The Dai-ichi Hotel Group has been a popular chain of over forty nationwide hotels established in 1938. The flagship of the family, Dai-ichi Hotel Tokyo, was built in 1993 in Shimbashi, an area historically significant for its first railroad linkage to Yokohama, where the West made initial contact with the country.

The location is considered to be the gateway to Tokyo's key districts including adjacent Ginza and Toranomon.

'Crossroads' and 'cultural diversity' were the key criteria in designing the hotel's symbol.

UCI was invited to participate in nomenclature and identity for the facilities within, and to establish and implement a design theme on a long list of items. The three-year process included designing the main lobby floor mosaic, total presentation of the guestroom collaterals, and some of the Logo Boutique's merchandise. The signage system was developed by Toshio Takeda of TCI.