Expanded room configurations, nature-inspired interiors, and new dining concepts by Graphic Holdings enhance the guest experience across two neighboring properties

TOKYO, March 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. and Mitsui Fudosan Hotel Management Co., Ltd. today announced the reopening of Mitsui Garden Hotel Sapporo, a hotel in the heart of Sapporo, on February 1, 2026, following a complete renovation designed to enhance guest comfort and its culinary program.

On the same day, Sapporo-based restaurant group Graphic Holdings Co., Ltd. will debut new dining venues at both Mitsui Garden Hotel Sapporo and the neighboring Mitsui Garden Hotel Sapporo West.

To further broaden guest offerings, a new program invites visitors to discover Sapporo’s renowned food culture at Kita-No-Gourmet — located within the Sapporo Central Wholesale Market, one of the city’s premier seafood hubs. A complimentary shuttle bus service is available.

As one of Japan’s leading destinations, Sapporo is known for its powder snow, the annual Sapporo Snow Festival, and culinary culture defined by fresh seafood and iconic ramen. The renovated hotel serves as an ideal base from which to experience these attractions throughout the year.

Features of the Full Hotel Renovation

1. Nature-Inspired Design Concept: “WELLNESS HARMONY”

In line with the Mitsui Garden Hotels tagline “Stay in the Garden,” the hotel incorporates Hokkaido’s natural landscape and local culture into its design. The interior features warm wood textures and curated artwork to create a tranquil oasis in the heart of the city. As part of its sustainability efforts, the reception counter and select interior elements are crafted using thinned wood from forests owned by the Mitsui Fudosan Group in Hokkaido.

2. Enhanced Room Configurations for Families and Groups

To meet growing demand from international and domestic travelers for group accommodations, the room inventory has been significantly updated:

• Triple Rooms: Increased from 20 to 102 units.
• Quadruple Rooms: 38 newly added units.
• Total Inventory: 177 rooms across 7 distinct types.

The interiors and furnishings have been modernized for maximum comfort. Featuring designs inspired by Sapporo’s natural landscape and signage made with “Yukara-ori” using traditional Hokkaido techniques, the rooms reflect elements of local culture.

3. Updated Public Spaces: Lobby Lounge, Public Bath, and Utility Lounge

• Lobby Lounge: Features artwork inspired by the Blue Pond in Biei and the Historic Village of Hokkaido’s Red Brick Building.
• Large Public Bath: Fully renovated to provide a relaxing space for guests to unwind after a day of travel or sightseeing.
• Utility Lounge (2F): A newly added space providing coffee service, vending machines, laundry facilities, and microwaves for short- and extended-stay needs.

4. New Dining Experiences Highlighting Hokkaido Cuisine: Two Distinct Dining Concepts by Graphic Holdings Co., Ltd.

Graphic Holdings Co., Ltd., a locally established company with a portfolio of contemporary dining venues in Sapporo, operates both newly opened restaurants.

Mitsui Garden Hotel Sapporo – “Hakko &”
Located on the first floor, “Hakko &” explores the theme of fermentation, combining Hokkaido’s seasonal ingredients with traditional Japanese culinary techniques.

The breakfast buffet features a live kitchen serving freshly prepared onigiri made with Hokkaido-grown “Nanatsuboshi” rice, alongside miso-based dishes and seasonal delicatessen items.

Mitsui Garden Hotel Sapporo West – “WEST Table”

At the neighboring Mitsui Garden Hotel Sapporo West, WEST Table presents a Western-style breakfast concept showcasing the rich flavors of Hokkaido through locally sourced ingredients and contemporary culinary techniques.

Seafood Market Breakfast Experience in Sapporo

For guests staying multiple nights, the hotel offers a program that connects visitors with Sapporo’s distinctive food culture at Kita-No-Gourmet within the Sapporo Central Wholesale Market.

Through this program, breakfast vouchers may be redeemed at the market, one of the city’s most established culinary destinations. Guests can enjoy freshly prepared seafood dishes such as sashimi and seafood rice bowls, showcasing the quality and seasonality of Hokkaido ingredients.

Beyond the cuisine, the market provides an authentic glimpse into the daily rhythm of the city, with surrounding shops offering regional specialties and local products.

The market also offers a selection of regional products for guests who wish to bring a taste of Hokkaido home.

A complimentary shuttle bus service operates between the hotel and the market.

