TOKYO -- Major U.K.-based hotel operator IHG Hotels and Resorts announced on Monday that it will launch two hotels in Tokyo under its latest Noted Collection premium hotels, marking the brand's first entry into the East Asia and Pacific region.

IHG, one of the world's leading hotel operators with 21 brands and more than 7,000 hotels worldwide, is continuing to expand its hotel network in Japan as the country continues to draw a high number of foreign tourists.

Plans are for one of the two hotels under the Noted Collection, which IHG launched earlier this year, to open in the Kabuki-cho nightlife district of Shinjuku in 2027 through a partnership with Singaporean property investor SC Capital Partners. IHG will convert an existing 207-room hotel, with each room 25 square meters in size.

The other facility is in the high-end Tokyo shopping district of Ginza and is expected to open in a new building in 2029 through a partnership with Japanese consulting company An Consulting. The hotel's 81 rooms are each 35 square meters in size and primarily for family use.

The two Tokyo hotels are the first agreements to be launched under the brand in East Asia and Pacific region while IHG has already announced plans to roll it out in the U.K., Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Abhijay Sandilya, IHG's managing director overseeing Japan and Micronesia, said that the Kabuki-cho hotel is at "the doorstep" of Golden Gai, a popular tourist destination in the district where tiny bars and eateries are packed into an area of short alleyways. "People are very much looking forward to exploring the nightlife of Tokyo as well as Ginza," he said in a remote appearance at a news conference on Monday.

The two facilities will "do very well both with our Japanese and our inbound customers," he added.

The Noted Collection joins IHG's lineup of brands such as InterContinental Hotels, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, among others, and primarily focuses on opening properties through rebranding of existing hotels. While IHG provides management know-how, hotel owners can maintain the unique characteristics of their properties and reach the 160 million members of IHG's loyalty program.

Overall tourist numbers in Japan, though lower, have remained strong even as Chinese visitor arrivals have continued to decline by more than 50% year on year due to Beijing's call for its citizens not to travel to Japan in response to comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi last year on a possible Taiwan emergency. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of foreign travelers to Japan in August was 3.1 million, a 9.6% decrease from the previous year. But arrivals from Italy and Spain set monthly record highs.

IHG is focused on increasing its hotel offerings in Japan through rebranding. It announced last month that it will convert and rebrand 14 hotels in Kyoto, creating 12 of its mid-tier Garner hotels and upgrading one Holiday Inn Express. The operator plans to begin openings in phases over the next 12 months. It currently operates 10 brands and more than 60 hotels in Japan as of June.

"[The] tourism product in Japan is second to none," Sandilya said, emphasizing that he is not at all worried about the downward trend in visitors. "Japan has opportunities in all segments of the market. [IHG] brands make up 5% of the market, so we continue to see opportunity at all levels," he added.