The Singaporean who wakes up every morning to go skiing for work
Powdery white snowfall in the winter, lush green landscapes in the summer. The Japanese ski boondocks of Niseko, located in the northern island of Hokkaido, is a beautiful location all twelvemonth round.
For those who accept been to Niseko, its breathtaking sceneries are surely missed during this time. Those who oasis't had the chance to visit, all the same, volition have to wait a fiddling longer for borders to reopen.
But for Singaporean Long Shiau Wee, waking up to the view of Mt Yotei in the distance is an everyday norm. She's the CEO of YTL Hotels Niseko Hamlet, the local unit of measurement of Malaysian hospitality grouping YTL Hotels, and moved to the Japanese ski boondocks in 2011.
A sometime chartered accountant, Long used to travel from country to country for piece of work. When she was headhunted for the role of chief financial officer at YTL Hotels Niseko Village, she relished the opportunity to move abroad.
"I was getting a little bit tired of travelling around and staying in unlike cities each time. Information technology's not as well bad an pick if I get to move to somewhere quieter, in the countryside," Long told CNA Luxury.
Her husband and 2 daughters, who were 18 and 20 years sometime at the time, were supportive of the movement. "Lxxx per cent of my time, I was already travelling out of Singapore," she reasoned. "My husband encouraged me to go, saying that the family would come visit me in the wintertime. Technology could also help us stay in touch, and I believe that distance makes relationships stronger."
YTL Hotels acquired Niseko Village in 2010. A decade agone, when Long first moved to Niseko, information technology was not a well-known destination. "It was a dead, quiet boondocks. Within 5km, in that location were no cars and no humans in sight," she recalled.
Today, it has evolved into a haven for outdoor enthusiasts, nature lovers, adrenaline junkies, gourmet travellers and more. "No one would believe how different it looked like and so compared to now," said Long.
8 months after moving to Niseko, Long took on the role of CEO. Simply information technology wasn't a smooth journeying. When she first joined the squad, Long was the merely Singaporean, and merely woman, amongst a group consisting of by and large Japanese men. She didn't speak Japanese either and had to rely on a translator.
There was also a lot almost Niseko that Long didn't know. Thus, she found herself having to prove to the team that she was willing to learn. "People questioned, why is in that location an Asian, Singaporean lady sitting hither? Does she know what she's doing? They would say things similar, 'Oh you don't know the amount of snowfall that we go'. Then I said, 'testify me'. Then they would say, 'but you don't know how to ski'. And that's where I had to push myself to larn," said Long.
Fast forward to the present day, and Long, who is in her 50s, says she'south a much better skier. In fact, on winter mornings, the hands-on CEO starts her 24-hour interval past heading up the mountain with her squad to ski, a daily routine conducted to check the weather of the slope before guests get in.
As CEO, Long oversees a total of five YTL properties in the area, namely The Dark-green Foliage, Kasara, Hilton Niseko Hamlet, Hinode Hills and Higashiyama Niseko Hamlet, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve. The latter is YTL's latest holding in the resort.
Niseko is a twelvemonth-long destination, with diverse activities available for the winter and summer seasons. YTL likewise manages recreation and leisure facilities in the village, including an international ski school and two world-form golf courses.
With every new activity that YTL introduces to the resort, Long makes it a signal to effort it out for herself. "In the wintertime, I generally ski or get snowshoeing. In the summer, I will endeavor different activities such as stand-up paddle boarding, or I'll go for a walk. Recently, I picked up paragliding.
"My husband says that I'k crazy," Long added with a laugh. "When he visits me, he has no choice just to join me as well."
During the pandemic, while well-nigh people around the world were sequestered at home, Long managed to keep up her adventurous lifestyle. "There's a lot of space is Niseko, then safe distancing is not an issue," she explained.
In fact, with less international guests visiting the resort, Long had more time on her hands. "I spent nearly of my time reading and going for walks. I also continued with my outdoor activities as it was safer beingness outside."
Long kept on skiing during this fourth dimension, a sport she now thoroughly enjoys. "With less people in the resort, it feels like you own the whole gradient," she quipped. She did, however, stay away from the gym and the onsen. Pre-pandemic, visiting the onsen afterwards work was how she destressed after a long day.
When Japan lifted the state of emergency, Long seized the opportunity to accept trips around the country. A memorable trip she took was to Furano in Hokkaido, well-known for its beautiful flower fields. "If you visited Furano before the pandemic, when you have a photo, it would take been filled with other people. But on my trip, the whole area had perchance less than 10 people," she chirped.
Long also took trips to Hiroshima, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo and Nikko. She considers herself fortunate to not have had her movements restricted. "I worried about my family back home more than I worried about myself. I'thousand very lucky to exist in such a beautiful location during this time," she acknowledged.
Information technology'south not all play, of course. In belatedly 2020, Long was busy gearing upwardly for the opening of Higashiyama Niseko Village, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, YTL'southward newest property in the resort. Things were challenging every bit the team had to liaise with both the hotel designer and project lead remotely, as they were not able to fly in.
Higashiyama Niseko Village is only the fifth Ritz-Carlton Reserve in the world, and the very first Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Nihon. Information technology officially opened its doors in December 2020.
With international borders airtight, tourism in Niseko Village, however, has relied more often than not on domestic travellers during this time. These include both local guests as well every bit expats living in Japan.
Looking on the vivid side, Long believes that the pandemic has encouraged more locals to explore Niseko. Affluent travellers who used to fly overseas to places such as Whistler, Canada, for their winter holiday take at present fallen in love with Japan's very ain powder mecca.
When travel returns to some form of normalcy, Long is looking frontwards to welcoming more travellers, including fellow Singaporeans, to the resort. "I don't want to exist selfish and continue to keep Niseko to myself," she smiled.
She'southward confident that Niseko will exist an attractive destination for those itching to travel once again. "Once borders reopen, people will want to go somewhere exotic, somewhere dissimilar, so that they tin take a memorable holiday. I believe Niseko has a very strong advantage in this."
Looking towards a post-pandemic futurity, Long reveals that YTL Hotels has plans to open more hotels in Niseko. In the pipeline is the opening of Moxy Niseko Village, which will be congenital on a v,600 sq yard site within the Niseko Village resort. Information technology volition begin structure once the economic situation stabilises and is estimated to be complete inside ii to three years.
Hokkaido'due south capital, Sapporo, is also hoping to win a bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympic Games. Should Japan successfully win the bid, a number of sporting events may have place in Niseko Village. "Our electric current five properties nether YTL Hotels will be well-poised as accommodation and spectator sites during the Games. There is also the possibility of new facilities and hotels expected to exist ready in the time to come," shared Long.
Looking dorsum at how Niseko Village has evolved from a repose town to a bustling tourist destination, Long feels "like a mother watching [her] child grow up".
Despite existence away from domicile all these years, she is "happy" to have a part to play in helping YTL bring its vision for Niseko to life. And with access to world-famous ski slopes, rejuvenating onsens, scenic flower fields and more at her fingertips, what more could she inquire for, really?
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/singaporean-niseko-village-japan-276906
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