About Mitsui Fudosan Hotel Management

Mitsui Fudosan Hotel Management curates three distinctive brands designed to complement a spectrum of modern lifestyles:

• Mitsui Garden Hotels – embodying the concept of Stay in the Garden, these 34 properties across Japan and abroad invite guests into serene spaces inspired by nature, each offering spaces and experiences that utilize the unique characteristics of its location.
• The Celestine Hotels – destination hotels crafted on the concept of “Cultivating and Weaving Deep Connections,” where the essence of the stay lies in the experience itself.
• sequence – a next-generation lifestyle brand offering freedom, flexibility, and personalized ways to stay.

Guided by the philosophy of creating memorable hotels that engage the senses and enrich each journey, Mitsui Fudosan Hotel Management continues to redefine contemporary Japanese hospitality for discerning global travelers.

Mitsui Garden Hotel Sapporo
https://www.gardenhotels.co.jp/sapporo/eng/

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SINGAPORE, March 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Digital travel platform, Agoda released insights into Thailand’s popular Valentine’s Day destinations, based on accommodation search trends among Thai travelers traveling as couples. This year, searches for Surat Thani grew the fastest, with more than 10 times as many searches as last year, reflecting rising interest among couples seeking a romantic escape.

Agoda’s findings showed interest in domestic Valentine’s Day travel rose this year, with accommodation searches up nearly 130% from previous year. This was likely driven by the holiday falling on a weekend, making it a more appealing opportunity for couples to plan a getaway.

Beach destinations

Beach destinations continued to lead as couples preferred scenic coastal settings for romantic moments.  Surat Thani led as the destination with the highest growth in accommodation searches, offering settings such as Koh Samui’s Chaweng Beach and long-tail boat journeys through Ang Thong National Marine Park. Nakhon Si Thammarat also saw rising interest in quieter seaside experiences with cultural depth. Krabi remained a favorite for its dramatic limestone cliffs and turquoise waters, while Hua Hin continued to attract couples looking for a relaxed beach atmosphere with easy access from Bangkok.

Mountain destinations

Mountain destinations gained popularity among couples seeking cooler weather and natural surroundings. Kanchanaburi stood out for its riverside landscapes and forested scenery, with attractions such as the River Kwai Bridge and Erawan National Park being very popular. The destination recorded the strongest growth in search interest among mountain destinations, more than tripling compared to last year. Khao Yai continued to draw couples’ interest with lush national park views, with Khao Yai National Park viewpoints and nearby vineyards offering scenic and intimate settings. Chiang Mai also remained a classic choice for couples drawn to cultural charm, mountain backdrops, and atmospheric old-town settings.

City destinations

City destinations continued to captivate couples who wanted romance framed by energy, skyline views, and a touch of seaside charm. Chonburi gained attention as the city destination with the highest growth in interest, with searches more than doubling compared to last year. Chonburi is where city convenience meets the coast, with Bangsaen Beach offering a relaxed setting for a sunset stroll just moments from urban life. Pattaya remained a favorite for couples drawn to contrast, where a quiet moment on Wong Amat Beach or a panoramic declaration from Pattaya Viewpoint sets the stage above the curve of the bay. Rounding out the list, Bangkok appealed to couples seeking iconic backdrops, from golden hour visits at Wat Arun and along the Chao Phraya River to intimate moments high above the city at rooftop venues overlooking the capital’s skyline.

Akaporn Rodkong, Country Director, Thailand at Agoda, said “Valentine’s Day remains one of the most meaningful times of year for couples to travel with purpose, and this year’s data showed interest toward destinations that offer both emotional significance and a sense of place. Thai couples are increasingly thoughtful about where they choose to celebrate important milestones, whether that means a quiet beach escape, a nature-focused retreat, or a city setting with iconic surroundings. These trends reflect a growing desire to create lasting memories through shared experiences, and Agoda continues to make it easy for couples to find stays and travel options that suit how they want to celebrate.”

Travelers planning their journeys are encouraged to explore Agoda’s great value deals across more than six million holiday properties, over 130,000 flight routes, and more than 300,000 activities and experiences available on the platform. The latest offers can be found on the Agoda app or at agoda.com/deals.

HONG KONG, March 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — AutoMate Wealth Management Limited (AWM), a leading insurance brokerage firm in Hong Kong, successfully hosted its annual AWM Spring Dinner 2026 on February 27, 2026, at Cloud 39, located in The Henderson — one of Hong Kong’s premier international landmarks. The event brought together representatives from over 70 leading international and major local insurance companies, along with business partners, to celebrate shared success and strengthen collaboration.

