Press release -
Trial of International Baggage Delivery Service for Foreign Tourists at Asakusa Tobu Hotel
Tobu Railway (headquartered in Sumida, Tokyo) and Tobu Hotel Management (headquartered in Sumida, Tokyo), in cooperation with OSS (headquartered in Osaka, Osaka) which provides comprehensive logistics management services, launched a trial international baggage delivery service for foreign tourists at Asakusa Tobu Hotel on Friday, December 1, 2023.
With this trial, Tobu has teamed up with OSS, the only company in Japan that offers one-stop delivery of foreign tourists' baggage to their homes overseas. This trial will test out a service delivering baggage directly to the overseas homes of foreign tourists staying at Asakusa Tobu Hotel. It is extremely rare to find a service directly delivering baggage from an in-country hotel to overseas homes in Japan. Through this service, guests will be able to comfortably enjoy their travels without the hassle of carrying their baggage full of souvenirs or unneeded items while traveling.
This trial was adopted through the TOBU Open Innovation Program, a program launched in 2021 to create new businesses by utilizing open innovation. This initiative will confirm operations related to international baggage delivery and verify the marketability and profitability of the service, and it also aims to improve added value to Group facilities and create new businesses.
Through this business creation program, we will continue working to offer quality services and to improve the value along our railway lines.
Details of the project can be found on the attached related release and belowing appendix.
Overview of Trial International Baggage Delivery Service for Foreign Tourists
1. Participating Hotels
Asakusa Tobu Hotel (Location: 1-1-15 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo)
2. Trial Period
From Friday, December 1, 2023 to Sunday, March 31, 2024 (plan)
*May change based on status of trial
3. Verification Details
A service to deliver baggage collected at the hotel front desk and delivered to the guests home (overseas) for guests visiting from overseas and staying at Asakusa Tobu Hotel.
1) Guests apply for the service at the hotel front desk and baggage is measured for size and weight
2) Guests enter delivery information into the dedicated website for this service and pay the delivery fee
3) Baggage is collected at the hotel front desk *Guests enjoy sightseeing empty-handed
4) Baggage is transferred from the hotel to OSS
5) OSS handles international baggage delivery procedures on behalf of guest
6) Baggage is delivered to the guest's home overseas
*There are restrictions for delivery countries and regions and for size and weight of baggage. For details, please see service information at participating hotels.
4. Test Items
This service aims to test the following as a program adopted by the TOBU Open Innovation Program:
1) Trial of various operations necessary in international baggage delivery for foreign tourists
2) Trial of marketability, potential, and profitability of services related to international baggage delivery
