Bringing Section L’s signature warm hospitality and design-led approach to Tokyo’s business and diplomatic hub through a joint development with Urbanet Corporation, UDS, and Kenedix.
TOKYO, JAPAN – Section L Co., Ltd. has announced plans to open a new lifestyle apartment hotel in 2028 in Akasaka, Minato-ku, extending its portfolio into one of Tokyo's most international centers for business and diplomacy.
The project brings together specialized expertise across real estate development, hotel operations, spatial design, and investment from its initial stages through a collaboration with Urbanet Corporation Co., Ltd., UDS Ltd., and Kenedix, Inc. The property is designed to cater to international inbound demand while generating long-term asset value.
Located just a 1-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Tameike-sanno Station, the hotel will feature 50 rooms ranging from 23 m² to 58 m². The flexible spatial design serves diverse travel styles—from short visits to multi-week stays—accommodating business professionals, "bleisure" (business + leisure) travelers, couples, families, and groups.
Statement from Founder & CEO Howard Ho
"Akasaka is exactly the kind of neighbourhood where Section L can add something distinctive. It is globally connected and commercially important, but it also has a more intimate side shaped by food, culture and the people who know it well. We want to create an apartment hotel that works effortlessly for business and longer stays, while giving guests a warmer, more personal way into the neighbourhood. This project is an important step in the growth of Section L and in our ambition to build 'Hotels Without Strangers' across Tokyo and beyond."
Akasaka Area Characteristics & Concept
Akasaka sits at the heart of Tokyo’s political and commercial life, surrounded by government ministries, embassies, global corporate headquarters, and media hubs, directly adjacent to premier residential districts. It is a neighborhood of rich contrasts, where refined fine dining, casual izakayas, historic ryotei culture, vibrant nightlife, major avenues, and quiet backstreets coexist.
The project directly addresses the accelerating convergence of business and leisure travel. Departing from conventional corporate hotels, Section L will combine apartment-style comfort and functional amenities with contemporary design, friendly service, and deep local neighborhood recommendations.
Designed by UDS, the interior concepts draw inspiration from Akasaka’s history of hospitality, entertainment, and trade, providing a modern perspective on the business hotel and serviced apartment experience. Alongside spacious guest rooms, planned facilities include a fitness gym, social space, and meeting rooms, supported by an international team ready to help guests work, recharge, and feel at home.
Partner Roles & Executive Statements
For Urbanet Corporation, this project continues its hotel development pipeline following HOTEL ASYL TOKYO KAMATA (opened in 2020) and the Hatchobori II project in Chuo-ku, Tokyo (announced in May 2025). Urbanet’s extensive experience in urban residential development synergizes with Section L’s guest insights, UDS’s spatial design capabilities, and Kenedix’s investment perspective.
Statement from Urbanet Corporation Co., Ltd. [Shinji Hattori, Representative Director, Chairman & CEO] :
"Akasaka is a location with enduring, strong appeal across corporate, diplomatic, and international visitor demand. From the initial concept stage, we aimed to realize a hotel product that adapts to modern travel styles while creating lasting real estate value. Bringing together Section L’s understanding of extended-stay guests, UDS’s design strength, and Kenedix’s investment perspective, this collaboration reflects a deep layering of expertise. Rooted in Akasaka, we will create a hotel that continues to communicate the city’s appeal over the long term."
Statement from UDS Ltd. COMPATH:
"Akasaka is a location with enduring, strong appeal across corporate, diplomatic, and international visitor demand. From the initial concept stage, our goal has been to deliver a hotel product that adapts to modern travel styles while generating long-term real estate value. By combining Section L’s deep understanding of extended-stay guests, UDS’s design capabilities, and Kenedix’s investment perspective, this initiative brings together each company’s core expertise. Rooted in the Akasaka community, we look forward to creating a hotel that maintains long-term commercial value and continues to showcase the vibrancy of Tokyo."
Project Overview
Note: Details subject to change as the project is currently in the planning stage.
Property Name: Akasaka Project (Tentative)
Location: Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Access: 1-minute walk from Tameike-sanno Station (Tokyo Metro Ginza and Namboku Lines)
Room Count: 50 rooms (23 m² – 58 m²)
Planned Facilities: Fitness gym, social space, meeting room (subject to final design)
Hotel Operator: Section L Co., Ltd.
Developer: Urbanet Corporation Co., Ltd.
Design: UDS Ltd.
Investor: Kenedix, Inc.
Scheduled Completion: 2028
About Section L
Founded in Tokyo in 2020, Section L operates lifestyle apartment hotels designed for guests who want the comfort of home and a more connected way to experience the city. Guided by its vision, "Hotels Without Strangers," Section L combines functional space design, warm hospitality, local knowledge, and opportunities for meaningful connection between guests, staff, and local communities.
Section L is a Tokyo-born apartment hotel brand with 14 properties across the city. Established six years ago with a focus on hotel management, Section L has grown through strategic partnerships with specialist investors and owners, building deep experience across hospitality, hotel operations and commercial performance.
Created for independent travelers who want the freedom of apartment living with a more connected way to experience the city, Section L combines well-equipped spaces, an international team and trusted local recommendations to help guests feel at home, explore with confidence and belong.
Project Partners Directory
Urbanet Corporation Co., Ltd.
Representative: Shinji Hattori, Representative Director, Chairman & CEO
Address: 35F Kasumigaseki Building, 3-2-5 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Business: Established in 1997. Develops urban real estate with a focus on spatial quality and design. Building on its experience in urban rental housing, the company is expanding into hotel development through strategic partnerships with specialist operators, designers, and investors.
UDS Ltd.
Representative: Norihito Nakahara, Representative Director and President
Address: 1F Yoyogi NT Building, 2-28-7 Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Business: Established in 2009. UDS plans, designs, constructs, and operates hotels, commercial facilities, and placemaking projects, guided by an approach that combines design with systems that deliver commercial and social value.
Kenedix, Inc.
Representative: Hikaru Teramoto, Representative Director, President & COO
Address: Hibiya Parkfront, 2-1-6 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Business: Real estate asset management, asset operation, and fund investment services.
