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The Japanese hotel company Hoshino Resorts is aiming to open its first new-build U.S. hotel in Sharon Springs, New York, which once drew crowds of tourists for its mineral springs.
Hoshino Resorts plans to build a traditional Japanese inn or “ryokan,” which are often built around indoor and outdoor mineral water and hot springs, known as “onsen” in Japanese.
“Hoshino Resorts’ choice of this location aligns with the company’s heritage in operating onsen ryokans. We aim to revive Sharon Springs’ mineral water legacy through presenting the onsen ryokan experience,” the company said in an English-language release Thursday.
The central New York town’s previous springs-focused hotels and resorts peaked in the first half of the 20th century. Prohibition hurt local hops farms, and a combination of fires and repeated changes in ownership hurt the local spas. The opening of state toll roads that bypassed the town also hurt, according to the Sharon Historical Society and Museum.
A number of historic buildings in Sharon Springs were entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
The ryokan, which Hoshino Resorts says will be the first of its kind in the U.S., will have as many as 40 guest rooms and is planned to open in 2028.
Japanese hotel companies previously tried entering the U.S. market in the 1980s, but Hoshino Resorts is taking a different approach this time.
“The biggest lesson from the 1980s is that when a Japanese hotel company enters the U.S. market, they are expected to offer a concept that reflects Japanese culture. … When a hotel company comes from Japan, it will be difficult to capture the hearts of the market unless it serves hot spring inns,” the company said in a separate release as translated from Japanese.
As such, the inn will be built and operated like its equivalents in Japan.
“Onsen ryokan is comprised of four essential elements. They are a unique bathing experience in hot springs, exquisite Japanese cuisine, architecture, and design that seamlessly integrate with the natural landscape and ‘omotenashi,’ the Japanese style of hospitality,” Hoshino Resorts CEO Yoshiharu Hoshino told Travel + Leisure magazine.
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