SQUEEZE Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Shinichi Tatebayashi) opened the “ESCON Field HOKKAIDO Hotel Kitahiroshima Ekimae” in Kitahiroshima City, Hokkaido on March 28, 2025 (Friday). Various announcements were made, including the first public showing of the “Fighters’ Floor,” which has been the focus of much attention. The speakers at the joint press conference were Kenji Sugitani, representative of ZENSHIN CONNECT, a former member of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, Yoshiro Kato, executive officer of ES-CON Japan, and Shinichi Tatebayashi, CEO of SQUEEZE Corporation. The theme of the talk session was “From Kitahiroshima City to the World: Challenges for Local Development.

■Outline of Press Conference and Preview

Date and time
・Tuesday, March 25, 2025
・Joint press conference: 11:00 – 12:00
・Hotel preview: 12:00 – 13:00
Venue
・ESCON Field HOKKAIDO Hotel Kitahiroshima Ekimae
・1-52 Sakae-cho, Kitahiroshima-shi, Hokkaido
【Official website of the facility: https://staytuned.asia/ja/brands/esconfield-hokkaido-hotel/hotels/efh】

(From left to right) Triple + 1 Room Junior Suite Esconfield View Room

■ Speakers at the Joint Press Conference

SQUEEZE Inc. / CEO Shinichi Tatebayashi Profile
After graduating from Tokai University, Faculty of Political Science and Economics, Mr. Tatebayashi joined Goldman Sachs and worked in the Singapore office. In September 2014, he founded SQUEEZE Inc. and became CEO and Representative Director.

Yoshiro Kato, Executive Officer, ES-CON Japan Ltd.
Mr. Kato joined ES-CON JAPAN Ltd. in 2001, and after serving as General Manager of the Tokyo Development Division, he was appointed Manager of the Hokkaido Branch in 2020 (current position). In 2023, he will assume the position of President and Representative Director of ES-CON Sports & Entertainment, Inc.

ZENSHIN CONNECT Corporation / Representative: Kenji Sugitani Profile
Kenji Sugitani joined the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2009 after passing an entrance test. He has played 7 positions other than pitcher and catcher, and contributed to the team as a switch hitter. He retired in 2022 after 14 years with the team and founded ZENSHIN CONNECT, Inc. on April 3, 2023.

■ About the Press Conference

At the press conference, the speakers talked about the project concept and the features of the hotel. In particular, a discussion on the theme of “From Kitahiroshima City to the World: Challenges for Regional Development” led to a lively exchange of thoughts on the project and specific efforts to revitalize the region.

(from left to right) Shinichi Tatebayashi, CEO and Representative Director, SQUEEZE Corporation; Kenji Sugitani, Representative Director, ZENSHIN CONNECT Corporation; Yoshiro Kato, Executive Officer, ES-CON Japan Ltd.

After the joint press conference, a special preview was held to which the media was invited. Hotel facilities were opened to the public. Of these, the “Fighters Floor” attracted particular attention. This floor features art and memorabilia celebrating the history of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, making it a special space for fans.

(From left to right) Mural art on Fighters’ floor / Photo of the exhibit in the hallway on Fighters’ floor

One of the highlights of the preview was a special scene in which Kenshi Sugitani signed the ceiling bat of the hotel reception. This moment attracted a lot of attention as a symbolic moment for the hotel.

Moment of signing by Mr. Sugitani in the hotel lobby

New ancillary facilities such as a sauna and coworking space were also unveiled, sharing the vision of accommodating a variety of accommodation and stay needs, including business use.
(*The sauna and coworking space are scheduled to start operating around mid-April. (*The sauna and coworking space are scheduled to start operation in mid-April. For more details, please check the official website of the facility.)
【Official HP of the facility: https://staytuned.asia/ja/brands/esconfield-hokkaido-hotel/hotels/efh】

Sauna on 5th floor (for hotel guests only / to be rented by the hour)

Coworking space next to the hotel front desk on the 4th floor

■About ESCONFIELD HOKKAIDO Hotel Kitahiroshima Ekimae

This hotel is positioned as a key project of the “Kitahiro Hometown BASE” project to revitalize the area around the west exit of the station, and will open on March 28, 2025. Under the concept of “Life Innovation Hub,” the hotel aims to become a center of interaction where not only local residents but also a diverse range of people can gather and use as a new gateway to Kitahiroshima Station. Furthermore, by introducing next-generation services such as Hokkaido’s first “Suica Smart Lock” and collaborating with partner companies such as ES-CON Japan Ltd. we will create a lively atmosphere for the entire city of Kitahiroshima.
(◆Related press release: https://squeeze-inc.co.jp/archives/2806/)

The hotel will grow together with the local community as a tourist base that widely communicates the charms of the area and welcomes many guests, and will realize hotel management that will be loved for a long time.

■ Outline of the facility

Facility name	ESCON Field HOKKAIDO Hotel Kitahiroshima Ekimae
Location	1-52 Sakae-cho, Kitahiroshima-shi, Hokkaido
Number of guest rooms	158 rooms
Capacity	446 persons
Opening date	March 28, 2025
Business owner	ES-CON Japan, Ltd.
Operated by	SQUEEZE Corporation

■ 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/

■ Message from Representative Director

〜In order to realize “a society filled with value
I founded SQUEEZE with the idea of “providing solutions that allow people to pack value into vacant space and time,” inspired by my original experience of remotely managing a vacant house in Hokkaido, where I was born and raised, from overseas. 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. SQUEEZE aims 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”.