Japan hospitality giant APA Group on Thursday announced a new partnership with Edison, New Jersey-based real estate developer Friendwell Group of Companies to introduce and develop APA Hotels (Always Pleasant Amenity) in the United States. Ambitious expansion plans in the U.S. call for 100 APA hotels within the next five years.
The new APA Hotel Franchise LLC, based in Delaware, will open its first U.S-based property – the 200-room APA Hotel Woodbridge at Metropark, New Jersey – on November 13, 2015, to be followed by additional properties throughout the U.S. Over the past 30 years in Japan, APA has opened some 347 hotels.
APA Hotel Woodbridge (formerly the Hilton Woodbridge Hotel), which is owned by Friendwell Group of Companies, will remain open for both leisure and business travelers during a multi-phased renovation and redesign of all guest rooms, suites and all public areas, including the large lobby, 30,000 square feet of conference facilities, a new signature Japanese restaurant, and a full service bar. The public areas are slated to be completed by summer 2016, followed by all guest rooms by spring 2017.
A company originating from Taiwan, Friendwell now owns and manages retail space, office buildings and 3,000-plus hotel rooms in its U.S. portfolio, spread across brands such as Hilton, IHG and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
“APA set the trend in Asia and Japan for the creation of new urban style hotels with core values steeped in high quality, high functionality and environment-friendly amenities,” said Toshio Motoya, founder of APA Group and APA Hotel. “Our amenities that are usually found in 5-star hotels offer excellent value at APA Hotel’s 3- and 4–star properties.”
“While the APA organization will introduce its Japanese culture and high-level service to the U.S. market, Friendwell’s diverse group of U.S. hotels have achieved great success in blending Asian and American cultural touchpoints, which creates a perfect synergy for our new U.S. partnership — APA Hotel Franchise,” stated Tsun-Jen Cheng, chairman of Friendwell Group of Companies.