Capsule Hotel 'Nine Hours' Launches Private Room Hotel 'Smart Place Inn Hakata Gion' on May 15, 2026, with Refreshed Logo Design

Nine Hours Inc. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yasuyuki Watanabe) will open 'Smart Place Inn Hakata Gion' on Friday, May 15, 2026. This will be the sixth location for the private room hotel brand 'Smart Place Inn,' which began its expansion in 2024. 'Smart Place Inn Hakata Gion' is an existing facility that has undergone rebranding. JA Mitsui Lease Tatemono Co., Ltd. (Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Masaki Kudo), the new owner of the property, selected Nine Hours Inc. to manage the facility's operations. Concurrently, the logo design for 'Smart Place Inn' has been refreshed, with design work by TAKAIYAMA.inc. Nine Hours Inc. aims to rebuild the brand image for a new phase and utilize its accumulated expertise from operating the 'Nine Hours' capsule hotels and accommodation revitalization projects to meet the diverse needs of modern travelers. The company is actively strengthening its services for operating entrustment and rebranding of private room hotels. This includes applying insights from its 'Nine Hours' capsule hotel operations to optimize rebranding and operational structures for existing hotels facing profitability challenges and newly acquired accommodation facilities. Nine Hours Inc. plans to continue enhancing the value of accommodation facilities and addressing evolving guest needs, in conjunction with its existing capsule hotel and sleep tech businesses.