ANA Crowne Plaza Kobe by IHG

I had time to spare before the shuttle bus to Kansai airport, so I stopped for coffee in the quiet hotel cafe. The Mont blanc in the cake case caught my eye. I always love Mont blanc, and this one had chestnuts inside, plus a crunchy bit like a macaron. That was a lot of fun.

The room had a great view, was quiet, and came with Nespresso capsules. It's also conveniently close to the Shinkansen station. Still, I'd call this about 3.5 stars. The design feels dated, the yellowish lighting gave the room a ghostly vibe, and I wondered why there wasn't a proper bedspread, which I'd expect from a four-star hotel. I felt a bit uncomfortable staying in the room for long. Heating is controlled centrally, so you can't set the temperature or choose air conditioning instead. You can only adjust the airflow. Most staff seemed to speak only basic English, so you may need Japanese. I made a request by phone, which I won't go into here, and was told, “sorry, impossible.” It might have gone over better if they could explain in proper English, or at least in Japanese, which I can understand. Maybe it was related to the recent sentiments toward foreigners.

The breakfast buffet was spectacular, with lots of things made in house, including yoghurt, jams, and pastries. The hotel is well placed for train travel, and they stored our bags until check-in. Check-in itself was super fast. We had two rooms for one night. I'm not a frequent traveler, but I'm an IHG member, so I got a late checkout at no extra cost. Our group really needed that. The pool costs an extra 2200 yen, and I didn't have enough time to try it. I'd stay again in a heartbeat.

The gym was a surprise. Its old but fascinating machines use air pressure, so there's less need to rack and rerack weights. The 24-hour gym also provides shoes. I went at 22:00 and found a pair in my size, though I'm not sure how that works during busy hours. The amenities were great, even if they feel dated and give the place an old 70s vibe. No ghosts or other entities showed up so far 😂. Our room was great, with a very comfortable bed and pillows, as you'd expect from a four-star hotel. The staff were accommodating, and overall I was very happy. The check-in process, though, felt really outdated. Most hotels ask for IDs in advance or have a self-check-in machine, but here it was all done manually, which felt cumbersome after a very long trip with back-to-back travel.