【Certified Facility Introduction】 Hotel Anteroom Naha: An Art Hub Driving Bamboo Amenity Circulation and Achieving Multi‑Million‑Yen Cost Reductions

1. Facility Overview
Located in Naha City, Okinawa, Hotel Anteroom Naha operates under the concept of “Art & Culture.” As its name “Anteroom (waiting room)” suggests, the hotel serves as a gateway for guests to experience the local culture. To protect Okinawa’s beautiful natural environment, the hotel promotes unique resource‑recycling projects born from on‑site “discomfort” and implements rigorous energy management.

2. Good Practices
The hotel has achieved strong results through unconventional “agricultural return” initiatives and meticulous “back‑of‑house management.”

Bamboo Toothbrush Recycling Project: Sparked by staff concerns—“We throw away so many toothbrushes after a single use; there must be a better way”—the project aims to eliminate waste rather than pay disposal fees. Partnering with local farmers, the hotel chips the bamboo handles and repurposes them as soil conditioners for farmland. This reduces farmers’ costs by replacing imported materials such as coco peat, while helping the hotel move toward zero waste. It is a locally self‑sustaining, win‑win model.

Back‑of‑House CO₂ Reduction Actions: The hotel implemented strict electricity and water conservation measures in staff areas such as break rooms, storage spaces, and restrooms. They visualized water usage differences between toilet flush buttons to raise awareness and made small but consistent improvements, such as adjusting nighttime cooling settings in storage rooms by one degree. As a result, despite rising occupancy, the hotel achieved electricity cost reductions amounting to several million yen annually.

Beach Cleanups Led by Multinational Staff Initiated by Nepalese staff members, the hotel has collaborated with local communities and beach cleanup organizations for the past three years to conduct regular coastal cleanups.

3. Challenges
The next step is ensuring that internal education and initiatives do not remain temporary efforts but instead expand into the community and future generations as a lasting culture.

Spreading Impact to the Local Community: Inquiries from Naha City Hall and local high school and university students are increasing. Expectations are growing for how the hotel can elevate its initiatives into regional environmental education and maximize their value.

4. Message
“Our bamboo amenity recycling initiative was even featured on an evening news program, receiving significant attention across Okinawa. We are grateful that our efforts are reaching the people of Naha and local students, inspiring them to think about environmental issues. As an art‑centered hub, we will continue contributing to Okinawa’s environmental conservation through creative approaches.”