Japan's business hotel chain Super Hotel is entering an accounting outsourcing business using artificial intelligence. Japan's ITmedia reported on Sunday that Super Hotel plans to commercialise the AI know-how it has used for its own accounting into a service for outside companies. It aims to start the service as early as April 2028.

Ahead of the commercial rollout, Super Hotel set up a new company in August 2026 called Mirai Office Support after spinning off its financial accounting division. The company currently handles accounting for six of the group's 16 firms, including Super Hotel and eldercare home operator Super Court. Super Hotel is using group companies as a test bed for AI, seeking greater efficiency and to build up know-how.

It will apply generative AI and automation systems to routine work such as invoice processing and expense settlements. The idea is to have AI handle input and verification so employees can focus on tasks that require judgement, such as closing accounts and managing funds.

Super Hotel plans to package its accumulated know-how and AI base and sell the outsourced service to startups and venture companies. The main targets are companies with weak financial foundations or accounting staff. It is aiming at demand to streamline accounting work so limited staff can be assigned to tasks requiring greater expertise.

In Japan, the business process outsourcing market is growing amid labour shortages and a push for digital transformation. Yano Research Institute estimated the size of Japan's BPO market in fiscal 2024 at 5,078.7 billion yen, up 4.0 percent from the previous year. It forecast it will grow to 5,870.35 billion yen in fiscal 2029.

Super Hotel President Kensaku Yamamoto (야마모토 겐사쿠) said in an interview with the Sankei Shimbun that it would streamline internal back-office functions while creating a "profit-making business". He meant the company's internal digital transformation would not stop at cutting costs but be developed into a new source of revenue.