SQUEEZE Inc.(Representative Director: Shinichi Tatebayashi, hereinafter “SQUEEZE”) will be the first hotel in Hokkaido to introduce the “Suica Smart Lock,” which allows the use of transportation system IC cards as room keys, at the ESCONFIELD HOKKAIDO Hotel Kitahiroshima Ekimae, which opens on March 28, 2025. This service allows guests to use their Suica IC cards as room keys.

With this service, guests will be able to register their Suica and other transportation system IC cards and smartphones as room keys, enabling smooth access from JR Kitahiroshima Station to their hotel rooms.

■ Comfortable Accommodation Experience Realized by “Suica Smart Lock

The ESCON Field HOKKAIDO Hotel Kitahiroshima Ekimae, which will open on March 28, 2025, will be the first hotel in Hokkaido to introduce the Suica Smart Lock. Guests can register their transportation system IC cards, including Suica and Kitaca, which are widely used in Hokkaido, and smartphones as room keys, eliminating the need to carry physical keys or card keys. This allows guests to smoothly enter their rooms directly after exiting the ticket gates at JR Kitahiroshima Station.

The main features are as follows

▶ Smooth check-in and check-out
▶ Transportation system IC cards can be used as room keys.
▶ Self check-in by guests
▶ Cloud reception with video call support　

■ About Suica Smart Lock
Developed as a system for the JR East Group’s new hotel brand “B4T” in 2023, Suica Smart Lock was adopted as a hotel room key as the first initiative in Japan.

This system is linked to SQUEEZE’s “suitebook KIOSK,” a cloud-based hotel management system, and provides a self check-in function that allows guests to activate their own transportation system IC cards as room keys. In addition, the system provides a secure lodging experience with 24-hour staff support through remote response using video calls.

The first SQUEEZE-operated hotel to adopt this feature was Minn STATION Ai Nagoya, which opened in 2024 on the top floor of STATION Ai, the largest open innovation center in Japan. And now, “ESCONFIELD HOKKAIDO Hotel Kitahiroshima Ekimae” will be the first facility in Hokkaido to introduce a check-in system using transportation IC cards.

■ About ESCONFIELD HOKKAIDO HOTEL Kitahiroshima Ekimae

Under the concept of “Life Innovation Hub,” the ESCON Field HOKKAIDO Hotel Kitahiroshima Ekimae aims to become a new hub where local residents and all visitors can gather and interact. In collaboration with partners such as ES-CON Japan Ltd. and others, next-generation services such as cashless payment will be introduced. As a tourist base that welcomes many guests while communicating the charm of the region, the hotel will contribute to the revitalization of Kitahiroshima City and aim to operate a hotel that will be loved for a long time.

The hotel will strengthen its ties with ESCON Field HOKKAIDO, home of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. The hotel will provide comfortable facilities for a wide variety of guests, including baseball fans. In addition to the standard and starlight floors, the guest rooms include suites and specially designed rooms. Furthermore, taking advantage of the hotel’s location directly connected to JR Kitahiroshima Station, rooms with a “train view” are also available, offering a close-up view of the trains arriving and departing on the platform. Guests can enjoy the changing scenery through the large, open windows.

In addition, specially designed guest rooms (20 rooms in total) featuring the baseball team’s logo and uniforms will be available. The hotel will also feature an exhibition space where guests can enjoy valuable memorabilia and art, as well as a photo spot exclusively for guests. This will provide a memorable and special stay experience.

▶ Related press release: https://squeeze-inc.co.jp/archives/2679/

▶ Related press release: https://squeeze-inc.co.jp/archives/2571/

【Hotel Kitahiroshima Ekimae – Details and reservations available:

https://staytuned.asia/ja/brands/esconfield-hokkaido-hotel/hotels/efh】

※“Suica Smart Lock” is a patent pending jointly by East Japan Railway Company, JR East Mechatronics Corporation, and Art Co.
※Suica”, ‘Mobile Suica’ and ‘Suica Smart Lock’ are registered trademarks of East Japan Railway Company.
※Kitaca” is a registered trademark of Hokkaido Railway Company.
※TOICA is a registered trademark of Central Japan Railway Company.
※manaca” is a registered trademark of Nagoya Transportation Development Organization Co.
※ICOCA is a registered trademark of West Japan Railway Company.
※PiTaPa is a registered trademark of SURUTTO KANSAI Co.
※SUGOCA is a registered trademark of Kyushu Railway Company.
※nimoca is a registered trademark of West Japan Railway Company.
※Hayakaken” is a registered trademark of Fukuoka City ※Transportation Bureau.

