Tokyu Hotels Staff from 40 hotels across the country experienced the “real-life inconveniences of using a wheelchair.” They held the “Universal Service EXPO 1” with the aim of creating hotels where everyone can stay with peace of mind.

[Tokyu Hotels] Staff from 40 hotels nationwide experience the “real inconvenience of being in a wheelchair”. Aiming to create a hotel where everyone can stay with peace of mind, “Universal Service EXPO 1” is held. ​
Tokyu Hotels Press release: July 4, 2025 To the media [Tokyu Hotels] Staff from 40 hotels nationwide experience the “real-life
inconveniences of using a wheelchair.” “Universal Service EXPO 1” is held with the aim of creating hotels where everyone can stay with peace of mind. ~June 16, 2025, 64 hotel staff members will learn through “real-life experience.” We will pursue improved services to meet the diverse needs of inbound tourists and ensure safety and security in the event of a disaster. Tokyu Hotels & Resorts Co., Ltd. (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Takei On June 16, 2025, Tokyu Holdings Co., Ltd. held an internal event, “Universal Service EXPO 1,” at the Futako Tamagawa Excel Hotel Tokyu with the aim of deepening awareness of universal access (the ability of everyone to use services equally, regardless of whether they have a disability, age,
nationality, etc.). A total of 81 people, including 64 staff members from the 40 hotels operated by the company and 17 staff members from the head office, gathered together to take part in the event, which was centered around the theme of “real-life experiences,” including wheelchair experiences and confirmation of the access route from the nearest station to the hotel.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5113/3692/5113-3692-cdde6847599d42c6efd63f1d0b7686b5-3900×2600.jpg An example of the day In today’s hotel environment, the need for universal services is increasing day by day due to the increase in foreign visitors to Japan and the aging society. In addition, hotels operated by our company have been saying things like, “I’m not sure if we are responding appropriately to people with disabilities.” In response to this, in December 2024, we conducted online classroom training for hotel staff nationwide with the aim of fostering awareness of universal response. We positioned this as “building a foundation for continuous learning” and named it “Universal Service EXPO ZERO. The purpose of the “Universal Service EXPO 1” held this time was to allow staff to gain real-life insights and problem-solving perspectives through actual experience, and the theme of the event was “real-life experience,” which covered content that cannot be learned through classroom lectures. The program was designed to provide participants with an opportunity to think about things they might encounter in their daily work, such as supporting wheelchair users during evacuation from the perspective of the most important aspect of safety and security in a hotel, experiencing wheelchair barriers in various scenarios both inside and outside the hotel, reaffirming the correct use of accessibility support equipment already installed in the hotel, and verifying the access route from the nearest station to the hotel, which is posted on the hotel’s official website, while actually following it in a wheelchair. Tokyu Hotels & Resorts plans to continue holding the Universal Service EXPO once a year. By taking practical steps to become a hotel that anyone, including wheelchair users, can easily choose, and by incorporating these efforts into our actual services, we ultimately aim to become a hotel that people will think of when they think of universal accessibility. “Universal Service EXPO 1” Event Overview ■Date and time Monday, June 16, 2025 12:00-17:30 ■Venue Futako Tamagawa Excel Hotel Tokyu (30F, Futako Tamagawa Rise, 1-14-1 Tamagawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo) ■Contents 1. Lecture (online distribution available) A lecturer from the Disability Strategy Division of the General Incorporated Association gave a lecture on basic knowledge about disabilities, ways to eliminate barriers, overseas examples, and actual experiences during disasters.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5113/3692/5113-3692-bf8ad003e53e8e9fd116fba1a9c3bf38-3900×2600.jpg Speakers: Daisuke Uehara (left), Kunpei Otsuka (right)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5113/3692/5113-3692-9b1d4eec9fff2468e8f74a3791e6c0d5-3900×2600.jpg ２. Wheelchair experience (Participants were divided into three teams and each team participated separately) ◆Evacuation guidance support The participants learned how to support wheelchair users in evacuation during disasters by imagining specific scenarios and actually performing actions such as lifting wheelchairs.