IHG Hotels & Resorts operates 19 hotel brands with more than 6,500 hotels in more than 100 countries. In Japan, IHG Hotels & Resorts currently operates about 47 hotels under eight brands from Hokkaido to Okinawa (as of September 2024). For this interview, we asked Yuichiro Imura, Deputy General Manager of ANA InterContinental Manza Beach Resort, about the attractions around the hotel.
Facility name: ANA InterContinental Manza Beach Resort
Location: 2260 Seragaki, Onna Village, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa
–How did you come to work at the ANA InterContinental Manza Beach Resort?
I chose the hotel industry as a career because I was attracted to work that emphasizes human relationships. I believed that building trusting relationships with customers and team members through relationships with them and receiving their satisfaction and words of gratitude as a result would lead to my own growth and motivation.
I was motivated to work at the resort because I shared the unique location of the resort and the warm hospitality that has been cultivated in the resort. I wanted to be involved in services that make the most of the natural environment and culture.
–What kind of hotel is it?
Opened in 1983 as a pioneer resort hotel in Japan, it became the ANA InterContinental Manza Beach Resort in 2009. The resort boasts an exceptional location in Okinawa Coastal National Park, surrounded by the beautiful coral reefs of the ocean, and the entire peninsula is the site of the resort. The beach offers a wide variety of marine activities, and since about 20 years ago, we have been focusing on protecting the coral reefs, offering an irreplaceable experience to visitors from Japan and abroad as a hotel that coexists with nature.
–What is the unique experience of the ANA InterContinental Manza Beach Resort?
The resort is officially certified by GREEN FINS, an international standard program for coral conservation, and gives a presentation on coral and the significance of protecting coral before participating in activities. In addition, activities that contribute to nature conservation, such as “coral seedling making,” are also popular. This is a unique Okinawan experience where you can learn while having fun in the emerald green ocean.
–please let me know if you have any personal favorites tourist spots or restaurants in the vicinity of the hotel.
Located on the opposite shore from the hotel is Manzamo, one of the most scenic spots in the prefecture. It is said that the former king of Ryukyu praised Manzamo as “a plain enough for all to sit on,” a spot where one can feel the power of nature with one’s whole body. The view of the East China Sea from the Ryukyu limestone cliffs is breathtaking, changing its expression from hour to hour. A special way to experience the dynamic scenery of Manzamo is to take a cruise and “look up” at the view.
–What restaurant menu do you recommend?
BBQ at the beachside garden, open only during the summer, is a unique beach resort dining experience, and dinner with a beautiful sunset view is exceptional.
In addition, the all-day dining “Aqua Belle” offers a buffet featuring a Western-style menu and seasonal Okinawan flavors with an emphasis on local production for local consumption.
–What souvenirs do you recommend?
These are the products of “SHIMA DENIM WORKS,” which produces denim upcycled from “bagasse,” the waste from sugarcane pressing, a specialty of Okinawa. The company produces jeans, bags, accessories, and many other unique products. We share the desire to preserve the original landscape of Okinawa’s sugarcane fields for the future, and have adopted the jeans as coasters for the drinks served in our café. The coasters are used in our café and are used in our drinks. You can’t help but want to boast, “These jeans are actually made of sugarcane!
© Source travel watch
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