JLL’s (NYSE:JLL) Hotels & Hospitality Group today announced that it advised on a hotel sale located in a prime Kyoto location. The firm advised a special purpose vehicle (SPV), controlled by an international investor group, on the successful sale of the Hotel Resol Kyoto Kawaramachi Sanjo, located in central Kyoto to an SPV established by Mitsui Bussan Digital Asset Management K.K.

According to JLL, the hotel has been acquired with the existing master lease remaining in place and will continue to be operated under the Resol hotel brand. 

Located in central Kyoto, along the highly coveted Kawaramachi-dori, the Hotel Resol Kyoto provides convenient access to the key attractions of the city including the downtown Kawaramachi shopping district and the geisha entertainment district of Pontocho Gion. Opened in 2018, the hotel comprises 144 guestrooms with a modern Japanese theme.

“This asset represents an exceptional and rare opportunity to acquire a newly built hotel in a prime tourist location of Japan. As accommodation demand recovers and financing terms remain attractive, we continue to see exceptional levels of interest for Japanese hotels. JLL have advised on this exciting transaction, reaffirming our standing as the unmatched provider of hotel investment expertise in the dynamic Japanese market.” says Charlie Macildowie, Executive Vice President, Investment Sales, Asia Pacific, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group.

According to JLL, the first half of 2023 saw JPY203 billion ($1.39 billion) of hotels change hands in Japan with. the six-month volume representing a 65.4% increase on the first half of 2022. JLL’s expects this trend to continue into the second half of the 2023 with several transactions already closed or agreed.

Mitsui & Co. Digital Asset Management, Ltd. specialises in asset management for real assets using blockchain, and was established as a joint venture between LayerX and Mitsui & Co. The company has launched the “Digital Securities Project,” which focuses on the issuance of security tokens using blockchain technology, and a dedicated fund that invests in high-quality real estate held by J-REITs.