Keio Plaza Hotel & SDGs
Our Initiatives to Achieve SDGs
A Plaza that Enriches Peoples Lives
We aim to be a plaza in which people of all ages and genders from all over the world can spend their free time just as they please.
Rather than limiting ourselves to simply providing accommodations, we strive to be a hotel that is close to people's everyday lives and serves as a plaza for the city that brings a range of benefits, such as relaxation, entertainment, and interaction.
Our Philosophy & Concept
For the Enhancement of Regional Value and Sustainable Development
Ever since our founding, we have been committed to developing the local community and improving the quality of life. That is why contributing to society is one of our philosophies. We contribute to enhancing regional value by showcasing the many unique features Hokkaido has nurtured, which are also indispensable to our business. We also help to stimulate the local economy and support the sustainable development of the region.
1 Together with the Community and Guests
We achieve SDGs by working closely with Hokkaido, Sapporo, and our guests.
2Together with the Environment
By addressing global environmental issues, we achieve SDGs while watching over the nature of our home, Hokkaido.
3Together with our Employees
Achieving SDGs with our employees is essential for a sustainable hotel business.
Together with the Community and Guests
- Stimulating Local Demand
By promoting the charm of local ingredients and drinks through our food service, we help to stimulate the demand for produce and seafood, contributing to the revitalization of the local economy.
Restaurants
Each of our restaurants serves beverages, such as wine and sake, that embody the essence of the Hokkaido terroir, along with dishes that make use of plentiful Hokkaido foods.
Club Lounge
The Club Lounge, which is exclusive to guests staying on the Premier and Plaza Floors, offers drinks and snacks with a Hokkaido theme.
Hokkaido Wine
Our hotel utilizes our special connections to stock a large amount of Hokkaido wines, many of which are produced in small quantities and are difficult to find on the open market.
Our luxurious lineup of over 50 varieties lets you truly savor the Hokkaido terroir.
Hokkaido Sake
Akizu stocks local sake from 15 breweries around Hokkaido.
You can even taste some rare regional sake brands.
- Working with Producers
Our general manager and staff from our event, culinary, and service teams visit production sites personally to forge strong relationships and trust with the producers of our ingredients, wines, and even the pumpkins used in our Halloween decorations.
We also set up events where our guests can meet the producers directly, such as the wine tastings we hold that introduce Hokkaido wineries.
In 2022, we held a tasting of French cuisine, featuring produce and livestock from GAP-certified agricultural high schools in Hokkaido, as well as seafood sourced from Hokkaido fishery high schools.
Our head chef and event manager make visits to these high schools in order to deepen ties with these burgeoning producers.
- Working with Local Businesses and Hospitals
We maintain close ties with local businesses, such as Marumi Coffee, which sells its own roasted coffee around Sapporo, and Sapporo Yaki Bankei Kiln, which produces tableware that's famous for its vivid colors.
We also work to develop healthy collaborative menus with Tonan Hospital.
[Stay Brew] A Specialty Coffee Tasting Plan that You Can Brew in Your Room
This plan let guests compare Marumi Coffee's specialty coffees by drinking them from cups made at Bankei Kiln.
[This plan has ended.]
Low-Calorie Lunch
This pasta dish was created in collaboration with Tonan Hospital. It has a total calorie count under 500 and less than 2g of salt.
- Regional Revitalization Through Event Planning and Participation
We work to revitalize the local area by holding events in the vicinity of our hotel that our guests can enjoy, as well as by participating in other local events.
Halloween Mystery-Solving Events for Kids
Food Importance Education Events for Parents & Children
Culture Night Participant
*Please note that some events are no longer running.
- Serving Original Blend Coffee that Supports the Food Supply of Developing Countries
The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) holds the Red Cup Campaign to support school meals for children in developing countries. By purchasing certain products from participating businesses, a portion of the proceeds is donated. Akizu, located on our 1st Floor Basement, is taking part in this campaign by serving original blend coffee that bears the Red Cup mark.
- Our Hotel is Now Fully Barrier Free
The installation of accessible rooms and universal restrooms is one of the ways we ensure a safe and comfortable stay for all of our guests, not just by fully equipping our facilities, but also by striving for the best possible service.
