Stories
of Casa CABaN HAYAMA
Story vol.1
TOMORROWLAND, Building a Hotel
4, July 2025
It all began with a coincidence.
On July 15, 2017, Tomorrowland founder Hiroyuki Sasaki received a phone call on his smartphone. It was from Patricia Urquiola, an architect and interior designer based in Italy. She was in Japan on business and, feeling somewhat weary, reached out to her old friend Sasaki for dinner. An hour or so later, she arrived at Morito Beach in Hayama, where Sasaki was staying, and instantly fell in love with the place. The waves gently lapping the shore. The setting sun over the ocean. The silhouette of Mt. Fuji on the horizon. Her heart settled as peacefully as the waves. This chance encounter became the beginning of a new story.
Meeting Patricia
The collaboration between Tomorrowland and Patricia dates back to 1993. Their first project together was the interior design of DES PRÉS, a store that opened in Shibuya—back when Patricia was still relatively unknown. Sasaki had met Patricia a few years earlier in Paris, and, impressed by her talent, he invited her to work with him. On her first trip to Japan, Patricia became an instant fan of both the country and Tomorrowland, and in 2013, she held the Patricia Urquiola Exhibition at Seibu Shibuya. As her ties with Japan deepened, her international presence grew, and in 2015, she took up the role of Art Director at Cassina. Despite her global success, she continued to treasure her connection with Tomorrowland.
"Let's build a hotel in Hayama!"
Patricia found deep inspiration in the location of Hayama. How wonderful would it be to build a hotel here, at this location so closely tied to Tomorrowland? A home-like hotel overlooking the ocean and Mt. Fuji is just the place to soothe the hearts and minds of guests from Japan and beyond—a space that embodies the worldview of Tomorrowland. With that thought, the hotel project was set in motion all at once. Patricia and Sasaki traveled to Costa Rica, Sicily, and Ibiza, and their experiences there greatly shaped her vision for the hotel. Sasaki also visited Studio Urquiola in Milan and a hotel on Lake Como she had worked on. After that, workshops were held in Milan, Tokyo, and online; the plan was taking shape and coming to life.
What it Means for TOMORROWLAND
to Enter the World of Hotels
Since its founding in 1978, Tomorrowland has created clothing with meticulous attention to detail. This same spirit extends beyond just the products themselves to encompass customer service and store environments, the entire customer experience. This allows customers to enjoy the pleasure of dressing up and the joys of life. A hotel would be the ultimate stage to bring together everything we've offered so far: from food and clothing to shelter, entertainment and knowledge. Why don't we channel all the experience, knowledge, and expertise we've cultivated into providing a new kind of excitement that goes beyond the boundaries of a traditional hotel? Patricia's vision gave form to Tomorrowland's next project.