AWM has earned market trust through a professional, innovative, and client–centric approach, offering comprehensive services in medical, life, savings, accident, and general insurance. The firm also leads Hong Kong’s motor insurance sector and continues to expand its corporate and commercial solutions, including professional indemnity and directors & officers (D&O) coverage tailored for enterprises and publicly listed companies.

Chief Executive Officer Ken Tsui stated that AWM’s rapid growth is driven by its core values of “Speed and Warmth” — balancing efficiency with empathy. In 2026, AWM will further focus on advancing Corporate Solutions as its strategic priority, helping enterprises strengthen risk management, regulatory compliance, and long–term resilience.

The Spring Dinner also marked a significant milestone for AWM as it continues to enhance partnerships, foster innovation, and drive sustainable growth across Hong Kong’s insurance industry.

BARCELONA, Spain, March 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Driven by continuous breakthroughs, AI has emerged as the key driver behind a new era of global industrial and technological transformation. From general-purpose large language models (LLMs) to specialized, intelligent applications, a new ‘AI-Native’ paradigm is being defined through the convergence of AI and infrastructure. Leading organizations—including the Linux Foundation, CNCF, ETSI, and TM Forum—are actively standardizing technical frameworks to advance the ecosystem and support AI deployment.

Against this backdrop, telecom networks are transitioning from Cloud-Native to AI-Native. As the cornerstone of operator networks, telco clouds are pivoting from conventional cloud foundations to AI infrastructure. This shift marks a transition from merely ‘supporting service cloudification’ to ‘powering smart innovation,’ providing the infrastructure necessary for advanced AI services.

Operators are expanding their AI investments, shifting from solely general-purpose computing toward a hybrid model where both intelligent and general-purpose computing coexist. This shift is no longer a technical choice, but a strategic necessity. To thrive, operators must overcome three hurdles: optimizing the cost-efficiency of their computing power, unifying AI with multi-generation networks to break down silos, and tailoring AI to service scenarios for rapid scaling.

To address these challenges, Huawei has launched the Telco Intelligent Converged Cloud (TICC) solution, a hyper-converged telecom infrastructure designed for the AI-Native era. This innovative architecture delivers unified management and scheduling across compute, storage, network, and AI computing resources. With its focus on the ultimate performance, streamlined network access, and the synergy of general and intelligent computing, TICC empowers operators to build a highly efficient and sustainable foundation for their AI computing ecosystems.

Huawei remains committed to collaborating with industry partners to accelerate the AI-native evolution, build intelligent telecom cloud infrastructure, unleash network value, and promote business growth. We sincerely invite industry partners to Barcelona to explore AI-native trends and help shape the future of the industry.

MELBOURNE, Australia, March 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Firmable, Asia-Pacific’s leading AI (artificial intelligence) sales platform, has raised $14 million in Series A funding led by Airtree, with participation from existing investors. The funding will support Firmable’s expansion to the United States, further development of high-quality specialist sales data and buying signals, and the continued build-out of AI agents that execute actions for sales teams. 

Sales teams today cobble together a patchwork of data and software tools, each with its own data silo and none with reliable coverage outside the US. The result: sales reps spend more time wrangling data, software, and record keeping, rather than selling.

Firmable shows that AI makes it possible to collapse these tools into a single platform, but only if it’s built on a proprietary data foundation rather than recycled third-party feeds. The platform assembles accurate proprietary account data, tracks precision buying signals, and automates sales tasks and administration.

Over 1,000 customers, including CBRE, Eftsure, G2, Robert Half, Monday.com, Marsh, and Canon, use Firmable to drive sales productivity across Australia, New Zealand, and now eight markets across Asia-Pacific.

Firmable was co-founded by technology industry leaders Leigh Jasper, Paul Perrett, and Karthik Venkatasubramanian to solve the sales productivity problem using new AI tools and approaches. The founders previously worked together at Aconex, which was acquired by Oracle for $1.6 billion, where Jasper was co-founder and CEO.

Leigh Jasper, co-CEO, said sales success is directly linked to the quality of external account data and the effectiveness of AI tools. “Knowing which prospect to target – and most importantly when – is the major driver of sales efficiency. Using Firmable, salespeople waste less time on research, eliminate tedious administration, and focus their valuable time on the customers and conversations that matter.”

