Conferences for up to 600 people, banquets for 360 seated, company trips with group dinners and weddings can be organised at ART HOTEL Ishigakijima, a 245-room hotel on the high ground of Ishigaki City in the Yaeyama Islands of Okinawa. The hotel has nine banquet and meeting rooms, among them Yaeyama, which it presents as the largest banquet hall on the island.
Seminars and company events
Yaeyama, on the ground floor, covers 462 m² and seats 600 theatre-style, 315 in classroom layout, 360 at banquet tables or 400 standing. Movable partitions divide it into Hoshizuna and the two smaller rooms Sango and Shinjyu, so a plenary session can be followed by breakouts in the same wing. On the second floor, Iriomote, Paipate and Taketomi take committees and workshops of 30 to 70. Paipate has a raised tiered platform at the back that suits award ceremonies. Wireless and wired microphones, stands, a whiteboard, a podium and a movable stage are provided free of charge, and Yaeyama has a built-in projector with a 340 by 240 cm screen. Other rooms use a movable projector and a freestanding screen. The hotel sells group stay plans that combine bedrooms and a banquet, which helps for incentive trips and company outings.
Weddings and receptions
The hotel hosts weddings with three ceremony styles, including a Shinto ceremony and a civil-style ceremony in front of guests, and two reception venues. Receptions use the banquet rooms on the ground floor.
Rooms and capacities
Yaeyama: 462 m², theatre 600, banquet 360, standing 400. Hoshizuna L: 232 m², theatre 300, banquet 180, standing 190. Hoshizuna S: 170 m², theatre 210, banquet 120. Sango and Shinjyu: 115 m² each, theatre 70, banquet 60. Iriomote: 81 m², theatre 70, banquet 60. Paipate: 60 m², theatre 56, banquet 40. Taketomi: 47 m², theatre 40, banquet 30. Capricorn, the 13th-floor bar, covers 137 m² and takes 50 standing or 30 seated for a cocktail with a view.
Accommodation
The 245 guest rooms come in several types. Rooms on the south side look over the town and the sea, and rooms on the north side over greenery. A garden pool is open to adults and children.
Catering
Catering is in-house. Allday Dining Aquarius serves buffets at breakfast, lunch and dinner. HARUSA serves yakiniku and Chinese cooking in the evening. Sky bar Capricorn opens in the evening on the top floor, and Doug's Coffee serves coffee from morning to evening.
History and setting
The hotel stands at 559 Okawa, on raised ground above the center of Ishigaki City, so many rooms and the rooftop bar look out over the town and the sea. Ishigaki is the main island of the Yaeyama group and the departure point for ferries to the surrounding islands.
Getting there
New Ishigaki Airport is about 25 minutes away by car, with direct flights from Naha and from major cities on the Japanese mainland. There is no rail service on the island.
