Gaggan Anand, Bill Bensley Team Up For A Design-Led Hotel In Japan

One of Asia’s most celebrated chefs is stepping into hospitality. Gaggan Anand, the culinary force behind Bangkok’s award-winning restaurant Gaggan, has announced his first hotel project—a 15-suite luxury retreat set within the grounds of a 200-year-old working sake brewery in Japan.

Scheduled to open in 2029, the Gaggan Hotel at Daimon Sake Brewery will bring together three well-known names from the worlds of food, design and hospitality: Anand, acclaimed hotel designer Bill Bensley, and hospitality veteran Jason Friedman. Located between Kyoto and Osaka, the property will occupy the historic Daimon Sake Brewery, a family-run brewery founded in 1826 that continues to produce sake using traditional methods.

More than a hotel launch, the project signals a growing shift in luxury travel towards highly curated experiences, where travellers are invited to surrender the planning and simply immerse themselves in the destination.

A Stay Without Choices

Unlike most luxury hotels that pride themselves on endless options and personalised itineraries, Gaggan Hotel is being designed around a different idea: fewer decisions. Guests will be required to book a minimum stay of two or three nights, during which their days will be carefully programmed. Experiences are expected to include sake tastings, brewery tours, wellness sessions, onsen visits, dining experiences, and cultural activities. The aim is to remove the need for constant planning, allowing visitors to engage more deeply with the setting and its traditions.

The all-inclusive model extends beyond meals and activities. Rather than presenting guests with extensive menus and a packed schedule of optional experiences, the hotel will offer a pre-designed journey from arrival to departure.

The concept feels particularly suited to Japan, where hospitality often centres on anticipating guests’ needs and creating seamless experiences. Here, luxury is being defined less by abundance and more by thoughtful curation.

Bensley’s Creative Vision

The design of the property has been entrusted to Bill Bensley, the Bangkok-based architect and designer known for some of the world's most distinctive hotels and resorts. With more than 200 hospitality projects across 30 countries, Bensley has built a reputation for creating immersive spaces that tell stories through architecture, interiors and landscape.

At Daimon Brewery, he will reimagine the historic grounds while preserving the site's rich heritage. The hotel will feature 15 suites of approximately 70 square metres each, with every room expected to have its own character. Some accommodations will overlook the brewery, while others will adopt loft-style layouts inspired by the surrounding structures.

The development will also include multiple food and beverage venues, landscaped gardens, a spa, wellness facilities and spaces dedicated to arts and crafts programming. Despite the range of offerings, the property will host no more than 30 guests at any given time, ensuring an intimate atmosphere.

Rooted In Sake

For Daimon Brewery, the hotel represents an ambitious new chapter. Nestled at the foot of the Ikoma Mountain Range, the brewery has spent nearly two centuries producing small-batch sake and remains one of the few breweries in the region to use local rice and pure mountain spring water.

The hospitality venture arrives at a time when Japanese sake is finding increasing global recognition. While domestic consumption has softened over the years, international demand continues to grow, prompting producers to explore new ways of sharing their heritage with travellers.

The hotel will place that heritage at the centre of the guest experience. From guided tastings and brewery access to dining programmes inspired by sake culture, visitors will be immersed in a tradition that has shaped the region for generations.

Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with doors opening by 2029. When it arrives, Gaggan Hotel at Daimon Sake Brewery is likely to be one of Asia’s most anticipated hospitality openings—a project that combines culinary innovation, Japanese craftsmanship and design-led storytelling in one of the country’s most historic settings.

FAQs

1. Where will Gaggan Anand’s first hotel be located?
At the historic Daimon Sake Brewery between Kyoto and Osaka, Japan.

2. When is Gaggan Hotel expected to open?
The property is scheduled to open in 2029.

3. Who is designing the hotel?
Renowned hotel designer Bill Bensley is leading the design of the project.

4. How many rooms will the hotel have?
The hotel will feature 15 suites, each measuring approximately 70 square metres.

5. What experiences can guests expect?
Sake tastings, brewery tours, dining experiences, wellness programmes, onsen visits and cultural activities.