Hotel Route Inn Grand Chichibu

The buffet breakfast was very good, and I appreciated the free coffee by reception. The hotel is easy to walk from to local restaurants and bars, and sightseeing was convenient. Our group rented the meeting room, and staff set up the tables and chairs the way we wanted. There are lots of ways to charge devices, including USB ports, plenty of outlets, and a wireless charging station. The TV has several streaming services, though you'll need to sign in with your own account. The kettle in my room didn't work. The rooms aren't barrier-free: there's a step up into the tatami-style area and another at the unit bath entrance. I was with some older friends, who mentioned that the chairs and bed were low to the floor.

One thing to watch out for: check whether your booking is for a smoking or non-smoking room. I accidentally reserved a smoking room and regretted it. If you stay more than two days, they give you coins instead of cleaning the room, and you can use them for drinks or beer from vending machines. Staff include Korean speakers, though English seemed limited. The location is excellent for visiting Chichibu Tama Kai National Park. It's easy to get to from the train station, and there's a huge parking lot for people arriving by car. The hotel is newer, so it feels fresh and well maintained. There are onsen facilities with indoor baths, a sauna, and outdoor hot springs with a pleasant atmosphere and comfortable temperature. Other amenities include a ping-pong room, manga library, and gacha machines. Right across the street is what appears to be Chichibu's only mall, with a cinema, market, bakery, pharmacy, and other shops. The service is excellent, everything is spotless, and the location is hard to beat. It may cost more than other hotels in the area, but it's a great place to relax before heading out to the national park.

We stayed one night for the December festival. The facilities are beautiful and new, there was plenty of parking, and breakfast was good. The staff were helpful despite a small hiccup. The on-site hot spring was excellent, though the outdoor onsen pool was very hot. One extra detail: on festival night, you can see the fireworks from even-numbered rooms. The view isn't the best, but you can see them.

We really liked the kind service, welcoming decor, spacious room, and nice indoor and outdoor public baths, which were open late. There's tons of parking, and a cafe, supermarket, and movie theater are all within walking distance. Although it's in town, the building sits far enough back to feel spacious, and our room had a nice sunset view. The hotel is brand new, and we stayed in a comfortable, well-designed 40 square meter room. But the strong smell was concerning. With the artificial materials used throughout, including plastic flooring, wall coverings, and adhesives, I think the building needs time to air out. The sofa and chair upholstery was like the plastic fibers in cheap American RV furniture, though it will certainly be easier to clean than natural materials. We could only open the window a little, so fresh air was hard to get. Cooling the room made the smell less intense. The Wi-Fi was unreliable. Pages would often stop loading because we kept getting disconnected. Sometimes it worked great, sometimes not at all. I'd recommend the place, but not for the next few months while the smell is still airing out.