Muji is bringing its masterfully minimalist aesthetic to hotels

With Muji offering everything from erasers to three-storey homes, running cafés, bakeries and even a couple of campsites in Japan, a hotel was bound to happen sooner rather than later, with the first of three planned properties just about to open in the Chinese city of Shenzhen.

While the actual operation of the hotels will be handled by third parties, Muji has developed the interior design and the concept behind the properties. The goal is to offer not just a bed for the night, but also a kind of test space for guests to experience the retail company’s innovative products and, at the same time, provide feedback that might give rise to new merchandise.

In following the brand’s general outlook, the hotels promise a simple, no-frills design and will of course be stocked with iconic Muji homeware such as simple wooden beds, comfy sofas, thick cotton towels and amenities in clear plastic bottles.

As for the 79-room Shenzhen hotel, it is housed in a multi-use facility called UpperHills at the heart of the city, not far from public transport links that can easily whisk you to luxury shopping malls like Coco Park or to attractions such as Window of the World, a collection of 150 replicas of world sights. Although for a more personal take, the property will post its favourite local hotspots to the brand's global Instagram account. Inside, there is also an all-day diner which serves up breakfasts and simple meals; and of course, a large two-storey store selling the best of what the brand has to offer.

Up next are properties in Beijing and in Tokyo, the latter said to open in 2019 in Ginza on the top floors of a brand new ten-storey Muji flagship, poised to be the largest Muji store in the world.