In one of hospitality’s first large-scale deployments of generative AI for marketing, Japan’s fastest-growing hotel operator will replace traditional video production with AI-powered content creation across its entire portfolio
— Polaris Holdings Co., Ltd. (TSE Standard: 3010), one of Japan’s fastest-growing hotel operators with over 60 properties and 9,400+ rooms nationwide, has signed a strategic content partnership with Strana AI, the Munich-based platform that transforms hotel photography into publish-ready cinematic video. The deal marks one of the largest practical deployments of generative AI in hospitality marketing to date.
Under the agreement, Strana AI will produce AI-generated video campaigns exclusively for Polaris’s KOKO HOTELS brand. The partnership enables Polaris to deliver high-quality video content tailored to both Japanese domestic travelers and the rapidly growing international inbound market, without the logistical burden and cost of traditional film production.
Beyond the Hype: AI That Drives Revenue
While much of the conversation around generative AI in travel remains theoretical, the Polaris partnership represents something rarer: a publicly listed company deploying the technology at scale to solve a concrete business problem. Hotels have hundreds of professional photographs sitting underutilized while their guests increasingly expect video. Production crews, models, and multi-day shoots have made video prohibitively expensive for all but a handful of flagship properties. The result is a widening gap between what travelers want to see before they book and what most hotels can afford to show them.
Strana closes that gap. The platform takes a hotel’s existing photography, learns the visual identity of each property, and generates realistic video in cinematic quality. AI-generated guests matching target demographics can be placed in scenes. Seasonal atmospheres can be created on demand. Content is delivered in multiple languages simultaneously. And every video is reviewed by human creative directors before it reaches the hotel.
“Our mission is ‘Bringing smiles to every journey. Adding color to every life.’ Across Japan, each region offers its own seasonal beauty, distinctive cuisine and culture, and the warmth of its people. Under the concept ‘Discover your journey from here,’ KOKO HOTEL aspires to be the starting point where guests encounter the unique character of each destination.
The time spent planning a trip is already part of the journey itself. By delivering a more refined expression of a property’s atmosphere and the scenes of stay—elements that cannot be fully conveyed through photographs alone—we hope to inspire guests’ imagination and heighten their anticipation. From that very moment, the journey begins.
Generative AI is not an end in itself, but one of the means to realize our vision of becoming ‘a hospitality company that makes travel more inspiring.’ By expanding the possibilities of visual storytelling, we aim to communicate the value of regional attractions and stay experiences more richly, continuing to connect people and communities through smiles. Through this initiative, as a nationwide hotel chain, we will take a leading role in advancing the standard use of video across our brand.”
— Kazuyoshi Shimojima, Director & COO, Polaris Holdings
From Static Photos to Immersive Experience
For travelers, the difference is visceral. Scrolling through a photo gallery gives a flat impression of a room. Video conveys atmosphere, energy, the feeling of being there. It is the difference between reading about a destination and experiencing it. Hotels with video content on their booking pages see conversion rates up to four times higher than those relying on photography alone.
“For guests, this is like going from 2D to 3D,” said Jakob Riegger, co-founder of Strana AI. “They get the vibe of a place before they ever walk through the door. That emotional connection is what turns browsing into booking. And for hotel operators like Polaris, the economics are transformative. What used to require sending film crews to dozens of properties now happens from a laptop.”
The practical impact extends beyond marketing. Polaris can now produce localized promotional content for specific traveler segments, seasonal campaigns that launch in days rather than months, and property showcase videos for new openings before the first guest arrives. Content is generated in Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, and additional languages from a single production, addressing both domestic discovery travelers and international visitors planning trips to Japan.
A Signal for the Industry
“Hotels don’t hire us because AI is cheaper than a videographer,” said Riegger. “They hire us because we unlock shots and stories they could never afford or physically create with traditional production. A MICE venue shown at full capacity. A seasonal atmosphere that only exists for two weeks. A personalized welcome for every guest segment. That is what becomes possible when you remove the constraints of crews, schedules, and physical production.”
The partnership arrives at a pivotal moment for Japan’s hospitality sector. The country welcomed a record 42.7 million international visitors in 2025, and Polaris is executing an expansion plan targeting 100 hotels and 15,000 rooms. Its 2025 brand integration, which unified KOKO HOTELS, Hotel Wing International, and Tenza Hotel under a single identity, created both the need and the opportunity for consistent, high-quality visual content at scale.
For an industry that has watched generative AI from a distance, waiting for applications that go beyond chatbots and dynamic pricing, the Polaris deal offers a concrete proof point. AI-generated video is not replacing creativity. It is making cinematic storytelling accessible to properties that could never justify the cost of traditional production.
About Strana AI
Strana AI is an AI-powered video production platform purpose-built for hospitality. Founded by the team behind TrustYou, which operated across 180 countries as the global standard for hotel guest review analytics, Strana transforms existing hotel photography into cinematic marketing videos. The platform integrates the latest generative AI models with human creative oversight, producing brand-compliant content for websites, social media, OTAs, and guest communications. Hotels including JW Marriott, Welcome Hotels, and Polaris Holdings use Strana to produce video content that was previously inaccessible without traditional film crews. Based in Munich with operations in Singapore and Sydney.
Website: www.strana.ai
Media Contact: Jakob Riegger, Co-Founder, [email protected]
About Polaris Holdings Co., Ltd.
Polaris Holdings Co., Ltd. (TSE Standard: 3010) is a Tokyo-based hotel management and investment company with roots dating to 1912. Operating through its Hotel Management and Hotel Investment business segments, Polaris manages over 60 hotels and 9,400 rooms across Japan and the Philippines under the KOKO HOTELS, Best Western, Value The Hotel, and Red Planet brands. Following a strategic partnership with Star Asia Group in 2018 and the management integration with Minacia Co., Ltd. in 2024, Polaris is executing an expansion plan targeting 100 hotels and 15,000 rooms. The company’s brand concept, “Here Discovery Begins,” reflects its mission to connect travelers with the unique character of each local community.
Website: www.polaris-holdings.com
Contact Info:
Name: Jakob Riegger, Co-Founder
Email: Send Email
Organization: Strana AI
Website: http://www.strana.ai
Release ID: 89186044
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