東京一直是深具潛力的觀光都市。具備太多吸引人的因素，包括治安良好、都市整潔美觀、日本人禮貌的態度及來自世界各地的道地美食。自從小泉前首相發表觀光立國宣言，目標在2010年前將訪日觀光客數提升至一千萬人以上，也間接宣告日本飯店業界的戰爭即將進入白熱化階段。 概觀日本飯店業界，外資飯店群雄肆起，挾著龐大的資金大舉進攻市場，華麗無比的裝潢及設施、標榜令人感動的五星級的服務。因應此混亂的局面，日本傳統飯店業者的生存之道值得探討。 本論文將以設計為出發點，分析在日本飯店業界中設計與競爭力之間的關係。本研究發掘設計的新定義不僅在於外觀的美化，更著重與消費者之間的溝通互動，並藉此提高服務品質達到消費者需求甚至是提供消費者所料想未及的超感動服務。 服務在設計概念中佔有重要的一環，在這個講求服務至上的時代，本論文除了探討服務的重要性外，也將透過事例研究，來發掘外資與日系飯店的服務特質及個別優勢所在。研究事例包括擁有百年歷史，發揚日本傳統服務精神的老字號帝國飯店、以提供超感動服務聞名天下的The Ritz-Carlton飯店及日本傳統溫泉代表，連續29年蟬聯「日本飯店、旅館百名票選」第一名的加賀屋。外資與日系飯店如何透過服務帶來客戶的滿意度與忠誠度，如何將服務提升至超乎想像的精緻程度，將在本論文中進行研究與探討。 Tokyo has great potential to become a tourism destination, and with an increase in foreign visitors to Tokyo comes a spike in the demand for luxury hotels. Several top hotels have opened in the past years, accommodations are more numerous. Things have definitely changed since their heyday prior to the arrival of the global brands. Announced by Ex-Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi, Japan is addressing the promotion of tourism, with a view to increasing annual visits from overseas guests to 10 million by 2010. The local media are dubbing the recent opening of these luxury hotels the start of a "hotel war." To compete with new foreign-owned properties, they must maintain their Japanese originality together with Japanese hospitality and style of service. While most of the older Japanese brands have already undergone extensive modernization--the Imperial Hotel completed a four-year strategic renewal in 2002--they are now keen to emphasize their sense of wa. As a wave of new high-end properties open, luxury hotels are doing their best to sustain their competitive advantages. This essay is based on the relation of Design and Competitiveness to compare the differences between Japanese hotels and foreign-owned hotels. Design is reliant on communication as a means to express better services and share ideas with customers. Furthermore, this essay also focuses on three leading brands to deeply analyze services provided: The Imperial Hotel has welcomed royalty, heads of state, celebrities and international business leaders for over 115 years, offering discreet, highly personalized services, restrained elegance, award-winning cuisine and refined, impeccable Japanese hospitality. The Ritz-Carlton has been recognized with numerous awards for being the gold standard of hospitality. The Kagaya in Ishikawa prefecture has been voted the best ryokan in the whole of Japan for the last 29 years running. As expected in a traditional Japan, the service is beyond perfect.
