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I had the opportunity to chat with Mao / Mao Jinyun of MIMARU Marketing Apartment,
Brand Management Division. I asked her questions about her company and the MIMARU Brand.

Q: Do you have short-term to medium-term stays? E.g., Businesspeople coming for a couple of months?

A: Yes, our average stay is 3-4 days, mostly Japanese guests stay for one night, but overseas guests usually last for a more extended period of time, including, of course, some business needs, family trips, or groups of friends.

Q: It seems that tourists could use MIMARU in each city they visit, and you are in. Do you have any special offers for those who use MIMARU exclusively for their trip and those who stay mid-term- weeks or a few months?

A: We have implemented some long-stay plans and are now working to deal with the inconvenience of moving between hotels in different areas.

Q: Can you share with me any Customer service (Omotenashi ) experiences that were so good or memorable that they stick with you today? Either your experience or your staff delivered to guests.

A: Though my time has been short here (approx. six months), something that I didn’t expect to occur as often was responding to health emergencies of our guests. Recently, one of our guests had been feeling sick, and when they came back for the day, I noticed they had slightly less energy each time. One day, they come around writhing in pain, and her husband asks us to find a hospital to call a taxi to. We all dropped what we were doing and did our best to check on the guests while finding a hospital to treat them. We could see a hospital, and since our guests did not speak Japanese, I accompanied them during their visit. We learned during the visit that they were suffering from a stomach virus of sorts, but more importantly, what may or may not have been related was that she was pregnant. This came as a surprise to all of us.

We must be professional, of course; this situation also reminded me to drop my guard and show my more human and empathetic side, as that was one of the biggest things the guests appreciated before their departure. It is a moment that will stick with me not only while working here, but probably for my entire life.

Q: Can you name any other characteristics you see helpful in delivering the excellent Customer service customers demand today?

A: By understanding the difference between human and artificial intelligence, we can continue innovating new service values. Our services give our customers more than just the essential solutions to the problems they may experience during their journey. It is more a kind of warmth and emotional transmission. We deliver such warmth and emotion only by genuinely caring for our guests, thinking from their shoes, and helping them consider their problems from the standpoint of a distant friend rather than an unrelated outsider. Even sometimes, some clumsy behaviour is the means of transmitting true feelings.

Q: What customer behaviours that present new challenges have changed or evolved over the years?

A: Our guests haven’t changed much, but I think they’ll want to experience more of the local ecology or be closer to nature.