“Most sales intelligence tools are just interfaces on top of the same licensed datasets. That’s why the data is stale, duplicated, and US-centric. We took the harder path – building our own data asset from the ground up – because we believe the compound advantage of owning the data layer is what actually makes AI agents useful rather than just fast at being wrong,” Jasper added.

Firmable’s platform works in three reinforcing layers. First, it assembles and continuously refreshes proprietary account and contact data using AI-driven web data aggregation, LLM-based extraction, and entity resolution. Second, it surfaces precision buying signals including leadership changes, hiring surges, funding rounds, technology shifts, and other events that indicate purchase intent. Third – and this is the focus now – AI agents act on those signals autonomously: enriching CRM records, prioritising accounts, drafting outreach and orchestrating sales actions.

“Every sales leader we talk to says the same thing: their US-built tools don’t work internationally. The data is wrong, the coverage is thin, and the workflows assume an American go-to-market motion. We’re not just filling a coverage gap – we’re building the AI-native platform these teams actually need,” said Paul Perrett, co-CEO.  

Airtree Partner John Henderson said Firmable is set apart by its focus on using AI to both assemble the best-in-market dataset and build agents on this proprietary data foundation to drive sales performance.

“The AI sales tooling market is exploding, but most startups in the space have no defensible data moat. Firmable is one of very few companies globally that owns its own proprietary dataset and is building agents directly on top of it. The team’s track record of scaling Aconex into a multibillion-dollar company gives us conviction that they can execute the same playbook – start in APAC, prove the model, then take it global.”

For more information, visit firmable.com.

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About Firmable 

Firmable accelerates sales team performance with an AI sales platform that assembles proprietary account data, tracks real-time precision buying signals, and orchestrates sales actions. With more than 1,000 customers, Firmable helps salespeople focus on the right accounts at the right time, and automates sales tasks and administration to win more deals, faster.

BEIJING, March 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — This is a news report from China Daily:

A convoy of off-road vehicles was winding its way up the mountain road, kicking up clouds of dust that obscured the view. Suddenly, it came to a halt. Wang Tianyi, clad in a blue uniform, camouflage pants, and work shoes, stepped out of the first vehicle and gently carried away the calf that was blocking the way ahead.

This unexpected encounter on Jan 28, unlike past encounters with bears and wild boars, marked the start of yet another challenging day for Wang and his colleagues as they embarked on a crucial mineral exploration mission around the Lanping lead-zinc mine in the Nujiang Lisu autonomous prefecture, Yunnan province.

As the first stage of mineral exploration, the work of Wang’s group involves collecting soil samples at the vertices of each 40-meter-by-100-meter rectangle, drying them in the sun, grinding them into powder, and testing their geochemical composition. With 90 percent of the work already completed, their task for that day was to sample the last and most rugged central area in the north.

“This is tough work, but every sample we collect brings us one step closer to finding new mineral deposits. And it’s all worth it,” the 35-year-old said.

Having commenced the project in early January, Wang is among the 33 geological workers from the Kunming General Survey of Natural Resources Center of the China Geological Survey, tasked with mapping a 44-square-kilometer surrounding area of China’s largest open-pit lead-zinc mine. Braving freezing temperatures, steep slopes, and mysterious unknowns, they provide valuable insights into the region’s mineral potential, facilitating the planning of future exploration and mining efforts.

Lead and zinc, often found together as co-minerals, are silvery-white metals characterized by their suitable ductility and relatively low electrical conductivity among metals. With extensive use in industrial alloys, anticorrosion coatings, and radiation shielding applications, they experience huge global demand.

In 1965, the local geological survey bureau discovered the Lanping mine, which boasts reserves of lead and zinc exceeding 15 million metric tons. It remained the largest of its kind in China until 2016, when a mine in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region surpassed its record.

While China ranks among the top globally in reserves for lead and zinc, the per capita availability of these metals remains limited. Moreover, the rise of new energy vehicles has further intensified demand, particularly given their critical roles in battery technologies.

Pan Jiarong, a senior engineer at the Kunming General Survey of Natural Resources Center who leads the exploration project, emphasized that prospecting near existing mines is a “low-cost, high-return” strategy, providing benefits such as economic value, resource security, and ecological protection. 

He pointed to the Olympic Dam deposit in Australia as an example, illustrating how it evolved from a copper mine into one of the world’s largest deposits of copper, gold, uranium, and nickel through a series of discoveries.