■ Facility Overview

Facility Name	ESCON Field HOKKAIDO Hotel Kitahiroshima Ekimae
Location	1-52 Sakae-cho, Kitahiroshima-shi, Hokkaido
Number of guest rooms	158 rooms
Opening date	March 28, 2025
Business Owner	ES-CON Japan, Ltd.
Operated by	SQUEEZE Inc.

SQUEEZE Hokkaido Initiatives to Date

■ Former professional baseball player Kenji Sugitani became a SQUEEZE ambassador!
The desire to energize Hokkaido and contribute to regional revitalization led to a partnership with ZENSHIN CONNECT, a company that promotes business development that makes the most of local resources. The company’s representative, former Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters player Kenji Sugitani, has become a SQUEEZE ambassador.

▶ Related press release: [https://squeeze-inc.co.jp/archives/2653/]

■ Converting one floor of the building and opening “Sheater Sapporo” in Susukino
In July 2020, one floor of “F45”, a restaurant building recognized as a landmark in Sapporo’s Susukino district, will be converted into a smart capsule hotel with a shared lounge, opening “Sheater Sapporo”. Taking advantage of the features of the lounge with a large screen, the hotel has grown into a facility that plays a new role as a local exchange center by hosting events by artists and companies and holding public viewing events.
【Details of Sheater Sapporo: https://staytuned.asia/ja/brands/theatel/hotels/theatel-sapporo】
【 Sheater Sapporo Introduction article: https://note.squeeze-inc.co.jp/n/ne7f83cf28549?magazine_key=mb0151dc4e328】

■ Opening of our own hotel brand “Minn” in Hokkaido for the first time
In December 2022, we opened our own apartment hotel brand “Minn” in Hokkaido, which is a combination of “Minn” meaning “accommodation” and “inn” meaning “everyone” in a group or family. Minn Chitose is located an 8-minute walk from JR Minami Chitose Station, one stop from New Chitose Airport, and is used as a base for various purposes such as sightseeing, activities, and sports, as well as by local residents who work as management crew members.
【Minn Chitose Details: https://staytuned.asia/brands/minn/hotels/minn-chitose/ ]

In July 2024, “Minn Chitose” will also begin to appear on the official website of the Hokkaido Ballpark F Village, and will serve as a comfortable base for guests visiting the Kitahiroshima Ballpark.
We will continue to provide strong support not only for hotel management, but also for the entire area’s digital strategy and customer attraction.

▶ Related press release: https://squeeze-inc.co.jp/archives/1524/

■ ESCON FIELD HOKKAIDO begins operation of “tower eleven hotel,” a hotel inside the ballpark
In March 2023, we began operating the “tower eleven hotel” and the “tower eleven onsen & sauna,” a hot spring bath facility, at the new stadium, ESCON Field HOKKAIDO, located within the Hokkaido Ball Park F Village. Since its opening, the hotel has been well received by many guests for its location overlooking the field and unique accommodation experience.
【Details of tower eleven hotel: https://staytuned.asia/ja/brands/towereleven/hotels/towerelevenhotel ]

■About SQUEEZE Inc.
Established: September 2014
Head office: 4F ARCHES KAMIYAMACHO, 6-4 Kamiyama-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Representative: Shinichi Tatebayashi, CEO
URL: https://squeeze-inc.co.jp/
Business description: Providing solutions for idle real estate and lodging facilities, consulting on opening and operating lodging facilities, developing and selling “suitebook,” a cloud-based lodging management system for lodging businesses, planning and operating smart hotels, and providing remote customer service and other services

■Profile of Shinichi Tatebayashi, CEO and Representative Director
Shinichi Tatebayashi was born in Hokkaido, Japan. After graduating from Tokai University, Faculty of Political Science and Economics, he worked for Goldman Sachs in Singapore.
After that, he was in charge of display advertising management at the Singapore branch of TripAdvisor, Inc.
In September 2014, he founded SQUEEZE Inc. and became CEO and Representative Director.

■Message from CEO
〜In order to realize “a society filled with value～
I founded SQUEEZE with the idea of “providing a solution that allows people to pack value into vacant space and time”, which was inspired by my original experience of remotely managing a vacant house in Hokkaido, where I was born and raised. Today, SQUEEZE not only operates its own hotels, develops and provides systems, and consults on overall DX (digital transformation) of the lodging industry, but is also taking on the challenge of connecting hotel operations from Cambodia to the rest of the world. We aim to be the one and only leading company that can provide multifaceted support for issues such as real estate utilization and human resource acquisition by leveraging our strength of being able to cross “technology and reality”.