Beppu Ekimae Hotel Hayashi

The front desk staff made a strong impression. They were consistently friendly and reliable, and went out of their way to help me have a safe, enjoyable stay. I’m very grateful to them, especially with the low prices and such a good location. Hayashi Hotel is a retro Japanese business hotel, with nothing modern or stylish about it, but the rooms have the basics: a kettle, air purifier, fridge, TV and air conditioner. They also provide a yukata and good WiFi despite the low rate. Every room has a bathtub, and there’s a cute hot spring upstairs with pleasantly hot water. It’s right in front of Beppu Station, so it’s easy to find, although Google sends you to the back entrance for some reason. It makes a handy base for exploring town or catching buses to Yufuin, Kurokawa and Kumamoto Airport.

The hotel is inexpensive and old, probably best for a night’s stay. It’s directly in front of Beppu station, close to Family Mart and other restaurants. The staff are kind and speak a little English. They clean the room every day, though you need to leave your key with them whenever you go out. There’s strong WiFi and an onsen on the 3rd floor, which I didn’t try.

The location is convenient, but for the price I found the hotel dirty and sketchy. There were hairs in the bathroom, mould in several places, and old stained carpets. The hallways were dark with the lights off, and the lobby was cold. The front desk staff also forgot to give us a pamphlet with the WiFi code.

A decent place to sleep for one night. The women’s hot spring bath is on the 3rd floor and the men’s is on the 7th. Both are open from 06:00 Local until 24:00 Local.