Mitsui Fudosan Hotel Management Co., Ltd. Receives Special Award at the "Newsweek Japan SDGs Awards 2025"
Mitsui Fudosan Hotel Management has been honored with a Special Award at the Newsweek Japan SDGs Awards 2025 for its long-term commitment to the "HAPPY SMILE ART in Mitsui Garden Hotels" project. This initiative, which showcases art by individuals with disabilities in hotel lobbies, was recognized for its ongoing contribution to social inclusion and support for artists.
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Mitsui Fudosan Hotel Management Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Ryo Sugiyama) is pleased to announce that it has received a Special Award at the "Newsweek Japan SDGs Awards 2025."
This award recognizes companies and organizations that implement outstanding initiatives toward the realization of a sustainable society. The Special Award, newly established this year, is selected by the Newsweek Japan editorial department to honor "SDGs initiatives that have been developed and sustained over a long period."
The award was granted in recognition of our ongoing initiative, "HAPPY SMILE ART in Mitsui Garden Hotels," a series of exhibitions featuring art by individuals with disabilities, which we have been hosting in our hotel lobbies since 2021.
[Reason for the Award - From the Jury's Comments]
Art activities by people with disabilities still have low recognition in Japan, and support for them is limited to only a few companies and organizations. In this context, the company has held exhibitions using its own hotels across various regions to create opportunities for many people to encounter such works. We evaluated their efforts in discovering artists living in regional areas, and the fact that the total sales of the artworks and the financial returns to the artists have been increasing year by year. They are also promoting multilingual support for artwork descriptions and special web pages for international guests. Leveraging the advantage of operating dozens of hotels across Japan, we look forward to seeing them continue to expand their support for art by people with disabilities.
■ Comments from the Newsweek Japan Editorial Department
To put it plainly, this SDGs Award aims to "shine a light on sincere initiatives that may be modest but can serve as a reference for other industries and companies." The "Special Award" in particular honors initiatives that are being carried out in a progressive and sustained manner. Mitsui Fudosan Hotel Management's project perfectly matches these criteria and is an interesting case study in terms of the effective use of the "space" that a hotel provides. During the talk show at the award ceremony, Chairman Yu Sasabe, who attended as a representative, asked about the "roles and possibilities expected of the hotel and tourism industry in the future regarding co-creation with people with disabilities and the creation of inclusive events and spaces." It was impressive to witness his sincere attitude. (Yusuke Morita, Head of SDGs Office, Newsweek Japan)
■ About the Newsweek Japan SDGs AWARD
The international news weekly magazine "Newsweek" was founded in the United States in 1933, and the Japanese edition has been published since 1986. "Newsweek Japan" has been highly regarded as a medium that provides high-quality information and insightful analysis by reporting on world news from a unique perspective. In particular, its dissemination of advanced cases and the latest information regarding SDGs (*1) both domestically and internationally has received a great response from many readers and companies. The "SDGs Awards" are held by "Newsweek Japan" as a venue to widely introduce the SDGs initiatives of Japanese companies and to generate new ideas and empathy that lead to the resolution of social issues. This award began in 2023 and is now in its third year.
*1 SDGs: Sustainable Development Goals
■ About "HAPPY SMILE ART in Mitsui Garden Hotels"
This project aims to exhibit and sell art created by people with disabilities within our hotels, providing opportunities for everyone to easily engage with art while promoting "mental barrier-free" awareness. Sales proceeds are passed on to the artists through the general incorporated association Group Happy Smile to support their future creative activities.
- Event special page: https://www.mitsuifudosan-hotelmanagement.com/sustainability/happy-smile/event/
■ Hotels operated by Mitsui Fudosan Hotel Management
Mitsui Garden Hotels operates 34 facilities in Japan and overseas under the brand tagline "Stay in the Garden," reflecting our desire to "provide a stay experience with the richness and comfort of a garden." We value the local characteristics of each region across the country, offering uniquely designed spaces and a "breakfast to look forward to." Our hotels can be enjoyed in various situations, including business, leisure, retreats, refreshment, and long-term stays.
We also operate three "THE CELESTINE HOTELS," which are positioned as "destination hotels where the stay itself is the purpose," and three "sequence" hotels, which are next-generation lifestyle hotels where guests can enjoy "free time and ways of spending it" in their own style. Based on the philosophy and concept of "hotels that remain in your memory" and "hotels that satisfy the five senses of sensitive guests," Mitsui Fudosan Hotel Management develops brands that meet diverse needs.
■ About Sustainability at the Mitsui Fudosan Group
The Mitsui Fudosan Group, based on the "&" mark philosophy of "creating new value through symbiosis, coexistence, and co-creation, and continuing to take on challenges for that purpose," views the "creation of social value" and the "creation of economic value" as two wheels of a cart. We believe that creating social value leads to the creation of economic value, and that economic value enables the creation of even greater social value. When formulating our new group management philosophy in April 2024, we identified six "GROUP MATERIALITY" (priority issues): 1. Contribution to industrial competitiveness, 2. Coexistence with the environment, 3. Health and vitality, 4. Safety and security, 5. Diversity and inclusion, and 6. Compliance and governance. We will contribute to sustainability by addressing these materialities through our core business.
