Multiple outlets report that a Tokyo hotel is positioning its five-star service as beginning before guests even arrive. The coverage focuses on how luxury properties, facing intense competition, are shifting from traditional markers of premium accommodation—such as room features, decor, and high-end amenities—to more comprehensive guest handling prior to check-in. While details of specific services are not provided in the shared excerpts, the articles present a consistent theme: hotels increasingly compete through customer experience at earlier stages of travel, including actions that can be handled before arrival. All three sources—The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, and Brisbane Times—frame the initiative as part of a broader industry trend in which “perks” extend beyond physical in-room comforts and aim to improve convenience and service continuity from the outset of a guest’s trip. The reporting is aligned in tone and emphasis, describing the move as a strategic response to maintaining luxury status in a competitive market.