Koichi Aoyama

DerbySoft Japan Co., Ltd.

Marketing Services

Head Of Business Development

Born in Kanagawa Prefecture. Graduated from Japan Hotel School. Joined Sheraton Miyako Hotel Tokyo (Kintetsu Hotel Systems) in 1999 and was promoted to Food and Beverage Manager at the age of 23. Engaged in a wide range of roles including accommodations, wedding sales, and corporate sales. Joined The Westin Resort Guam in 2008 and gained experience in overseas hotels. Worked at the Japan office of overseas reservation site Booking.com in 2011. After that, worked at TripAdvisor in sales on how to utilize reviews and marketing for accommodations, and was a member of the Oceania team at Expedia Holdings. Provides consulting services to various Japanese hotel chains. Currently works at Derby Soft Japan, providing digital marketing solutions specialized for the travel industry to hotel chains.

Department

Daytime

Specialization

Hotel sector

Department

English major

Subjects

Hotel Marketing

Message to students

When I worked in a hotel, I always had the image of a hotelier as an entertainer. That's why I changed my mannerisms when dealing with customers for each stage (department) I worked in. From that experience, at the hotel school, I make an effort to help students imagine backgrounds that are not written in textbooks. I think that a hotelier is one of the few jobs that can make people happy.

Thoughts on the future of the hotel and bridal industries

I think the hotel industry (including bridal) in Japan is an essential industry for Japan in terms of employment and foreign currency. The background to this is that the amount of money spent on domestic travel is decreasing due to Japan's declining population. Inbound tourism is the source of tax revenue to make up for this, and I think this is an industry that can make up for the loss in tax revenue. There is no doubt that this is an industry that will be expected to grow in the post-COVID era.