The Rinku Gate Tower Building was conceived in the mid-1980s during the planning of
Kansai International Airport. Originally, the plan was to build twin towers on the site, which would form a "gate" facing the airport. By the time construction began in 1992, the
Japanese asset price bubble had collapsed and the plan to build the second tower was scrapped. During the building's first few years of operation, its office area was largely vacant, given its distance from central Osaka and the under-utilization of the airport. In 1999, the government of
Osaka Prefecture moved a number of functions into the building, including a passport office. The building's hotel was originally part of the
ANA Hotels chain as the ANA Gate Tower Hotel, and was operated by an affiliate of
All Nippon Airways. The hotel operating company filed for
liquidation in 2005, which caused its parent company, the building operator, to file for restructuring several months later. A group of investors led by
Shinsei Bank and
Kennedix purchased the building at the end of this process for . From 2005 to 2011, the ANA Gate Tower Hotel was managed by a company 90% owned by Osaka Prefecture. The company ran an operating deficit of 150 to 400 million yen per year and eventually became insolvent. Osaka governor
Tōru Hashimoto pushed to privatize the hotel, and in July 2011 management was transferred to Dancin' Diner, a
Kansai region restaurant chain, with the hotel being renamed "Star Gate Hotel Kansai Airport." An affiliate of the Hong Kong-listed company SiS International Holdings purchased the building in December 2012 for 3 billion yen as its first real estate investment in Japan. ==Floors==