Meet Yoshitaka Nojiri, The Master of Ceremonies, Trunk (Hotel), Tokyo

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your career?

I’m Yoshitaka Nojiri, TRUNK co., ltd Founder Hotelier
My worldwide journey around hotels has brought me to stay in more than 2,000 places. The two boutique hotels, TRUNK(HOTEL) and TRUNK(HOUSE) that I opened are extremely highly praised all over the world and have received numerous international awards. And this is only the beginning: I’m currently planning new venue openings in Tokyo.
I’m also the founder of Take and Give Needs, the bridal company that has developed and broadened the concept of “House Wedding” in Japan. According to this success, the company is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange First Section since 2006. 
People often mention me as one of the leading entrepreneurs of Japan, and it makes me extremely glad.

What is your approach to hospitality? 

First of all, I believe offering a fully reliable service that fit to anybody, no matter age or gender, is a must since you ask money for it. On the other hand, global customers are becoming more and more diverse, and it is true that this booming diversity of demands is challenging the services we shall deliver.
In this context, I’m convinced it is essential to precisely identify your target and focus on it. Rather than trying to provide a bunch of services that can satisfy all customers, I’d better concentrate on designing a service that matches your core target. (it implies of course that the quality of hospitality responds fundamentally to all our guests).
I believe the variety of means, types, and shapes of hospitality should evolve with the evolving demands of today’s customers, and that what I’m exploring every day.
TRUNK targets people that are ‘lifestyle connoisseurs’, with a high receptivity to experience and bon goût. I assume those people will not be satisfied with a preconditioned package of services. That’s why I do not bound my employees with a staff handbook and encourage them to think and act by themselves.
For instance, they can organize spontaneously some activities following one guest request by activating their personal network; they can enjoy karaoke with guests; leave the front desk and accompany them into the deep town bar areas; go surfing on (guest) demand. With this open-minded and flexible TRUNK likely customer relationship, we ensure each of our guests complete satisfaction.

What is the most important element for you when thinking about a hotel?

I believe the most important element is to have all your employees endorse the company (Hotel) Vision and Mission.
It is fundamental to keep always an environment in which everybody looks at the same goal. 
Furthermore, I consider that the key success of the hotel business is to find and approach the right customer with whom we deeply share the same values and thoughts with.

Can you tell us about the concept of “Socializing” and the new style of social contribution? 

Socializing is TRUNK proposal for a new style of social contribution that consists of ‘live true to yourself, without undue pressure, but with a life-sized social purpose. Socializing is built up on 5 pillars we focus on, ‘ENVIRONMENT’, ‘LOCAL FIRST’, ‘DIVERSITY’, ‘HEALTH’, ‘CULTURE’.  

ENVIRONMENT stands for sustainability and environmental conservation, through providing products based on the 3R.
LOCAL FIRST strengthens on ‘Made in Japan’, ‘Made in Tokyo’, ‘Made in Shibuya’ and we actively incorporate locally available technologies and products we can be proud of, and in this way, we contribute to the increase of domestic consumption.s
DIVERSITY focuses on supporting LGBTQ promoting events, collaborative product development with welfare associations.
From interior decoration to the take-out coffee, we have arranged many touchpoints inside the hotel to experience socializing.

What’s your favourite spot in Shibuya? 

○Bar Piano（A Piano bar in the Shibuya ‘drunkards alley’）
○Yoyogi Park and Meiji Jingu Shrine
○For tasty food experiences, I love the areas of Okushibu, Shinsen

Who would be your dream guest? 

TRUNK targets people who have a very highly conscious lifestyle, who are international frequent travellers, and who are always fully living every single day with excitement and emotion. I dream to have many of these people coming.

What is your favourite hotel, restaurant, and design address in the world? 

It’s hard to make a short selection since I stayed in more than 2,000 hotels but as a non-exhaustive list, let’s mention 
○Petit Ermitage (it’s an amazingly unique hotel in Los Angeles, where a majority of staff are also professional actors.)
○La Granja (a member and friends only, word-to-mouth hotel in Ibiza produced by Design Hotels CEO)
○Macakizi (A resort hotel on the Aegean Sea, near Bordrum in Turkey)
○Ett Hem (a private townhouse in Stockholm that has been fully renovated and turned into a hotel by the owners)

For restaurants: 

○Etxebarri (an internationally highly praised Spanish traditional restaurant in the Basque region)
○Ultraviolet (Creative and innovative French cuisine-based restaurant in Shanghai. The visual performance of the staging is extremely appreciated)
○Sushi Saito (a Sushi restaurant in Tokyo you can only access on referral – for happy fews)