Accessible Room
This room is equipped with automatic reclining beds and sliding doors. It is also designed to allow wheelchair users to have a comfortable stay free of inconveniences.
Certified Kokoro Barrier-Free Tourism Facility
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has recognized and certified us for our efforts, which include using tablet devices to communicate with hearing-impaired customers and lending nursing care equipment.
- Food Safety & Reliability
We have been certified at the advanced Premier Stage under the Sapporo HACCP (Sapporo Municipal Food Hygiene Management Certification System), which was developed to ensure food safety in the city.
Moreover, we have set up a food management system that ensures food hygiene, confirms the source of ingredients, and more, in order to serve our guests safe and reliable meals.
Food Hygiene Seminars
We regularly hold in-house training sessions on seasonal food hygiene risks, including food poisoning and Norovirus.
Menu Display Committee
We have established a committee with the aim of preventing misleading advertising. It ensures that all menu items we serve are thoroughly checked for their sources and types of ingredients.
- Ensuring Safety & Security in Natural Disasters & Emergencies
We regularly hold in-house training sessions on how to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies, including basic first-aid courses and evacuation drills. In addition, we have also established a system to confirm the safety of our employees, and have prepared for emergencies by storing 72 hours' worth of electricity, as well as emergency food and drinking water.
Together with the Environment
- Transitioning to Environmentally Friendly Materials
As a part of our efforts to conserve the environment, curb global warming, and reduce marine plastic waste, we have changed our straws and chopsticks to more environmentally friendly materials.
Transition to Paper Straws
The chain of Keio Plaza Hotels once used approximately 430,000 plastic straws per year, but since 2018, we have been making the switch to paper straws.
Transition to Lacquered Chopsticks
Our restaurants and banquet halls used to go through roughly 700,000 pairs of disposable chopsticks per year, but since 2008, we have switched to reusable lacquered chopsticks made by Kawakami Shoten, a long-established producer in Nihonbashi, Tokyo.
Transition to Eco-Amenities
Previously, amenities in guest rooms, such as toothbrushes, combs, razors, and shower caps, were made with plastic, but since 2023, we have been making the change to eco-friendly amenities made from plant-based materials.
- Our Hotel Uses Natural Groundwater
Sapporo is located on the Toyohira River alluvial fan and is said to be one of the areas of Japan with the most abundant groundwater. The water quality is exceptionally good and well-suited for drinking, but with a temperature of around 10°C, it is also good for cooling.
This groundwater is used as an alternative to the municipal water supply. By using it for a variety of purposes, from drinking to cooling and swimming pools, energy consumption can be significantly reduced.
- Reduction of Paper
We have discontinued our hotel newsletter and hotel guide booklets that we placed in every room. We are also reducing other paper media, such as posters and pamphlets, by transitioning to providing information on our website, in-room TVs, and digital signage. In addition, we have digitized employee pay slips, eliminating the need for envelopes.
Not only does this reduce the amount of paper waste, but it also cuts down on the CO2 emissions related to the production and transportation of materials, such as ink.
- Eco-Friendly Guest Rooms
For guests staying multiple nights, we can change bed linens (sheets and pillowcases) upon request. We are working to reduce water consumption from cleaning linen.
- Soap Made from Recycled Natural Oils
We use soap made from recycled natural oils (primarily waste oil from school lunches) that break down quickly and make only a small impact on the environment.
- Energy-Saving Equipment
In 2012, our elevators were upgraded to ones equipped with a group control standby power management. This significantly reduces power consumption by putting elevators into sleep mode based on their usage. Moreover, in 2014, we upgraded our escalators to models that automatically switch to low speeds when not in use. We also installed high-efficiency lighting fixtures and motion-sensing lighting in the back rooms.
- Hydrogen-Roasted Coffee with Zero-Emission Roasting
Hydrogen roasting is a method that roasts coffee beans by burning hydrogen, instead of conventional roasting that uses gas.
When hydrogen is burned, only water vapor is emitted. No CO2 is emitted whatsoever, making it a major contribution to reducing carbon emissions.
