Company Information

United Villa Co., Ltd. is the operating company behind the hospitality brand 色 (Shiki). Based in Yufuin and Beppu in Oita Prefecture, the company plans, designs, and operates accommodation experiences that integrate hot springs, art, and architecture. More than 70% of guests at its properties come from overseas, reflecting an inbound-focused approach to hospitality. The operational know-how proven across its directly operated properties is being expanded nationwide through the franchise program Shiki FC, which supports the renewal of regional cultural assets.

Corporate Philosophy

Turning local culture that sleeps in regional Japan into experiences the world can recognize as value.

United Villa focuses on hot spring culture as the foundation for revaluing hidden regional resources, contributing through culture-led hospitality to the challenges faced by rural Japan, including depopulation and a shortage of successors in traditional industries.

Company Profile

Company Name United Villa Co., Ltd. (ユナイテッドヴィラ株式会社)

Established June 2024

Capital ¥1,000,000

Head Office United Kanaike Building, Room 101, 3-1-96 Kanaikecho, Oita City, Oita Prefecture, Japan

Representative Yutaka Kurata, Representative Director (代表取締役 倉田 諭尚)

Director Yuki Terauchi, Director (取締役 寺内 優貴)

Employees Approximately 5 full-time staff, plus approximately 10 housekeeping team members on contract

Business Segments Hospitality (under the Inn and Hotel Management Act) / Franchise / Space Utilization / Real Estate

Licenses Inn and Hotel Management Act licenses obtained for all properties

Affiliated Company UNITEDFUND PTE. LTD. (Malaysia)

Brand Hospitality brand 色 (Shiki)

Website / Social hotelshiki.com · Instagram @shiki_hotel

Contact unitedvilla.jp@gmail.com · 090-5488-3102

Business Segments

1. Hospitality (Direct Operation)

United Villa plans, designs, and operates the Shiki brand in-house, end to end. The brand delivers high-value accommodation experiences that integrate hot springs, art, and architecture, serving both domestic and international guests. All properties have obtained licenses under the Inn and Hotel Management Act.

2. Franchise (Shiki FC)

The company packages its proven operating know-how, design language, and brand system and offers them through the Shiki FC franchise program. The program identifies underused regional properties across Japan and supports their transformation into culturally meaningful, commercially viable destinations.

3. Space Utilization (Shiki Hours)

United Villa makes its property spaces available on an hourly basis for photography, meetings, and creative work, generating revenue opportunities beyond accommodation.

4. Real Estate

The company handles property acquisition, renovation, and management in-house, controlling the upstream supply and refurbishment of properties that support the hospitality business.

Strengths and Competitive Position

United Villa's principal competitive advantage is its end-to-end internal capability: the company can execute every stage of the hospitality value chain — property sourcing, spatial and architectural design, construction management, marketing, and operations — without external dependency.

• Integrated in-house delivery. Property identification through to spatial and architectural design, furnishings, marketing, and day-to-day operations are all managed internally.

• Consistency of philosophy and design. The brand is built around the Zen concept of Shiki (色), with the representative director personally responsible for room design. The result is a worldview that runs beneath the surface of every property.

• A repeatable system. Housekeeping standard operating procedures, AI and IT systems, and bilingual (Japanese / English) guest communication standardize operations so that the model is not dependent on any individual operator and can be expanded.

Brand — 色 (Shiki)

色 (Shiki) is a hospitality brand that integrates hot springs, art, and architecture into a single guest experience. The name is drawn from the Zen phrase 色即是空、空即是色 (Form is emptiness; emptiness is form). The flagship property — a former art museum in Yufuin renovated as a museum you can sleep in — anchors the brand. Each property combines private natural-source hot springs, contemporary art, designer furniture, and cultural experiences such as matcha, kimono, and traditional sweet making. The brand is now expanding into new expressions, including the upcoming SHIKI RECORD HOTEL OITA in Oita City.

Properties

SHIKI ART HOTEL YUFU — Yufuin, Oita Prefecture · Art hotel · Opened 2025. A renovated former art museum operating as a museum you can sleep in. Private hot spring; limited to four groups per night.

SHIKI VILLA BEPPU — Beppu, Oita Prefecture · Apartment-style · Opened 2024. Private hot spring; three accommodation rooms plus four rental units. Designed for residential-style stays.

SHIKI MUSIC HOTEL OITA — Oita City, Oita Prefecture · Social boutique hotel · In preparation. A renewal of a discontinued food and beverage venue, planned as a cultural gathering point for the city of Oita. A new format centered on art and music.

International expansion is conducted through the affiliated company UNITEDFUND PTE. LTD. (Kuala Lumpur and Johor, Malaysia).

Management

Yutaka Kurata — Representative Director, Co-founder (代表取締役 倉田 諭尚)

Leads property design, spatial and architectural planning, social media marketing, and brand direction. Licensed real estate broker (Takken-shi). An engineer and designer who personally directs both the architectural design of guest rooms and the selection of furnishings.

Yuki Terauchi — Director, Co-founder (取締役 寺内 優貴)

Leads finance and operational execution. Graduate of Keio University, Faculty of Business and Commerce (Corporate Finance). Previously a project manager at Nomura Research Institute responsible for large-scale securities system development in joint programs with Japan Exchange Group, and lead of the firm's generative AI research and development team.

The combination of creative direction with finance and execution expertise allows United Villa to support its properties from concept through to implementation and ongoing operation.

Performance and Third-Party Recognition

• 98% occupancy at the Yufuin flagship

• 94% occupancy in Beppu

• Guest review average: 4.98 out of 5

• More than 70% inbound (international) guests

• Operating margin in excess of 60%

Independent recognition for SHIKI ART HOTEL YUFU on major accommodation booking platforms includes top-5% global ranking and ongoing Most-Loved by Guests and Premier Host recognition. International travel content creators have stayed at and collaborated with the brand. Within the first month of launch, Shiki FC received more than 21 inbound franchise inquiries.

Market Environment and Growth Strategy

Inbound travel to Japan reached a record 36.87 million arrivals in 2024 (a 47% year-on-year increase), and demand is shifting away from Tokyo and Osaka toward regional destinations. Rising interest in private and extended stays is creating structural demand for single-property rentals and premium accommodation. United Villa pursues sustainable growth along three axes: (1) expansion of directly operated properties, (2) discovery and renewal of regional culture nationwide through Shiki FC, and (3) expansion of international operations.

History

2022 — Began hospitality operations in Malaysia through affiliated company UNITEDFUND PTE. LTD.

June 2024 — United Villa Co., Ltd. incorporated

2024 — Japan launch in Beppu (SHIKI VILLA BEPPU opened)

2025 — SHIKI ART HOTEL YUFU opened in Yufuin

2026 — New villa opening in Yufuin and Shiki FC franchise program launch

Upcoming — SHIKI RECORD HOTEL OITA

Contact

For corporate inquiries, partnership proposals, or media requests, please contact United Villa through the details below.

Email unitedvilla.jp@gmail.com

Phone 090-5488-3102

Website hotelshiki.com

Instagram @shiki_hotel