With recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic underway, inbound tourism demand has been on the rise. According to a survey by the Japan Tourism Agency, about 70% of foreign visitors to Japan said they chose the country as a travel destination because they valued the opportunity to practice “sustainable tourism.” Hotels and other accommodations are also increasingly expected to embrace sustainability.

Since its opening in May 2023, BELLUSTAR TOKYO has launched a program in partnership with BEAUTYCLE, a company specializing in horizontal recycling, to collect and recycle the hotel’s original bath amenity bottles. At the time, this was the first horizontal recycling initiative for bath amenities in the hotel industry (Note 3).

Note 3: According to BEAUTYCLE Co., Ltd. research (Survey date: June 2023 / Regarding bottle horizontal recycling systems in the hotel industry)

Recycling Process Flow at BEAUTYCLE Saga Factory

Kaneda:“This initiative involves collecting amenity containers used at the hotel and processing them through washing, crushing, and reprocessing into resin, before returning them to the hotel as new amenity bottles. BELLUSTAR TOKYO’s bath amenities are made with environmentally friendly materials, and we strive to promote sustainability not only in the contents but also in the bottles themselves.”

Sustainable initiatives, however, present challenges unique to luxury hotels, as Nagata explains.

Nagata:“How to balance sustainability while cherishing the hotel brand’s concept. Facing this difficult theme, we began a new initiative in April 2025: participation in the bar soap recycling program ‘Clean the World®.”

Clean the World® operates a program that collects bar soaps discarded by the hospitality industry worldwide, recycles them into soap and hygiene products, and donates them to underprivileged regions, supporting hygiene improvement.

Nagata:“At BELLUSTAR TOKYO, we provide individually wrapped bar soap to our guests, but disposing of leftover soap had become a challenge. As a luxury hotel, individual packaging is something we cannot compromise on. At the same time, we also want to pursue sustainable initiatives. Clean the World® is the solution that enables us to achieve both. In fact, this initiative originated from the suggestion of a single Associate outside the committee who works in guest room cleaning.”

To meet our guests’ expectations as a hotel that is kind to the Earth, the Community, and People, BELLUSTAR TOKYO is pursuing its own sustainable initiatives while staying true to its brand essence.

Through a variety of approaches, BELLUSTAR TOKYO pursues sustainable initiatives. Among these, one of the most symbolic initiatives is the “Sakura Upcycle Project.”

The project began in spring 2024, driven by a desire to find ways to reuse the large number of cherry blossoms that had decorated the hotel interior instead of discarding them. The flowers and branches were used as dyeing materials to create “Japanese fans made with threads dyed from these blossoms,” which were sold in spring 2025.

This “relay of cherry blossoms that adorned the hotel” continues this year as well. The cherry blossoms displayed in spring 2025 will be reborn as giveaways for guests staying during the 2026 cherry blossom decoration period and coasters used in restaurants. In addition, following the Japanese fans, development is underway for the second series of “upcycled cherry blossom products.”

With momentum for promoting sustainability growing across the entire group, the members express their enthusiasm to continue actively advancing initiatives—as Associates of BELLUSTAR TOKYO and as members of the Sustainability Committee.

Tanaka: “Inspired by the Sustainability Committee, grassroots initiatives in the workplace are gaining momentum, such as taking the initiative to minimize waste. I believe there is still plenty of room for positive change. I hope to turn the insights I gain each day into tangible actions.”

Kaneda:“The committee’s activities have been a great source of inspiration, further boosting my motivation at work. Moving forward, I hope to continue balancing my commitment to daily responsibilities with active participation in the Sustainability Committee.”

Nagata:“By focusing on sustainable initiatives and sharing the stories behind our aspirations and activities, I hope we can further enhance the appeal of BELLUSTAR TOKYO. We envision its unique charm resonating with the spirit of Shinjuku, Tokyo, and helping elevate the value of the broader community. Together with our guests, the local community, and society as a whole, we will continue to pursue a sustainability vision that reflects the true essence of BELLUSTAR TOKYO.”

When individual aspirations come together, they light the way forward. BELLUSTAR TOKYO will continue to cherish and weave our shared journey toward a sustainable future, hand in hand with our guests.

Please refer to this article for more about topics
→Clean the World®
→Transforming discarded cherry blossoms and branches into something new
→BELLUSTAR TOKYO’s cherry blossom decorations reborn as folding fans