[Reference]
- "Group Long-term Management Policy": https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/corporate/innovation2030/
- "Group Materiality": https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/esg_csr/approach/materiality
This award recognizes companies and organizations that implement outstanding initiatives toward the realization of a sustainable society. The Special Award, newly established this year, is selected by the Newsweek Japan editorial department to honor "SDGs initiatives that have been developed and sustained over a long period."
The award was granted in recognition of our ongoing initiative, "HAPPY SMILE ART in Mitsui Garden Hotels," a series of exhibitions featuring art by individuals with disabilities, which we have been hosting in our hotel lobbies since 2021.
[Reason for the Award - From the Jury's Comments]
Art activities by people with disabilities still have low recognition in Japan, and support for them is limited to only a few companies and organizations. In this context, the company has held exhibitions using its own hotels across various regions to create opportunities for many people to encounter such works. We evaluated their efforts in discovering artists living in regional areas, and the fact that the total sales of the artworks and the financial returns to the artists have been increasing year by year. They are also promoting multilingual support for artwork descriptions and special web pages for international guests. Leveraging the advantage of operating dozens of hotels across Japan, we look forward to seeing them continue to expand their support for art by people with disabilities.
■ Comments from the Newsweek Japan Editorial Department
To put it plainly, this SDGs Award aims to "shine a light on sincere initiatives that may be modest but can serve as a reference for other industries and companies." The "Special Award" in particular honors initiatives that are being carried out in a progressive and sustained manner. Mitsui Fudosan Hotel Management's project perfectly matches these criteria and is an interesting case study in terms of the effective use of the "space" that a hotel provides. During the talk show at the award ceremony, Chairman Yu Sasabe, who attended as a representative, asked about the "roles and possibilities expected of the hotel and tourism industry in the future regarding co-creation with people with disabilities and the creation of inclusive events and spaces." It was impressive to witness his sincere attitude. (Yusuke Morita, Head of SDGs Office, Newsweek Japan)
■ About the Newsweek Japan SDGs AWARD
The international news weekly magazine "Newsweek" was founded in the United States in 1933, and the Japanese edition has been published since 1986. "Newsweek Japan" has been highly regarded as a medium that provides high-quality information and insightful analysis by reporting on world news from a unique perspective. In particular, its dissemination of advanced cases and the latest information regarding SDGs (*1) both domestically and internationally has received a great response from many readers and companies. The "SDGs Awards" are held by "Newsweek Japan" as a venue to widely introduce the SDGs initiatives of Japanese companies and to generate new ideas and empathy that lead to the resolution of social issues. This award began in 2023 and is now in its third year.
*1 SDGs: Sustainable Development Goals
■ About "HAPPY SMILE ART in Mitsui Garden Hotels"
This project aims to exhibit and sell art created by people with disabilities within our hotels, providing opportunities for everyone to easily engage with art while promoting "mental barrier-free" awareness. Sales proceeds are passed on to the artists through the general incorporated association Group Happy Smile to support their future creative activities.
- Event special page: https://www.mitsuifudosan-hotelmanagement.com/sustainability/happy-smile/event/
■ Hotels operated by Mitsui Fudosan Hotel Management
Mitsui Garden Hotels operates 34 facilities in Japan and overseas under the brand tagline "Stay in the Garden," reflecting our desire to "provide a stay experience with the richness and comfort of a garden." We value the local characteristics of each region across the country, offering uniquely designed spaces and a "breakfast to look forward to." Our hotels can be enjoyed in various situations, including business, leisure, retreats, refreshment, and long-term stays.
We also operate three "THE CELESTINE HOTELS," which are positioned as "destination hotels where the stay itself is the purpose," and three "sequence" hotels, which are next-generation lifestyle hotels where guests can enjoy "free time and ways of spending it" in their own style. Based on the philosophy and concept of "hotels that remain in your memory" and "hotels that satisfy the five senses of sensitive guests," Mitsui Fudosan Hotel Management develops brands that meet diverse needs.
■ About Sustainability at the Mitsui Fudosan Group
The Mitsui Fudosan Group, based on the "&" mark philosophy of "creating new value through symbiosis, coexistence, and co-creation, and continuing to take on challenges for that purpose," views the "creation of social value" and the "creation of economic value" as two wheels of a cart. We believe that creating social value leads to the creation of economic value, and that economic value enables the creation of even greater social value. When formulating our new group management philosophy in April 2024, we identified six "GROUP MATERIALITY" (priority issues): 1. Contribution to industrial competitiveness, 2. Coexistence with the environment, 3. Health and vitality, 4. Safety and security, 5. Diversity and inclusion, and 6. Compliance and governance. We will contribute to sustainability by addressing these materialities through our core business.
[Reference]
- "Group Long-term Management Policy": https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/corporate/innovation2030/
- "Group Materiality": https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/esg_csr/approach/materiality