Japan Watchdog to Warn 15 Luxury Hotel Operators

   Tokyo, April 17 (Jiji Press)--The Japan Fair Trade Commission has decided to warn 15 operators of luxury hotels in Tokyo for sharing price and other information in a possible cartel, it was learned Thursday.
   The antitrust watchdog has already notified the operators, including Imperial Hotel Ltd., of its warning plan. It will finalize the plan after hearing their responses.
   Since the COVID-19 pandemic subsided, hotel prices have skyrocketed, partly due to a surge in visitors from abroad. The commission apparently aims to correct the situation quickly by warning the hotel operators.
   The 15 operators also include New Otani Co., Keio Plaza Hotel Co., Hotel Okura Tokyo Co., Palace Hotel Co., Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide Inc. and Fujita Kanko Inc.
   According to informed sources, it is believed that sales officials from the companies have been meeting monthly for several decades to exchange internal information, such as room occupancy rates and average unit prices. Such meetings are no longer held.

(2025/04/17-17:42)