“Preliminary literature indicates a high likelihood of mineralization in this region. In addition, the geological structures and metallogenic conditions of known deposits often mirror their surrounding areas. This offers the potential to streamline work by utilizing existing exploration data, such as geological maps, geochemical anomalies, and drilling records, thereby reducing exploration risks and costs,” Pan said.

“If new ore bodies are discovered, development can quickly proceed by leveraging existing mining infrastructure, which minimizes environmental impact from additional construction, and generates economic returns,” he said, adding that this approach can also enhance regional mineralization theory.

Given Yunnan’s exceptional importance as a biodiversity hot spot for flora and fauna, Pan underscored that their exploration plan was designed with a strong commitment to green exploration principles. This involves strictly adhering to the red lines that protect permanent basic farmland, conserve ecological areas, and respect urban expansion boundaries. To further minimize environmental impact, shallow drilling is chosen over the more disruptive trenching method, with careful attention paid to the disposal of waste oil and rock reagents.

“The altitude here is relatively high, which means that natural restoration of vegetation faces significant challenges. Therefore, we hope to minimize the extent of environmental disturbance as much as possible,” Pan said.

The sun hung high in the sky at noon when geologist Zeng Liang and his local partner tightened the lids of their thermoses, put the empty compressed biscuit wrappers into their backpacks, and prepared to start the remaining half of their work — they were required to return to the base before 6 pm, when it got dark.

“For each geological exploration project, we generally team up a local villager with a geologist, as locals are more familiar with the mountain conditions and can look out for each other to ensure safety,” Zeng said. 

He added that his local partner had worked with him for several days. Previously, the local would bring a home-cooked boxed meal, but due to the cold weather, he has taken Zeng’s advice to bring biscuits and steamed buns instead.

Deep in the mountains, where telephone signals are generally weak, their emergency communication relies on the satellite phones carried in everyone’s bags — both geologists and their local partners. For them, mobile phones are primarily used for recording purposes.

“We have a WeChat group where we post dozens of videos every day — surprising, thrilling, and strange ones. While our daily work can be tedious, seeing what others post not only reminds us that we’re not alone but also highlights potential dangers,” he said.

Zeng, like Wang, is responsible for geochemical prospecting. He pointed to a video of a colleague using a pickax to break through a 2-centimeter-thick layer of ice to collect soil samples underneath, which could reveal the region’s properties.

“It’s quite a unique experience, as few projects are conducted in winter,” Zeng said, highlighting the daily temperature fluctuations. In the morning, they have to leave extra space in their bags for down jackets, which they take off at noon when it gets warmer.

He also emphasized the challenges posed by the local coniferous forest vegetation. Thick layers of pine needles on the ground make it extremely slippery, and many team members have slipped off slopes and grabbed onto trees to stop their fall. The rugged terrain, with slopes reaching a 40-degree incline, makes the path difficult to climb, allowing them to cover only about 1,000 meters of straight-line distance each day, with their step count exceeding 10,000.

Unlike Wang and Zeng’s group, whose work is almost done, Li Jinwang’s group will be engaged throughout the entire exploration project. Their responsibility is to conduct geological mapping, a crucial phase where rock characteristics — such as types, colors, textures, and structures — are accurately plotted on a topographic map at a specific scale to uncover regional geological patterns. 

“To ensure uniform recording practices, my group spent the first week at the known lead-zinc mine for field training and calibrating measurement protocols,” Li said, adding that for abnormal rocks that are difficult to judge, they will carefully mark the location, take clear photos, and collect a sample to bring back.

The dense vegetation in Yunnan results in a relatively thick humus layer, which presents certain challenges for their work. As Li moves from place to place, he swings a geological hammer with his right hand to strike the rocks, revealing their internal structures. With a small instrument in his other hand, he conducts preliminary tests on the rocks’ elemental content and physical properties.

“It can be very frustrating if no abnormalities are found throughout the day. However, no result is also a result and needs to be dealt with seriously,” he said.

Surprisingly, they have made some discoveries. For example, they have found hard gray-green rocks that exhibit a metallic luster under a magnifying glass — which is highly consistent with the characteristics of lead-zinc ores in the known Lanping deposit — suggesting a likelihood of mineral resources in the region.

Additionally, there are some findings for which they haven’t yet found a definite explanation, such as rocks that emit an odor similar to asphalt when chipped and rocks with sapphire-like speckles.

“Our work in mineral exploration is like opening a blind box: we never know what we will find next, but every discovery brings us closer to unlocking the secrets of the Earth’s mineral wealth. This is both the responsibility and the charm of the job I undertake,” Li said.