Toyoshima arrived here on June 22, succeeding Hiro Sugie who moved to the Pacific Islands Club as its new general manager.
Toyoshima, who hasn’t visited Saipan for over 20 years, said he has a lot to learn yet.
“I’ve met most of the employees of the hotel, and I’m still getting myself familiar with things around here, but I’m excited to start working,” he said.
He noted that the current state of the local economy is “a far cry from what it was the last time I was here.”
“Filling hotel rooms and attracting people to eat at our restaurants is indeed a big challenge, in addition to the reduction of the number of regular flights coming here,” Toyoshima said.
He has no definite plans yet, but he said that he is going to tap into reputation of the Aqua Resort Club as the best hotel on Saipan.
“The Aqua Resort Club is a real paradise with its luxurious cottages, sprawling lawns and gardens and the beach. It provides a real attraction for tourists who are tired of the big cities and the regular hotels that stretch high up in the sky, and want to get away from it all. This is what we are going to promote to attract more tourists to come here,” Toyoshima said.
He brings with him 38 years of working in the hotel industry. He started from the very bottom as a bellboy for one of the hotels in Japan and worked his way up the corporate ladder through hard work.
Toyoshima retired as general manager of Nikko Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia last year.
From managing over 600 employees last year, Toyoshima will be managing only over 90 employees on Saipan.
He said he is counting on working with the hotel staffers in extending genuine hospitality to their guests.
Toyoshima said he loves the island’s tropical weather. He doesn’t dive but plays golf a lot. He plans to bring his wife here from Japan as soon as he settles into his new job.
