Merryland acquires full control of Encity Hotel Nobeoka operator

What's the deal? Saga-based Merryland Co. has acquired 100% of Encity Hotel Nobeoka Co.Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the operator of a 125-room hotel in Nobeoka, Miyazaki prefecture, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. The deal closed on September 30, 2026. Terms were undisclosed.

What each company does: Merryland, founded in 1980, runs amusement, hotel, and real estate businesses across the region. Encity Hotel Nobeoka sits along the Gokase River, a seven-minute walk from JR Nobeoka Station, offering lodging plus banquet halls, meeting rooms, and wedding facilities.

Why now? Merryland says it is in a "third founding period," targeting group revenue of US$38.5M over the next five years. Expanding its hotel business is central to that plan. The company also has ties to Nobeoka: its parent, Kiyomoto Iron Works, is headquartered there.

What's the endgame? Encity Hotel Nobeoka is the first company Merryland has brought into its group. For roughly six months after the acquisition, Merryland will review operations, facilities, and guest usage before setting a management plan from April 2027.

What changes: Merryland plans to keep serving business travellers while attracting tourists, and will weigh updates to facilities, room layouts, and local wedding demand. It frames the deal as protecting a hotel that has long hosted banquets, meetings, and weddings for the community.

The signal: The acquisition shows a regional operator consolidating hotel assets to anchor growth in a familiar market, preserving a local institution while scaling its own business.

Read more: prtimes.jp

Image credit: Generated with Gemini