6__ The Bamba Hotel
Accommodation exclusively reserved for you
International hotel chains provide immaculate service. Everything is perfectly organised, so that guests never have to wait long for anything, even when the hotel is fully booked. However, such well-oiled guest-processing machinery does not always give stressed holidaymakers a relaxing experience. For travellers who attach less importance to luxury but appreciate a hotel stay in a family atmosphere, Takashi Watanabe has thought out a special VIP concept. The Bamba Hotel is situated in Shinagawa. Opened in 2014, it is named after the area, the meaning of the word being ‘place of horses’: in the Edo period, the last post station in Edo on the route to Kyoto stood on this site. Watanabe purchased a 70-yearold building and saved it from demolition. With the help of local people, he restored it from top to bottom. The rooms were furnished with great attention to detail. Watanabe succeeded in preserving the charm of the old house, creating a mix of interiors that are fundamentally Japanese with the addition of a few pieces of Western-style furniture. This has produced cosy surroundings where the intention is that every guest should feel at home. No two rooms are alike, which arouses in visitors a curiosity to explore every corner of the building. The Bamba Hotel is operated according to the one-group principle: during their stay, the house is reserved exclusively for a guest and his or her companions. People travelling alone can also book a room, of course. The hotel service does not cease when you leave the premises: on request, a guide will accompany you and show you around the Shinagawa district free of charge. Guests from abroad are given mobile phones so that they can be ‘rescued’ round the clock should they happen to get lost. There is always somebody at hand, to help no matter what the problem may be. With all of this service, you will feel like a VIP. 20
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