Among railway companies that have been hit by the spread of the new coronavirus, there is a growing movement to attract railway fans by providing new services in collaboration with the railway business at affiliated hotels.
This month, a hotel affiliated with Tobu Railway, a major private railway company in Asakusa, Tokyo, opened a guest room equipped with a simulator that drivers actually use for training.
The monitor shows the scenery along the Tobu-Tojo Line with computer graphics so that you can experience the same operation of the cab as the real thing, and when you take your hand off the steering wheel, an emergency brake is applied to avoid an accident. Etc. are also reproduced.
The hotel opened in October last year, but the spread of the infection has eliminated the demand for foreign tourists that was initially expected, so we would like to attract railroad fans with a new service.
Masaharu Shinoda, general manager of Asakusa Tobu Hotel, said, "We want our customers to be pleased with the services that only a railway company's affiliated hotel can offer. We want not only railway fans but also their families to stay in the room and enjoy themselves." ..
In addition, Seibu Railway has started an accommodation plan where you can experience the work of station staff at a hotel in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, which is directly connected to the station, and Tokyu Corporation was created by high school students and won the highest award at the national competition. There is a growing movement to develop new customer bases by providing services linked to the railway business at affiliated hotels, such as creating guest rooms with railway diorama.