BnA HOTEL Koenji | Makeshift

BnA HOTEL Koenji takes the BnA concept a step further, by turning the entire creative city of Koenji into an art hotel.

BnA plans to acquire and build out art rooms all over Koenji, forming clusters that operate together as one hotel. Guests will check in at the main building’s Front Desk, and be led to their rooms through the “hallways” of Koenji. This citywide hotel will offer guests more opportunities to connect with the local community and get a feel for its distinctive vibe. Building on this idea, BnA also plans to partner with local business, offering stays that include complimentary breakfasts at the area’s cafés, bike rentals, or soaks at the local sento (public bath).

As the first step,  BnA opened the central building on March 2016. The building features a cafe/bar, gallery, rooftop terrace as well as two art hotel rooms.

The café and bar, dubbed Front Desk, acts as a literal check-in point for guests as well as a hub for local artists to “check in” with one another and share ideas.

The rooftop terrace is open to the public during the day, providing a venue for creative individuals to network with and stimulate one another.

The subterranean art gallery situated below Front Desk offers a unique opportunity for up and coming international artists. The planned “artist in residence” program will provided free accommodations to chosen artists in Koenji for ten days, during which they literally live inside the gallery while transforming it into a radically personal installation.

About BnA
- Short for Bed & Art Project
- Art x hospitality project with the concept of “stay in an art work”
- Share part of the profit back to the participating artists
- Two test marketing projects prior to BnA HOTEL Koenji (Released on Airbnb)

About BnA HOTEL Koenji
Opened on Mar 7th 2016
- 2-4-7 Koenjikita, Suginami, Tokyo, Japan
- A real-estate agent building renovated
- Priced at around 20000JPY/room (depends on the season)
- 3 stories + basement, rooftop

1st floor: Front Desk Bar
- Bar that also functions as a front desk of the hotel
- Restaurant operation during the day (Masu Masu, onigiri café)
- Artists can bring in their artwork and exchange to other artists’ work

2nd floor:
 “Into the Foreign” by Yohei Takahashi
 Twin Room

3rd floor:
- “Ten.” By Ryuichi Ogino (Ogi)
- Twin Room

Basement: Backroom gallery
- Artist residency program
- Artists will work on an installation for 10 days, the work will then be displayed to the public for 20 days
- DJ booth & Streaming equipment

Rooftop lounge
- Plans to turn Koenji itself into an art hotel by producing art rooms all around it

About Koenji
A district of Tokyo, close to Shinuku (8-10 mins by train)
Known for a creative and underground communities
- Countless second hand clothes shops
- Many venues/live houses
- Home of many musicians, artists, and manga writers
- Many of the most famous Japanese musicians lived and worked here before making it big
- Strong local community, with many mom and pop stores
- Has an official mascot called “Mr. Psyche Deli”, a magic mushroom wearing an Indian turbanb