Together with Our Employees
- Promotion of a Comfortable Working Environment
We promote the creation of a comfortable working environment for our employees as they go through various events in life, such as child-rearing or caring for elderly relatives.
On-Site Daycare Center
Our hotel is equipped with an on-site daycare center with employer-provided childcare. As a part of the Community-Based Childcare category of Sapporo's new system for children and childcare support, this center is authorized by the local government to provide childcare not only for our employees' children, but for children in the local community as well. We are providing an environment where employees can work while raising children to support fulfilling family lives. (Usage rate by eligible employees was 22.2% in fiscal 2021.)
Leaves for Childcare & Nursing Care and Reduced Hours
We have systems in place for employees to take leaves to provide childcare or nursing care or work reduced hours.
(12 employees took childcare leave in fiscal 2021.)
Work-Life Balance Plus Corporate Certification
Work-Life Balance Corporate Certification is a system run by Sapporo, which certifies companies that actively support the balancing of work and child-rearing. Our hotel has been certified at the highest rank of a "Leading Initiative Company," meaning a company that takes initiatives going beyond what the law requires.
- Self-Operated Employee Cafeteria
In January 2021, we stopped outsourcing our employee cafeteria and began operating our own. Our employees span a wide range of ages, and we are dedicated to continuously honing our culinary techniques. It also addresses the issue of food waste from ingredients purchased at our restaurants and banquet halls by enabling a more efficiently managed inventory.
- Employee-Empowering Product & Service Innovation
We established the Marketing Strategy Board (MSB), a committee in which employees of all levels, from veterans to newcomers, can share ideas and implement them to improve our products and services.
In 2022, our activities have been focused on younger employees from various departments. Giving them the opportunity to see their ideas utilized to improve our products and services not only boosts morale but also serves as a form of training and refining marketing and communication skills.
Evaluations & Awards
- Certifications
1st hotel to comply with the Welfare Town Development Ordinance
(Received in 2002)
We were the 1st hotel in Sapporo to comply with the standards laid out by the city's Welfare Town Development Ordinance, by being a building that is easily accessible to those with disabilities and the elderly.
HACCP (Sapporo Municipal Food Hygiene Management Certification System)
(Certified "Premier Stage" in 2016)
We have been certified at the Premier Stage, which is the highest level of Sapporo's own certification system which acknowledges restaurants and retailers that maintain a superior level of voluntary hygiene management, based on HACCP.
Certified Kokoro Barrier-Free Tourism Facility
(Received in 2021)
The Japan Tourism Agency of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has certified us as a business that promotes the creation of a safer and more comfortable environment for people with disabilities and the elderly.
Work-Life Balance Plus Corporate Certification at the Highest Rank of Step 3 Leading Initiative Company
(Received 2022)
Under Sapporo's system that certifies companies which actively support a balance between work and raising children, we were certified as a Leading Initiative Company, the highest possible ranking that recognizes a business that goes beyond the legal requirements.
Registered Sapporo Eco-Member
(Received in 2023)
We are registered as a business that voluntarily carries out environmentally friendly initiatives.
- Awards & Honors
Japan Hotel Association Social Contribution Awards: Award of Excellence
(Awarded in 2023)
As the importance of corporate social contribution, such as SDG efforts, continues to grow, the Japan Hotel Association evaluates member hotels on 5 criteria: Novelty & Innovation, Effectiveness & Results, Continuity & Sustainability, Scalability & Potential, and Social Evaluation. We have received the Excellence Award as a part of the Chairperson's Commendation for Social Contribution, which recognizes outstanding efforts based on the 5 criteria.
Sapporo Chamber of Commerce and Industry SDGs Management Awards: Grand Prize
(Awarded in 2023)
In recognition of our initiatives in the 4 categories of Diversity, Business Management, Environmental Management, and Climate Change Action, we were awarded the Grand Prize at the SDGs Management Awards, which honors companies that actively work towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Keio Plaza Hotel Chain is a Member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GTSC)
(Joined in 2024)
Together with the Keio Plaza Hotel Shinjuku and Keio Plaza Hotel Hachioji, we were the first Japanese hotel chain to join the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), which sets and oversees the standards for sustainable travel and tourism.
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