Hotel Hana IchiRin Kanazawa

It was fine for me. I often stay places just to sleep and then leave, and I didn’t mind this stay. We had a twin-share room on the third floor, with no elevator. There were no staff on-site, and checking in online could make problems hard to sort out, like getting through the door. The email with the door password was in Japanese, so I was scared to leave and not be able to get back in. I didn’t want to close the door in case I got locked out. It took me a while and help from a Japanese guest to figure out the entry code. In the email, *XXXX# is your entry code. For a two-star hotel, I think a free teabag or coffee is a basic minimum, but there was none in the kitchen or the room.

Check-in was long and very difficult. I don’t recommend it.

The price was cheap, and after booking a week before my stay I got a 75% discount. At that price, it was fine, but I think I’d choose somewhere else if it cost more than the discounted rate. The place was clean and well maintained, though there are no full-time staff on site. I was told it was self check-in, but it seemed like I was speaking to someone remotely on a video call from a tablet at the entrance. A mysterious foreigner who spoke Japanese politely helped me. There are several similar facilities, so maybe they streamline reception that way. The room was very simple, with a bed, small desk, TV, chair, and lamp. They provided bath towels and toothbrushes. Downstairs there’s a spacious lounge and shared kitchen. It’s right next to Nomachi Station, the terminus of the Hokuriku Railroad Ishikawa Line, but keep in mind the last train leaves at 9:30 PM. The bathroom is about three times the size of one at home (?) and has a shower stall for two. The water temperature and flow were both sufficient. The fully screened windows and openwork decorations made me think the owner definitely wasn’t Japanese.

For the price, the room was pretty decent. The toilet setup was a little unusual: one shared private room on the first floor, the men's room on the second floor, and the women's on the third. There are washbasins in front of the toilets on the second and third floors. I used the shower room, but the water wouldn’t drain because the drain hadn’t been cleaned. I had to pull the hair out of it myself. Had it not been cleaned? There’s only a hair dryer in the shared bathroom, so you can’t use it if someone is bathing.