate on?
This has been a much publicized topic in the news as of late and understandably a source of pain for the locals who are getting used to the post COVID-19 travel boom. We work conscientiously with the town and tourism promotion boards to discuss the issue of transportation and infrastructure that may hinder guests’ travels during the busier white season, but even so Niseko is still a town not too overcome by overtourism compared to other regions. And, in the green season the area is so rich and spacious that you may find yourself the only soul on the hike or paddling downstream.
When you are not working, how do you like to relax?
I like to listen to music, take country walks and play some golf in the summer.
What is your favorite thing about living in Niseko or Hokkaido?
I have lived in some major cities throughout my career so I really enjoy being surrounded by nature and seeing our guests relax once they leave city life behind them.
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