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5113/3692/5113-3692-d16a01f546fd94f4182cae6cc2cdb84a-3900×2600.jpg Instructor: Sakura Kato (left)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5113/3692/5113-3692-a55129989f24e96e969dc5458756a126-3900×2600.jpg ◆Experience various barriers We actually experienced the difficulties of driving and assisting on uneven surfaces, slopes, narrow and twisty roads, wheels getting caught on long-pile carpets, and the difficulty of sitting on a restaurant table due to its height and the way the legs are set.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5113/3692/5113-3692-86ac31f37aa5aee308670efa8ca96f92-3900×2600.jpg Instructor: Daisuke Uehara
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5113/3692/5113-3692-6cf63d76e4cc277377a561174cbe03fc-3900×2600.jpg ◆Access route verification We verified the usefulness and
inconveniences of the access route from Futako Tamagawa Station on the Tokyu Line to the hotel, which was listed on the official website of the venue for the day, by actually following it in a wheelchair.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5113/3692/5113-3692-765351afce45ca72732922e027cda8e0-3900×2600.jpg Instructor: Kunpei Otsuka
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5113/3692/5113-3692-b84de319b382a57d3f4daa0e7c4d19bc-3900×2600.jpg 3. Accessibility support equipment trial Bathroom anti-slip mats, bath grips, shower chairs, toilet grab bars, accommodation equipment for the hearing impaired, and buffet carts were on display, and
representatives from each company explained the correct use and precautions to take when using the products.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5113/3692/5113-3692-1e5e2dd1d62d142747fce4bd65c3df12-3900×2600.jpg
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5113/3692/5113-3692-db8fbb93ff4e50fba7cfb465685cfe63-3900×2600.jpg ■ Cooperation General Incorporated Association Disability Strategy Division http://shogai-koryaku.com Comment from person in charge After last year’s “Universal Service EXPO ZERO,” I strongly felt that it was necessary to actually experience the knowledge I learned next to further absorb it. We would like to use the real insights we gained from this year’s “Universal Service EXPO 1” to improve the services of each hotel, aiming to make our hotels easy to use for everyone, and to work toward realizing our company’s purpose of “creating fulfilling moments for people and towns.” Excerpts from participant comments 1. I realized that the position and layout of most things in the world are created from the perspective of healthy people. 2. I felt that even though there is no best way for everyone, there is a need to find a better way. 3. It’s hard to change the hardware, but as a hotel, there are things we can make up for in the software side. I want to make that happen. 4. Through actual experiences and discussions with people from other hotels, the issues facing our hotel became clearer. [Overview of Tokyu Hotels & Resorts Co., Ltd.] Location: 3rd floor, Goto Ikueikai Building, 1-10-7 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Representative: President and CEO Takashi Takei Business: Management of hotels, restaurants, and member-only resorts ■The nationwide network of “Tokyu Hotels” (https://www.tokyuhotels.co.jp) The Capitol Hotel Tokyu and the brands Tokyu Hotel, Tokyu Resort Hotel, Excel Hotel Tokyu, and Tokyu REI Hotel In addition to the “Tokyu Brand Hotels” that belong to the group, we have “DISTINCTIVE SELECTION”, which consists of hotels with unique personalities such as BELLUSTAR TOKYO and STREAM HOTEL, “STORYLINE”, a hotel condominium, and “Tokyu Vacations”, a “membership-based resort” that operates nationwide (61 hotels in Japan and 6 other partner hotels in Japan and 3 overseas). ■Our purpose: “Creating fulfilling moments with people and towns” Tokyu Hotels & Resorts has determined its purpose by asking itself what role it should play through its business. To be close to customers and the local community, to walk alongside them, and to create moments of fulfillment. This is the reason and meaning behind our company’s existence. With this purpose as our foundation, we are working to make this a reality. Click here for the purpose of Tokyu Hotels & Resorts ​ *This email has been sent automatically, so please do not reply.